Easy + Tempo Run At The Gym

Total Calorie Intake:  2,130

(Exercise Calories:  728)

Total Net Calories:  1,402

How many times have you heard this one - "I was planning to run this morning, but woke up a bit too late at 6:15am...".  Well...it happened again this morning.

Add that to a busy day at work - so no getting out for a noon-time run - and I thought that there was no hope for a run today.

However, my younger son took a late nap (didn't wake up until 4pm) and I knew my wife was going to want me to do something with him while she was putting my older son (who was extremely tired and falling on his face after school) to bed.  Of course, the first thought in my mind was, "how late does childcare go at the gym"???  (the answer...8:30pm!!!??? - umm - whose child-care-aged kids are still not in bed by 8:30pm?  isn't that a recipe for a meltdown?)

Anyhow, the plan did not get vetoed.  After the kids ate dinner I took my younger one to the gym and put him in the childcare room - there were 4 other children there at 6:15pm.  I hit the treadmill for what was going to start as an easy run.  I was going to try to do another 4 miler or maybe 5 - depending on how I felt.

I felt GREAT!  I started out at 5.0 mph (12:00/mile) for the first 0.25 and then increased the speed every 1/4 mile until my HR was in the 140s.  By the end of the first mile I was up at 5.6 mph (10:45/mile pace) and still in the 140s.  Nice.  Especially after yesterday's "first run back" after being sick.

I stayed the course at the 10:45/mile pace until 3.5 miles into the run.  My HR was starting to creep up, but I still felt good.  Also, I hadn't pushed the pace in what seems to be months (I took a look at my log now and see that it was less than two weeks ago - November 12), so I decided to kick it up a few notches for the last 1.5 miles.  For the first mile I ran at 6.7 mph - a 8:57/mile pace.  With half a mile left, I bumped the incline up to 1%.  With a quarter mile left I  bumped the incline up again - to 2.0% - and bumped the speed up to 7.0 mph - a 8:30/mile pace.  At this point my iPod was pounding out Pedalsped's "Stretch" - the chorus starts "Race for the sun / Don't let anything stand in your way..."  Very appropriate!

The full 5 miles took 51:15.  I may try to fit one more run in before the Turkey Chase - maybe Wednesday morning.  I want to run outside to acclimate myself to the colder weather before Thursday.

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One more thing...  This morning was weigh-in day.  I weighed 169.0, so I lost 1 pound vs last week.  Not too bad given that I pigged out for 24 hours from Friday night to Saturday night.  Thankfully I got back on the program on Sunday - just in time for the weigh-in.

Running Again...Finally!

I had planned to run on Friday.  It was going to be an easy 3 miles to get back into the swing of things after not running for close to a week after being sick.

However, I went to bed too late and did not have enough time in the morning to get a run in.  I had then planned to run during my lunch break, but I had a 12:30 conference call pop up on my schedule last minute.  We were having guests for Shabbat dinner in the evening, so I needed to be in the house around 4:45pm - so there was no way for me to run in the early evening.

So...there was no run on Friday.  Saturday also came and went with no run.

Finally I got to the gym this morning.  I wasn't going to do the long run I had planned since I had not run for eight days...this was going to have to be an easy run.  I ended up doing 4 miles on the treadmill at 5.2 mph - and 11:30 mile pace.  My HR averaged at 145 - nice and controlled so I don't overdo it.

I must say that I'm a bit frustrated about how I'll do at this year's Turkey Chase.  Two years ago I ran it in a frustratingly slow at the time 1:02:16 - a 10:02/mile pace.  When I looked back at my calendar I noticed that I had just given blood on the Saturday before that race, so I was not back up to my normal aerobic conditioning.  Last year I fared better - 1:01:20, a 9:53 pace - but not as well as I would have liked....and no where near my 10K PR of 56:14.  I was hoping that this year would be under an hour, but with my recent hiatus from running due to being sick, I doubt that will happen.

I'll still run on Tuesday.  Perhaps even another short run tomorrow and then a longer run on Tuesday.  But I'm not sure what that will equate to in terms of my time on Thursday morning.

At least I'll have burned off a bunch of calories before I attack a turkey on Thanksgiving Day!

Hopefully My Last Consecutive Rest Day

My cold isn't fully behind me, however, I no longer have the chest congestion.  Woo Hoo!  My nose is a bit stuffy, but I can handle that - right?

