On The Run

2008-07-20T22:19:00.002-05:00

I went down to my parents house today and took the bike so I could get a ride in. They live on a farm in Kentucky, which means plenty of back country roads with little traffic. This ride was infinitely better than my ride on the crowded streets yesterday. There is some really nice countryside and very hilly terrain to keep the quads burning and the heart rate up. I biked 14 miles in 1:09.

When I got home I went to the track and ran three miles. My quads were dead from the short bike ride, and the first 3/4 mile was a real challenge. I loosened up a bit after that and things went relatively smooth.
7:56, 7:51, 7:35 Total time: 23:23

2008-07-19T17:18:00.002-05:00

I rode the bike 16 miles today, 1:08. It was a test ride, as I had hoped I would be able to ride back and forth to work every now and then instead of driving, but I don't think that's going to happen. The ride is ok, not too strenuous, but the traffic is the problem. It wasn't too bad today because it's a Saturday, but I did have a couple drives get pretty close while passing, and one women tried to run me off the road, I wish I would have thought to kick her side window in... With week day traffic I think things would be much to hectic for me to feel comfortable.

2008-07-17T20:17:00.003-05:00

45 minutes, around 4 miles, FP trails, Sinisters, easy pace

Bunnies, Birds and Butterflies. That's what I saw on the trails during my run at French Park tonight. The thermometer on my car said 94, but it was cooler in the woods, and the heat doesn't bother me much anyway. I was just looking for a short easy run, with lots of hills. With doing most of my running on the track lately I haven't been giving my quads much of a work out.

After my run I jumped on the bike and rode for about 35 minutes, 8-8.5 miles on the roads.

2008-07-16T21:19:00.002-05:00

3 miles, easy pace, track, sinisters
8:27, 8:27, 8:24

I did some lake kayaking tonight. 54 minutes at a pretty hard pace. Last week this same route took me 58 minutes. I used a longer paddle stroke which made the boat track better but it also used a little more arm strength.

After that I went to the track for a short, easy run. I mostly just wanted to get my muscles warmed up so I could get in a good stretch. I am really inflexible, and am going to try and work on that a bit. I've worked on stretch in the past, but I usually get sidetracked and stop doing it after awhile.

There were a couple young kids walking around the track while I was running. they would watch me as I ran by. As they walked by while I was stretching one of the kids asked with a certain amount of excitement in his voice "are you a tri-athlete?"
"No, I'm just a runner." I said.
"Oh." He replied with disappointment in his voice.
Gee, I guess tri-athletes get all the glory. Can't us runners get any respect? lol.

2008-07-15T22:21:00.002-05:00

5 miles, track, relaxed pace, sinisters, 7:55 overall pace

7:48, 7:55, 7:59, 7:58, 7:56

I ran 5 miles tonight on the track at a fairly relaxed pace. My calves got pretty tired after the third mile but I felt good. I haven't been running much lately. It's a combination of being busy doing other things and not having a specific race to train for. I plan to pick it up a bit in the weeks to come as I start training for my fall marathon (Boston qualifier), although I still haven't picked one yet. The nice thing about not running much is that when I do run I feel really, really good, that is until I get tired because I'm out of shape.

2008-07-11T22:31:00.001-05:00

10k, roads, 50min

Ran 10k at an easy pace with a couple friends tonight. My legs were still tired and tight from the hard 5k on Wednesday.

2008-07-10T22:01:00.001-05:00

I Kayaked for an hour on Winton Lake today after work. My skills are improving. It's still difficult to keep it in a straight line, but I'm getting better. My rowing efficiency is also improving. I was able to paddle for the full hour without taking any breaks, which is something I couldn't do before.

2008-07-09T19:45:00.003-05:00

5K, track, vibrams, 20:22

7:04, 6:28, 6:13, 00:36

I went to the track today with the thought of running 5 miles at a moderate pace. As soon as I started I could tell that my legs felt pretty good so I just ran what felt good. I came to the end of the first mile at 7:04, it was one of the smoothest, easiest miles I have ever run. After that I decided to run a 5k and see what my time would be. I'd never run the 5k distance for time before. With the new goal in mind I picked up the pace and ran the second mile in 6:28. I was feeling it after that mile, but continued to pick up the pace. I was really gassed 1200 meters into the 3rd mile but I was able to stay on track. I ran the 3rd mile in 6:13 and the final .1 in 36 seconds. I had to lie down on the grass for a few seconds after that. Running a 5k at race pace after not doing any consistent speed work or training for a few months can make you pretty tired. I think I could have done it quite a bit faster if I were wearing shoes. I could feel some real hot spots forming on the balls of my feet after the fast paced running in Vibrams on the rubberized track. With some training and proper pacing I would guess I could go sub 20 pretty easily, but that's on a track, roads are another story.

2008-07-07T22:44:00.003-05:00

I've been back from vacation for a while now, just haven't gotten around to posting anything. Here is an awesome photo album Marla put together of her pictures and some of mine: Yellowstone/Grand Tetons
We did some hiking, running, camping, rafting and site seeing. It was a great time.

