Well the month of February is over, and what a crazy month it was in terms of weather. I just missed my goals of 24 days run and 168 miles with totals of 23 and 166.5 miles. I was very pleased with the mileage total, as it represented my most miles in February ever. Since my longest run of the month was today at 8.25 miles, I was very consistent with my 7.25 mile average per run. Now for March I know I need to start running some longer runs, especially if I am going to do Sytennde Mai (20 Mile race on May 19).
Like January, my February total was mostly base miles, with no real fast stuff. I probably ran 5 miles at or faster than 7:00 pace. I also want to start incorporating tempo workouts for March.
Since the 1st two months have gone so well, it's time to get serious in planning for some later races. I will approach Sytennde Mai like a 1/2 marathon, but will pace it slower obviously. I'd like to try and run sub 6:40 pace (2:12-2:13). Before that, I have to make a decision on whether to try and get into a big fall marathon. I still don't want to do Chicago (maybe next year), but I am looking really serious at Twin Cities. I can go and stay with my brother in Saint Paul and even have the trip paid for by going to Hudson for work the following day. So I'll have to check when they take applications (pretty sure it's late April or early May). maybe Zeke can pace me...
Goals for March are 26-7 runs (6 day weeks), 200 or more miles, and incorporating tempo and longer (10+ mile) runs. Certainly acheivable, and will set me up well for the months to come. Oh one final thing, I need to try and avoid slipping and falling on ice. Did so twice this month, once last Wednesday and the other this morning. Luckily nothing serious, just some scraped legs and a sprained wrist. STAY WELL.....
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Nothing broken...
Yes I am still here. After a week of mostly uninspired running, I had a little too much excitement this week. The weather finally got warmer, and I managed to get out of the neighborhood for runs on three consecutive days this week. Monday I ran down Wright Road, Tuesday up Town Hall Road (lots of traffic @ 6:00 am), and Wednesday Milton Avenue towards downtown. We had a bit of a thaw, so the melting and subsequent refreezing of sidewalks made the Wednesday run a bit dicey. In spite of that, I had a great run, and was running at a 7:10 clip when I slipped on a patch of black ice and went down. I had a nasty dirt streak on the left leg of my tights, and some bleeding, but everything appeared OK, and I ran the last two miles of my 8 mile run under 7:00 pace. Then about 5 hours after I ran, I noticed my left wrist hurt like crazy. I must have put it out as I was falling and it absorbed some of the impact. I had it checked out at work (my office is in the medical department at the General Motors plant) and the Nurse said it doesn't look broken, but you may want to get x-rays. She gave me a wrist support, and by the end of the day I was really hurting. I'm left handed, so writing was sheer agony. On Thursday I decided to have it looked at. The Dr said the x-rays were negative, and it's most likely just a sprain. I've been icing it like crazy and taking lots of ibuprofen. This morning I wore the support while I ran (kept my notorious left hand/wrist from getting cold!) and everything seems all right.
So, I'm still on track for my monthly goals. Hanging out at 40-45 mpw. We are supposed to get a monster snow storm this weekend, with anywhere from 8-15 inches of snow and lots of wind. Sunday could be a fun day to run...
So, I'm still on track for my monthly goals. Hanging out at 40-45 mpw. We are supposed to get a monster snow storm this weekend, with anywhere from 8-15 inches of snow and lots of wind. Sunday could be a fun day to run...
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Groundhog Day
Now I know that was 2 weeks ago (my son's birthday, btw), but it seems like my morning runs are taking a rather repetitive posture, as in deja vu type of familiarity. I ran 7.5 miles this morning, as I did the past 2 mornings, doing the same 3x2.5 mile neighborhood loop. On Tuesday for some reason in the blizzard I ran pretty quick. Yesterday was slow, probably b/c the freshly plowed roads had that layer of glaze ice and snow and was really slippery. Today was a bit better, but there still were some slick spots. And the temperature the last two days was at or below zero, with the wind chill definitely below zero. I probably could've used an extra layer of shorts, b/c I was pretty red and raw there when I finished.
I've found that if the temp is below 15 degrees, I really can't use my MP3 player. I also discovered that if I run w/ the mp3 for 2 or more days in a row, I develop an earache, esp in my right ear. So I don't obsess over it.
What I am obsessing a little bit about is my attempts to coordinate a training plan for the Milton Boys High School Cross Country team. I have spoken to 9 of the boys, and they all seem enthused about the prospect of training spring and summer to get a solid base in for next fall's season. I just don't see them getting that from there coach, so since many of them went to my son and asked if I'd help out with the team, I said I'd do what I could. I'm not planning anything fancy, just a program to get them to 40-50 mpw by mid August, when their CC team practices begin. I figure 6 days a week (2 steady, 2 hard-long run and tempo run, and 2 recovery runs) ought to do it, and I'll try to organize it so that 2-3 times a week the bulk of the boys are running together. They want to go to state and I think if 8-9 of the 12 returning runners (10 were under 19 minutes for 5K last season) do the work, they have a real shot at it. Heck, I never got to go to state, so I'd like to see somebody I know do it!