So tomorrow, I'll definitely get a run in.  Being that the temps have been in the 20s overnight here, I may run at the gym instead of outside.  I'm still not used to the colder weather yet.

If tomorrow's run goes well, I'm hoping to go on a long run on Sunday.  Probably not the 12 miler I was originally hoping for - but perhaps a 7 or 8 miler.  It will have to depend on how I'm feeling and how tomorrow goes.

I did get my second set of push ups in this morning.  Sets of 14, 19, 14, 14 and 20.  81 in all.  OMG!  I'm getting close to 100 (OK, not 100 consecutive, but I don't think I have ever done 100 push ups in a DAY before...so this is big for me).

Feeling Better

Tuesday Total Net Calories:  1,650

Wednesday Total Net Calories:  1,660

I'm still a bit congested today, but a lot better than I have the past few days.  My chest does not feel as tight and heavy and I'm not coughing as much.  It's amazing what a little rest will do!

I didn't run today and I'm not going to run tomorrow, however, if the trend continues and I continue to feel better I'll try to run on Friday morning.  Then perhaps a longer run on Sunday morning.

On the calorie front, I'm keeping things in control.  I had to eat out two of my meals today and for one of them I had a Greek Salad (OK...I went a little nutso and had them put the dressing on the salad instead of putting it on the side and using less - you gotta live a little bit, right?).  Anyhow, I'm hoping to stay with it and see my weight come down a bit before the Thanksgiving food fest...

Chest Congestion...Again :-(

Total Net Calories: 2,070

So...when I went out for my un-inspired run on Saturday afternoon, little did I know that this would be my last run for a while. By yesterday, the nasal congestion started to settle in my chest. Not good for running. I'm going to hit this with Mucinex, VapoRub and more sleep and hope to get this out of my system before it becomes bronchitis like a few weeks ago.

This will mean that my last week of training before the Turkey Chase may not happen. I was hoping to run this 10K in under 60 min (my best on this course is 1:01:20 - it's got some big hills in the first 2 miles which drain me for the rest of the race), however, now it's looking like I'll just run for fun. And to start Thanksgiving Day off by burning 700 calories. Talking about calories...

Yesterday was Day 1 of counting calories again. I didn't plan out my day very well, and ended up eating an 800 calorie lunch (who knew that a tuna sandwich at Panera was 720 calories? darn mayo! luckily I subbed the chips for an apple!). The eye-opening news (it always is, folks) is seeing how much I would have normally eaten during the day. An extra serving here, an additional snack there, a cookie (cookies?) or dessert after lunch and/or dinner - I surely would be eating more than 3,000 calories on a given day. No wonder my weight continued to creep up while my post-marathon mileage decreased.

So, although I'm not happy about going back to the calorie counting, I'm glad that it helps me regulate what I eat and get back to eating a reasonable amonut. I know that if I want to pitch the calorie counting, that I'll probably need to be running 30-35 miles a week...and not 15-20 miles like it has been over the past few months.

Push Up Test

After Week 4 of the Push Up Challenge, you need to do another "exhaustion test".  I was able to do 24 consecutive push ups.  Not too bad - a month ago I could only do 11 - however, based on this, I can not go to Week 5 - I need to go back to Week 3 to do column number two.

Still, I'm quite impressed.  I don't think I was EVER able to do more than 20 consecutive push ups.  Now I'm able to do more.

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In other news, I have officially "tipped the scales" again.  When I weighed myself this morning, the scale was up to 170 lbs.  In the six months since running a marathon I have gained six pounds (OK...most of the weight was put on over the past 3 months with birthdays, holidays, etc.).  I am just on the cusp of the BMI definition of being overweight.  UGH!!!

So...it's back to some transparency in order to force accountability.  I will be counting my calories again - like I was doing at the beginning of the year - and posting them on the blog.  At least for the next few weeks until I get things under control.

Just Not Feeling It

A bug has been passed around in our household.  First the kids had it, then Sherry.  By Friday afternoon, I was starting to feel a bit icky.  I decided to sleep in on Saturday, instead of going out for a run.  By the time I got out of the house to go to synagogue, I found that the weather was unseasonably warm and I felt bad about missing my opportunity to get out and run.