16 mile hike, 8 mile hike, 8 mile run, 3.8 mile hike (up a mountain)

I had a 6 hour race on Saturday. It went OK. I had some pain in my knee after 4 hours so I stopped with 22 miles. It feels fine know.

I bought a kayak on Saturday, and have been kayaking the past couple days on a lake, tons of fun.

2008-06-24T21:50:00.003-05:00

I'm leaving for vacation in the morning and won't have time to post my Mohican volunteer race report before then, so until I return to write my report, I'll leave you with a link to Ed's report (any race report with a large picture of myself in the middle of it gets a special mention ;)

Ed's Mohican Report

2008-06-18T21:39:00.004-05:00

5 miles, track, 6:55 pace, sinsiters, tempo
7:04, 6:58, 6:55, 6:56, 6:46

5 miles on the track tonight at tempo pace. My quads were very sluggish at the start. The first 1/2 mile was really slow which is why my first mile time was so slow. I felt better after that but the run was still a struggle. My goal was to run 5 mile below a 7 minute pace. I didn't think I'd be able to do it while running the first 3 miles but after that I was able to maintain the pace. this is still a bit slower than my pre injury speed but I'm getting there. My hip soreness was gone which was nice. I took the morning off to let it heal.

I'm looking forward to pacing Kimba this weekend at Mo!!

2008-06-17T21:03:00.001-05:00

AM: 5 miles, track, Vibrams, easy 9:30 pace
PM: 2 miles, track, Vibrams, easy 9:30 pace

Two easy runs today. My hip was sore this morning. Still sore in the evening but not as much.

2008-06-16T19:31:00.002-05:00

AM: 4 miles, repeats

1 mile warm up: 9:05
100m walk
1 mile repeat: 6:29
400m walk
1 mile repeat: 6:25
400m walk
1 mile repeat: 6:19

I did a few mile repeats this morning. I felt pretty good. I look to build on this so I can soon be doing my mile repeats at sub 6 pace. I was planning on doing a 1 mile cool down, but ran out of time and had to get ready for work.

PM: 1 hour, FP trails, 5 miles (guess) Easy

After work I went for an easy 1 hour run on the trails of French Park. I didn't find any caution tape this time, the course is officially clear! This was a very easy paced run, hiked a few hills and jogged everything else lightly. My left hip was a little achy, but just a slight twinge. It was hot today, so I was running shirtless in a pair of very short running shorts. Towards the end of my run, I ran past a husband and wife with their dogs down by the creek. One of the dogs started running towards me. I slowed a little but wasn't too worried as she looked pretty friendly. It turned out the dog was on a chain and could reach me anyway. The women said "oh, don't worry she wont hurt you. But those sexy shorts might get you somewhere!" A bit unaware of what, exactly, she meant by that, I just laughed and continued on my way, slightly worried that she might start chasing me down the trail...the women, not the dog.

2008-06-15T01:16:00.000-05:00

5.5 miles, hilly roads, sinisters, 8:26 pace

It was hot, I felt pretty good.

2008-06-13T19:21:00.002-05:00

30 minutes, French park trails, 3 miles+, sinisters
3 miles, track, Vibrams, 8:18, 7:57, 7:40

More caution tape!! Jon, Brian and I are either really bad course sweepers, or Adam is a very cautious RD. I went to FP again tonight for a short run on the wet trails. It had just rained/was raining so I had the park to myself. Someone had to go out and knock all the water of the trees, ya know?

I didn't want to do all my running in shoes today, so after 30 minutes on the trails I went over to the track for 3 more miles in the Vibrams. My running is feeling great right now, not a single ache or pain. It was raining pretty hard during my track run. Running in the rain with the Vibrams on feels nice.

After I finished my run and was stretching on the side of the track a guy walking on the track stopped and asked me about the Vibrams I explained how they strengthen your lower legs and teach you to run with a forefoot strike. Then he asked me how far I run. "100 MILES?" he said, then slowly backed away and started walking again. That's OK, I probably wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't done it myself.

2008-06-12T21:54:00.002-05:00

1 hour, trails, 6 miles?

I went over to French Park again tonight after work. I really like running here. It's quite a roller coaster. many small hills to climb and descend. There aren't many miles of trail in the park, but there are many small trails. In order to stay on the trails in the woods you have to keep running up and down hills. I still don't know my way around, I just wander until I feel like stopping. I found more caution tape from the race today, I'm pretty good at going off course. This is the longest run I've done in a few weeks. My quads felt very sluggish on the first couple climbs, but after that I felt strong and ran all up hills. I wore shoes for this run (sinisters.) I love the Vibrams but I feel much more comfortable on trails with a thick piece of rubber between me and the roots. I'd like to get a pair of super light, low profile racing flats to use on the trails. The sinisters are light and low profile, but it's still more shoe than I want.

2008-06-11T21:00:00.002-05:00

Tuesday: 3 miles, track, Vibrams, 7:46, 7:11, 6:57
Wednesday: 3 miles, track, Vibrams, 9:39, 9:41, 9:35

Just a few miles on the track Tuesday and Wednesday. I ran at a moderate pace on Tuesday and an easy pace tonight, just keeping everything loose. My calves were a bit sore. I want to start running more miles but I don't think my calves are strong enough yet for 40+ mile weeks with a forefoot strike, and I'm not going back to heel striking, so I'll just take it slow. Everything seems to be progressing well.