I've found that if the temp is below 15 degrees, I really can't use my MP3 player. I also discovered that if I run w/ the mp3 for 2 or more days in a row, I develop an earache, esp in my right ear. So I don't obsess over it.
What I am obsessing a little bit about is my attempts to coordinate a training plan for the Milton Boys High School Cross Country team. I have spoken to 9 of the boys, and they all seem enthused about the prospect of training spring and summer to get a solid base in for next fall's season. I just don't see them getting that from there coach, so since many of them went to my son and asked if I'd help out with the team, I said I'd do what I could. I'm not planning anything fancy, just a program to get them to 40-50 mpw by mid August, when their CC team practices begin. I figure 6 days a week (2 steady, 2 hard-long run and tempo run, and 2 recovery runs) ought to do it, and I'll try to organize it so that 2-3 times a week the bulk of the boys are running together. They want to go to state and I think if 8-9 of the 12 returning runners (10 were under 19 minutes for 5K last season) do the work, they have a real shot at it. Heck, I never got to go to state, so I'd like to see somebody I know do it!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Old Man Winter...
Well I still am doing well for the winter, having run 38 out of 44 days. I'm averaging 7 miles a day, not that spectacular, but pretty good considering all of my runs have been outside... in Wisconsin. Last week the average temperature at 6:00 am when I was running was -9 F. This week it has warmed up considerably, but there's been a lot of snow.
Saturday was a nice run, and the -5 temps didn't seem that bad due to little wind. What really worked well is that my hands finally stayed warm. I use cotton/poly gloves, and put an old pair of socks over my hands/wrists. But instead of taking the socks off when I got too warm, and then putting them back on when the wind picked up, I left them on the whole time. i think if you monkey with it too much you get freeze/thaw type of deal, and that makes me more likely to get cold hands and wrists. I finished up 7.8 miles for Saturday. On Sunday I thought it was warmer (10), so I wore less clothes and pretty much was cold for the whole 7 miles. Monday brought 3-4 inches of snow, so I slogged through 5 miles knowing I'd need to shovel the driveway when I got home. Then Cathy decided to yell at me b/c I didn't get Mike up to shovel before school. Sometimes you just can't win...
Today it was almost 20 degrees, but very windy, and the snow started up again. So when I ran North or East, I was met with a stinging spray of snow pellets. I stopped after 1 loop (2.5 miles to put on shorts that would repel the snow. Only problem is they were lighter and shorter than the 1/2 sweats I was wearing over my tights, so the tights were more exposed and they got wet. I was cold and wet after the 3rd loop. So 7.5 miles this morning, and I'm 5 weeks ahead of the mileage pace I set last year. Considering I only ran an average of 28 mpw last year, it's not saying much. A better example might be to look at 2005, when I set my mileage best. I only ran 84 miles in February that year, so by tomorrow I'll already be ahead for the month.
Now I need to find a way to publicize my blog. Guess I'll get ahold of Chad.
Saturday was a nice run, and the -5 temps didn't seem that bad due to little wind. What really worked well is that my hands finally stayed warm. I use cotton/poly gloves, and put an old pair of socks over my hands/wrists. But instead of taking the socks off when I got too warm, and then putting them back on when the wind picked up, I left them on the whole time. i think if you monkey with it too much you get freeze/thaw type of deal, and that makes me more likely to get cold hands and wrists. I finished up 7.8 miles for Saturday. On Sunday I thought it was warmer (10), so I wore less clothes and pretty much was cold for the whole 7 miles. Monday brought 3-4 inches of snow, so I slogged through 5 miles knowing I'd need to shovel the driveway when I got home. Then Cathy decided to yell at me b/c I didn't get Mike up to shovel before school. Sometimes you just can't win...
Today it was almost 20 degrees, but very windy, and the snow started up again. So when I ran North or East, I was met with a stinging spray of snow pellets. I stopped after 1 loop (2.5 miles to put on shorts that would repel the snow. Only problem is they were lighter and shorter than the 1/2 sweats I was wearing over my tights, so the tights were more exposed and they got wet. I was cold and wet after the 3rd loop. So 7.5 miles this morning, and I'm 5 weeks ahead of the mileage pace I set last year. Considering I only ran an average of 28 mpw last year, it's not saying much. A better example might be to look at 2005, when I set my mileage best. I only ran 84 miles in February that year, so by tomorrow I'll already be ahead for the month.
Now I need to find a way to publicize my blog. Guess I'll get ahold of Chad.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Wow, 1st time for everything!
Ok, so I'm really new at this. But after reading blogs of many other people who are runners, I felt compelled to create one of my own. Many thanks to Chad, whose blog (i'd post the link but not sure how to) I read pretty regularly, for inspiring me to do this. And since we're early into the year, and I'm running fairly well, I thought I'd take the plunge.
Now I have no idea who is going to read this, so I'll write an intro that tells you a little bit about myself. After a few days, I'll assume if you want to know soemthing, you'll ask.