Later in the afternoon, I decided to try and get my run in.  I did not feel 100%, but it was a head cold - not in my chest - so it's usually safe to run.  I started my neighborhood loop that could be a 4.4 mile, 5.5 mile, 6.2 mile or 7.5 miler - depending on where I re-enter my community.  Of course I was hoping for the 7 miler, however, after 3 miles I still wasn't feeling that great running feeling.  I decided it was going to be the 4.4 mile loop, and I even stopped running and started to walk as soon as I re-entered the community (at around the 4 mile mark).  I think the only time I have stopped a run short to walk this year has been when I start to feel injured...I never have lost motivation to run - it was quite a deflating experience.

I finally got my last set of Week 4 push-ups in this morning.  Sets of 16, 18, 13, 13 and 19.  That's 79 push-ups total!!!  And the fact that I was able to do 5 sets of 13 or more push-ups - when four weeks ago I could only muster 11 - is incredible!!!

HRM Watch Is Back!!!

Good news - my Polar S120 came back in the mail today.  Hooray!  It's all fixed up and it was ready to go for my run this evening.  I can now do time splits, see my max HR in addition to my average HR, and I finally can see HR, elapsed time and time of day all at once.

Bad news - The televisions at Fitness First do not have the NFL Network.  So no game for me on my run this evening.

However, I did run.  I decided to make it a hill run, so I hopped on the treadmill and chose the Hill program.  It asked for what level 1-20, so I chose 15.  Holy crap!  The thing started out at a 5.5 incline and maxed out at 11.3.  I kept my speed slow and fought through it.  I thought about bailing on the hill program after a mile - then again after 1.5 miles, 2 miles and at the 2.5 mile mark - but I just kept on going.  I may be a bit sore tomorrow...but I'm hoping it helps out during the initial (hilly) miles of the Turkey Chase...

No Morning Run - Football Run Instead?

I got to bed late last night and was woken up twice in the middle of the night by the kids - so I was in no mood to head outside in a cold, pissing rain when 6am rolled around. Even if it was just for three miles. No. Way.

However, tonight there is a football game on. And since it is only a three mile run, I may hit the treadmill at the gym during gametime. Now that sounds like a plan!

I did however do my push-ups (OK...I was supposed to do them yesterday). Sets of 14, 16, 12, 12 and 16 - 70 in all! WOW!!!

Pyramid Intervals

I scheduled to do 5 miles today, and I want to do some speedwork on my longer weekday runs. Last week I did a tempo run, so this week I was going to try some interval work.

I normally do either 400s or 800s for my intervals, but this morning I shook things up. I did a "pyramid" - 400, 800, 1200, 1600 - each with a 400 recovery (started with a mile warm up and ended with a 0.75 mile cool down to get to 5 miles).

I wasn't blazing fast today - I was on the treadmill and did my recovery at 5.5mph and my intervals at 7.0mph. But it was nice to get some speedwork in.

Good think I ran 5 miles this morning. I went to Chili's for lunch with a work colleague and chowed down on greasy tortilla chips with salsa, and a mushroom and swiss burger (black bean patty burger) with fries. YUM!

Let The Cold Weather Begin!

This morning was my first sub-freezing temperature run of the season.

I found it quite comical - I dressed in my running tights, long sleeved tech shirt as a base layer with my running jacket as a second layer (and a reflective vest - as it was still dark at 5:30am when I ventured out the door), a beanie hat that I received as my finishers premium at the Parks Half Marathon I ran in September (it was quite ironic that at a race where it was over 70 degrees that they were handing out winter beanies!), and a pair of running gloves.

It was 31 degrees outside. I know that in two months, when it is 31 degrees outside I probably won't be wearing the jacket, and the beanie will be replaced by a baseball cap. It's all relative, right? Right now 31 degrees is 10-20 degree colder than I'm used to running in...in January it may be 10-20 degree warmer than I'm used to running in!

As I started my run, I remembered what my big issue was in cold-weather running - I start out too fast! I believe it is an attempt to warm my body up, so instead of easing into my pace, I jump right in - normally going fast than I intend to. This was supposed to be an easy run - with my HR under 150 bpm. About 1/4 mile into the run, I took a look at my HRM and saw 160....time to slow down!

I ended up keeping things under control. My average HR was 148 and my pace was 11:03/mile. Nice and easy.

And if I had gone much further than 3.4 miles, I surely would have overheated! :-)

Scheduled Rest Day and Random Observations

No run today.  Good thing, as my legs were a bit sore.

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This week is a "stepback" week from the Marathon plan (week 6).  Basically, it's the same weekly runs as last week, but with a 7 mile long run instead of a 10 miler.  I'll probably do easy runs on the 3 milers and a tempo or interval run for the 5 miler.