2008-06-09T20:48:00.002-05:00

AM: 3 miles, track, Vibrams 7:58, 7:54, 7:50
PM: lets call it 3 miles, Trails, Vibrams, 32:13

I ran three miles on the track this morning. I was pretty tired overall, my calves were a little sore from yesterday, but it still felt pretty good, no pains.

After work I went back to French Park. My plan was to retrace the 3.4 mile course that yesterdays race followed. Well, everything went as planned for the first 1/4 mile. I got off course quickly and never really figured it out after that. It's a small park so you can't really get too lost, but there are many small trails and turns that can get you off track. I think I did end up running most of the course, just not necessarily in the right order. Hey Brian, If you read this I just want to let you know that we missed some caution tape, lol. Don't worry I took care of it. At least that was on section of trail where I didn't get lost! This was the first time I have ever worn the Vibrams on trails. It was fun. You can really feel the trail, which means you can really feel all the rocks a twigs you step on! I don't think I'll be doing any long distance trail running without shoes for a while, but I'll wear them on some short trail runs. French Park is a great place to run. It's so close to my apartment, I don't know why I had never run there before.

I can't remember the last time I ran twice in one day, granted it was only 6 miles, but it was still nice.

2008-06-08T12:43:00.002-05:00

This morning I went to French Park for the French Park Creek Crossing Trail Race which is a race put on by Bob Ronker's running spot. Adam organizes this race series which consists of 4 trail races around Cincinnati. I didn't really feel like racing it, because I knew I'd be really slow, So I went to see if he needed anyone to help sweep the course. As it turned out Brian and John were already on trail sweeping duty so I tagged along with them. It consisted of some running some walking when we caught up to the last place runner, then some waiting while we waited for the last place runner to get a head start on us so we could run again. It was a 3.4 mile race, and a fun time. Brian will be at Mohican this year pacing Adam on his first 100 miler. Brian and John were going to run another loop after the race and asked me if I would like to join. I was tempted because the knee felt good but I decided not to. I'm still a bit weary of the trail when it comes to my knee. Running 10 miles on the trail is how I hurt it the last time.

A few hours later I went to the track for a couple more miles. I ran two miles in 8:07, 7:57. It was hot! Especially on the black surface of the track. My legs felt really god again. No knee pain.

2008-06-07T20:46:00.001-05:00

3 miles, track, vibrams
9:28, 9:02, 8:58

I ran 3 easy miles today on the track. The knee felt great, but the rest of my body was pretty tired from working late the night before.

2008-06-05T23:32:00.002-05:00

Wednesday

2 miles, around 9 minute pace. Easy miles, my calves were pretty sore from they day before, I decided to wear shoes. Slight knee tightness at the beginning of the run.

Thursday

4 miles, 8:59, 8:58, 8:55, 8:52, 4bps. More easy miles. My calves were still sore but I was still able to run in the Vibrams. Knee felt good

2008-06-03T22:18:00.002-05:00

4 miles, indoor track, Vibrams
7:50, 7:41, 7:37, 6:37

I had a great run on the track today. 4 continuous miles with zero knee issues :) first time in a little while I can say that. Hopefully now I can start getting back in shape!

2008-06-02T23:05:00.003-05:00

3 miles, 24:15
8:27, 8:12, 7:34

I was planning on doing a run right after work but got side tracked. Then when I read Burners post about his 4am run, I figured the least I could do was go out for a midnight run. Didn't feel any pain in my knee the whole run, only a very slight discomfort the first 100 meters. The best I've felt since my knee started bothering me. My calves are definitely getting used to the sans-shoe running.

2008-06-01T13:44:00.002-05:00

as predicted, things have gotten better in the past 4 days, funny how that works.

I ran 2.5 miles on Thursday. I felt discomfort in my knee when I started to run but it wasn't pain so I decided to test it out. I sped up gradually each lap. The faster I went the less it hurt, after the first mile it stopped hurting completely and didn't bother me the rest of the run.

I ran 3 miles on Friday with similar results. This time the knee only bothered me for the first 800m then not again for the rest of the run.

1 mile on Saturday. I felt more severe pain at the start of my run and had to walk after about 100 meters, then after 20 meters I tried to run again, the pain was gone and didn't hurt the rest of the run.

I ran 3 miles today (Sunday.) I started out with the same pain from Saturday, but this time it went away within 100 meters, without having to walk. Again, it didn't bother me the rest of the run.

I'm still not sure what the problem is it seems to go away with a short warm up. I am keeping my runs very short for a couple reasons. First, I don't want to take a chance at running long and making my knee worse until I can run 100% pain free from start to finish. Second, I am doing all of my running in my Vibrams, so it will take some time to build up enough strength in my lower legs and make my feet tough enough to withstand a long run with no shoes.

2008-05-28T21:35:00.001-05:00

I jogged 800m very slowly but my knee started to hurt so I slowed to a walk. The walking was comfortable. Still no running, but I think things are going to get better, and I'll be running again soon.