INTRO
My name is Peter, and I've been running since I was 10 or 11 I suppose. I had two older runners that ran track and cross country in H.S. and College, so I figured it must be fun. They are also 7 and 8 years older than me, so it was easy to idolize what they did. I did run a bit of age group races back in the running boom era of the 1970's, but did not get serious or realize I had any talent until I was 14. That is when I ran in the summer to get ready for High School Cross Country. I ran 3 years of track and cross country in Madison, WI from 1978 to 1981. I ran some pretty decent times, but also against very stiff opposition. My PR for the 1600 meters was run in a race where I was 20 seconds behind the winning time of 4:06! After a long period of hit or miss running from age 18 to 30, I began running in earnest again when I moved back to Wisconsin 10 years ago. After finally figuring out what made a middle aged person improve (run more miles, stupid), I trained and ran a marathon (3:07) in 2003 at age 39. Another 2 years went by before I was able to complete another marathon in 2:59:13.
It seems like the even numbered years I am hurt or distracted and my running suffers, while the odd years work better for me. Hmm, 2007 is an odd year, right? Ok, so I've braved the elements here in Janesville, WI to run pretty consistently this year, averaging seven miles a day, six days a week thus far. I hope to build on that to give the marathon another go this fall.
Personal stuff - I am married for almost 20 years to Cathy, a wonderful non-runner, and have two kids who might be runners yet. Mike is 16 and only runs to get/stay in shape for soccer, and Megan is 13 and could be better than I ever was as a runner. The most important thing is she really enjoys it!! I will offer advice to her if asked, but mostly i plan to stay out of the way and watch her learn and grow as a runner. She'll be running Cross Country this fall as a frosh, I can't wait! We live in Janesville, WI, and I am a Human Resources Specialist for an Insurance Company that does Disability Management for General Motors.
I call this blog Run For Your Life because when I moved back to Wisconsin I decided that was what I wanted to do. I had started and stopped too many times, and made a ton of mistakes in training and racing, but through it all I really love everything about long distance running. Even though my wife says I'm too skinny and have no butt, I like the way I feel when I'm in shape and can eat anything I want. I don't race very often, I run 99% of my workouts by myself, in the morning usually before the sun is up.
So I hope that eventually someone might actually read my writing. But if not, I'm going to do it for me, to getsome thoughts down beyond "7.4 miles in 59 minutes,' which is what I did this morning, btw. So if you read this, make sure you stop and say hello. Thanks,
Peter
Now I have no idea who is going to read this, so I'll write an intro that tells you a little bit about myself. After a few days, I'll assume if you want to know soemthing, you'll ask.
INTRO
My name is Peter, and I've been running since I was 10 or 11 I suppose. I had two older runners that ran track and cross country in H.S. and College, so I figured it must be fun. They are also 7 and 8 years older than me, so it was easy to idolize what they did. I did run a bit of age group races back in the running boom era of the 1970's, but did not get serious or realize I had any talent until I was 14. That is when I ran in the summer to get ready for High School Cross Country. I ran 3 years of track and cross country in Madison, WI from 1978 to 1981. I ran some pretty decent times, but also against very stiff opposition. My PR for the 1600 meters was run in a race where I was 20 seconds behind the winning time of 4:06! After a long period of hit or miss running from age 18 to 30, I began running in earnest again when I moved back to Wisconsin 10 years ago. After finally figuring out what made a middle aged person improve (run more miles, stupid), I trained and ran a marathon (3:07) in 2003 at age 39. Another 2 years went by before I was able to complete another marathon in 2:59:13.
It seems like the even numbered years I am hurt or distracted and my running suffers, while the odd years work better for me. Hmm, 2007 is an odd year, right? Ok, so I've braved the elements here in Janesville, WI to run pretty consistently this year, averaging seven miles a day, six days a week thus far. I hope to build on that to give the marathon another go this fall.
Personal stuff - I am married for almost 20 years to Cathy, a wonderful non-runner, and have two kids who might be runners yet. Mike is 16 and only runs to get/stay in shape for soccer, and Megan is 13 and could be better than I ever was as a runner. The most important thing is she really enjoys it!! I will offer advice to her if asked, but mostly i plan to stay out of the way and watch her learn and grow as a runner. She'll be running Cross Country this fall as a frosh, I can't wait! We live in Janesville, WI, and I am a Human Resources Specialist for an Insurance Company that does Disability Management for General Motors.
I call this blog Run For Your Life because when I moved back to Wisconsin I decided that was what I wanted to do. I had started and stopped too many times, and made a ton of mistakes in training and racing, but through it all I really love everything about long distance running. Even though my wife says I'm too skinny and have no butt, I like the way I feel when I'm in shape and can eat anything I want. I don't race very often, I run 99% of my workouts by myself, in the morning usually before the sun is up.
So I hope that eventually someone might actually read my writing. But if not, I'm going to do it for me, to getsome thoughts down beyond "7.4 miles in 59 minutes,' which is what I did this morning, btw. So if you read this, make sure you stop and say hello. Thanks,
Peter
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