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At the end of my long run yesterday morning, a leaf dropped down from a tree right into my hand.  I normally would not have thought anything of it, except I had just read a blog post from Peter the day before.  I decided to keep the leaf!  :-)

Another Awesome Shabbat Long Run

You would think that I would be grumpy this morning.  The weather is gray with a little chill in the air.  My little guy came into our room at 3am and I didn't sleep well the rest of the night.

However, I feel great!  A 10 mile slow, easy run will do that for you :-)

I checked my running log to see what 10 mile routes I had done in my marathon training.  They were all on the Rockville Millennium Trail - which I need to drive to.  I did not want to deal with driving the car this morning, so I plotted out a new 10-mile route (OK..it was 10.5 miles when all was said and done) which took me over to the Fallsgrove neighborhood - and onto the Millennium Trail for a mile - and then back.

My plan was to keep my heart rate under 150 as much as possible.  The past few runs I have let my heart rate get too high...I wanted to ensure that I ran this one with a bit more discipline.  I succeeded as my average HR over the full 10.5 miles was 150 bpm.  My pace was slow and steady at 11:24/mile.

I definitely felt "the burn" in my legs as the miles passed.  I also felt it in my arms and chest as I finished another week of the push ups plan yesterday with sets of 11, 13, 9, 9 and 15 push ups (57 in all!).  But I don't feel too sore right now - just refreshed and ready to take on the world today!

A Bonus Run

It's a beautiful day in the Washington, DC area.  By lunchtime it was sunny and warm - the temperatures were near 70 degrees.  Is it really November???  It feels like September!

Anyhow, today was supposed to be a rest day - I ran on Wednesday and Thursday and I have a 10 mile long run scheduled for tomorrow.  However, as my 11am conference call came to an early close around 11:30am, I could not control the urge for a short run.  I hopped into my running clothes and took it nice and easy around my lake loop.

So, after tomorrow's run it will be four days in a row.  At the beginning of the year, I was worried about running four days a week instead of my normal three!

Back To Blogging!!!

I'm baaaack!

It's been a crazy few days - starting with having family in town for my little guy's 3rd birthday and then continuing to some very busy days at work and in the evenings after work.  It's given me very little time to blog.

However, I HAVE put aside the time to RUN!  Once again, I must say - I'm baaaack!

On Saturday morning, I got a 9 miler in before making it to synagogue.  On Monday morning I got an easy 3 miler, on Wednesday morning a 5 mile tempo run and then this morning another 3 miles.  I'm back to my 20 miles a week schedule - and that will increase to about 25 miles a week just before Thanksgiving.  Just in time for the Turkey Chase 10K (and more eating...)

Oh...I did mention eating.  Through all the festivities - starting with my Birthday in early August, Anniversary two weeks later, all of the Jewish Holidays in September and October and finally with my son's birthday and Halloween - I have put on some pounds.  And there is still tons of candy in my house.  It's ironic - the kids had pretty much forgotten about the candy, yet I was still reaching for it throughout the day.  Tuesday night - while watching election coverage - I declared that I had eaten my last piece of Halloween candy.  So far, so good (OK, I've lasted a full day and a half!).  I hope that this - and getting back to running - will help me melt those pounds off without having to go back to counting calories.

I have also kept to the Push Ups.  I'm in Week 3 now, however, my exhaustion test after Week 2 did not go so well - I was only able to do 16 consecutive push ups.  So I'm doing column 1 for Weeks 3 and 4.  Today I did set #2 - 10, 12, 8, 8 and 14 push ups.  52 push ups all together.

So you see, although I had not been blogging, I still have been running and doing my push ups.

Running At Night, HRM Watch is Dead and Push Ups Update

I decided to go out for a 3-mile run last night. Work has been crazy busy over the past two days (I was at site in Columbia, MD) and eating out a lot since I was not in the office. So...a run was necessary to gain some sanity back.

Of course I kept to the sidewalks on main roads, wore my reflector vest and no iPod, but running at night still freaks me out at times. There's a stretch on Quince Orchard Road - a four lane road with a median and sidewalks on both sides of the street - where there are no street lamps. It is dark!

My HRM watch officially died. Luckily, I have an older one to use in the interim. The older model only shows HR -or- running time -or- time of day - not all three at the same time like my current Polar S120. For $20 I'm sending the S120 into Polar repair for a new battery. I'm hoping this is all it needs. I would love to get a Garmin 305 or 405 - but I can't justify the $300 to $400 price tag.

I have finished out Week 2 of the Hundred Push Ups Challenge. I was not able to get through the Day 3 workout - I did 12, 13 and 10 push ups for the first three sets. Set four I was only able to muster 8 push ups. For the last "max" set I was only able to do 10 - not at least 15. Still, I did 53 push ups today! I'll do another "exhaustion test" this weekend to see what the plan will be for Week 3.

Treadmill 4 Miler

It was a dark, chilly, blustery morning. I knew it would be, so I had my gym bag packed the night before. Good plan!

I learned a few things on my run this morning:

1. my HRM watch is what is malfunctioning...I was thinking it was the chest strap/transmitter, however, I used another chest strap this morning and it worked fine with the treadmill - but the watch was having the same issues...time to contact Polar's tech support!
2. I have lost some conditioning over the past 2-4 weeks of not running much, eating too much and being sick...my 4 mile easy run on the treadmill was at an 11:19/mile pace...there were a few times where I had to adjust the speed down to keep my HR under 150. I'm hoping that two weeks of consistent running will get me back on track.
3. I still loathe running on a treadmill. I will try to remember this the next time I start to whimp out on a dark, cold, blustery morning...just suck it up, layer up and get out into the elements for an awesome run!!
   

Morning Run and Push-Ups

I got a late start this morning, however, since I'm slowly easing back into running this week I wasn't going to be running too long.  Since the sun was starting to rise at 7am when I left the house, I decided on the 3 mile lake loop - I won't run that in the dark for fear of "wildlife and weirdoes".

One very frustrating issue on today's run.  My HRM is not working!  It was doing some crazy things on Saturday morning's run - mainly going to the "In Zone Training stats" that normally only show up when you place the watch right in front of the transmitter/chest strap.  This morning, the watch wasn't showing any HR at the beginning...then it was showing numbers in the 30s, 40s and 50s...then it started showing nothing again.

So, I made this an easy run by feel - although I know that there were times that my HR was higher than is should be during an easy run.  Especially since I ended up running at a 10:31/mile pace - while Saturday's easy run was at a 11:49/mile pace.  The cool temperatures helped, I'm sure (it was a crisp 43 degrees when I headed out this morning) - but I doubt they helped that much.

Later during my workday I did my push ups.  Week 2 of the Hundred Push Ups challenge.  Sets of 9, 11, 8, 8 and max (I did 13) with 60 seconds rest in between.  It ends up that the time between the last set of 8 and the max set was probably 5 minutes as I got a call for work in between.  49 push ups in total....Woo Hoo!!!

Plan for Turkey Chase

My next race on the calendar is the 10K Turkey Chase in Bethesda, MD on Thanksgiving morning.  I could probably go out and run a 10K no problem right now - even with just getting over bronchitis - however, I want to run this race under 1 hour so I'm going to have to put in some focused training.

I've decided to take a few weeks from the marathon training plan that I used.  I'm going to start with Week 4 - runs of 3, 4 and 3 miles and a 9 miler on the weekend.  Starting next week I may use the mid-week longer run as a speedwork run - I'm going to give myself a break this week as I haven't really run much in two weeks.  I may also do some hill sprints after one of the weekly runs as well.

It will be good to have a training plan to follow once again.

My First Run In Over A Week!

Finally!

I felt good enough to go for a run this morning.  I'm no longer coughing, although I still have a little congestion.  Still, I felt well enough to go for a 3 mile run in the neighborhood.

I lucked out on the weather.  At 7am it was in the mid-50s and the rain had stopped.  It had rained during the night and it will pick up again later this morning...it was definitely a sign from above, "Mike - it's time to run..."

I decided to do a few push ups before I headed out - to see how many consecutive push ups I could do after week 1 of the Hundred Push Up Challenge.  Last week - before I started the program - I was able to do 11...this morning I did 18.  Pretty good improvement after one week!  I'm not sure how I'm going to do over 30 consecutive push ups - let alone 100...  But then again, before this year I didn't think I'd be able to run 26.2 miles either.

I finally got out the door at 7:15.  It was great to be running again!  During my warm up walk, I saw my HR was in the low 90s - it is normally in the high 70s, low 80s during my walk, so I knew this would be a slower run.  My goal was to stay around 150 bpm - an easy, controlled pace.  There were times - up some hills or when my mind started to wander and I wasn't paying attention to my pace and HR - when my HR was in the high 150s or low 160s, but as soon as I realized it I got it back down.  I ended up running my 3 mile lake loop at an 11:49/mile pace with an average HR of 149.  It will definitely take a week or so to get me back to my normal pace at that HR, but for today I was just glad to be pounding the pavement once again!!!

No Running - More Push Ups

The bronchitis is clearing up - thank goodness!

I'd love to go for a short run tomorrow, but I don't want to go to the gym and spread whatever germs I may still have.  The weather forecast for tomorrow morning is yucky - showers and thunderstorms, 50 degrees and 10 mph winds - I don't like running in that stuff even when I'm at 100%.  I'll see what happens.

I finished up Week 1 on the Hundred Push Ups Challenge.  The plan is sets of 8, 10, 7, 7 and max (I did 13) - with two minutes in between each set.  That's 45 push ups today!  I don't think I have ever done that many push ups in a day.  The fact that I was able to do 13 consecutive push ups after already doing 32 of them was awesome for me.

10K On The Calendar!

I signed up for the annual Bethesda Turkey Chase 10K this evening.  It is run on Thanksgiving morning.  I have run this race over the past 2 years and I love starting out Thanksgiving with the 10K race...it allows me to eat Thanksgiving dinner without any guilt!

There are some pretty big hills during the first 2 miles of this course, so my times have been no where near my 10K PR of 56:14.  I don't think I have broken 1 hour yet.  So that will be my goal - a sub-60 min 10K on Thanksgiving morning.

Once I get the bronchitis out of my system, I'll start the hill work!

Push Ups - Day 2

Since I'm not running for another few days, I have decided to continue what I have started on the Hundred Push Up Challenge.

I'm on Day 2, Week 1. The plan calls for five sets of push ups with 90 seconds rest in between them. 6, 8, 6, 6 and max (at least 7) push ups is the plan. I was able to do this - with my max in the fifth set at 10. That's 36 push ups total!

Bronchitis

After my cough became much worse last night - hacking the evening away - my wife told me it was time to go to the doctor and get it checked out.

I'm glad I listened to her. It ends up I have bronchitis. Good thing I've been smart and I haven't been running over the past few days.

I'll be on antibiotics for a week. I'm hoping that I'll be OK to run by the weekend.

Meanwhile, I've still been itchin' to run. Over the past two weeks I have run a total of 10 miles. Over the 40 weeks previous to that (i.e. since the beginning of the year) I have averaged 20 miles a week. That's a huge drop-off. Here are a few observations that I have had:

• Whenever I see another person running outside, I wish I could be them
• The milk crate in my closet that I use for my running clothes that need to be washed is empty
  
• Some of my pants are starting to get a bit snug in the waist (OK...having this rut during the Jewish Holidays - when I'm eating a ton - doesn't help)
• I have no idea what is on my iPod shuffle right now
• I'm less focused at work

Oh...I can't wait to get a run in this weekend!!!!

Push Up Challenge

I have been reading on quite of number of my fellow runner's blogs about the Hundred Push Up Challenge.  I've thought about trying it out, but never committed myself to it.

Well...today was day one for me.  If I can't get out and run - due to my cough - I may as well get this started!

I had done a few "Initial Tests" over the past few months.  On any given day I was able to muster out between 10 to 15 consecutive push ups (will I really be able to work up to 100 in as little as six weeks???).  Since I'm still a bit low-energy, I decided to go conservative on Week 1, and choose the middle column (for those who did 6-10 in their initial tests instead of those who did 11-20 in their initial tests).  Today's workout was five sets of push ups with 60 seconds of rest in between each set.  Sets of 6, 6, 4, 4 and then as many as I could do (ended up being 9).  So I did 29 push ups total.

I'm hoping to do push ups on my off days from running going forward - running 4 days a week and push ups 3 days a week (once I'm back to a clean bill of health!).  It's a mighty ambitious schedule since I haven't run much in the past two weeks, but I think I can stick to it.

Still Coughing

I have not been able to shake this cold.  Unfortunately, it has settled in my chest for a bit, so I did not run today.  I'm hoping that it will break up a bit tonight and perhaps I'll be able to run tomorrow at lunchtime (it's going to be around 30 degrees tonight - I'm not running on a freezing dark morning with a cough - I don't want this thing to turn into pneumonia!)

No Energy In The Morning

Over the past few weeks, I have not been able to drag my behind out of bed to run.  Part of this was due to the fact that I'm fighting a cold, part of the problem is that I stay up too late to watch sporting events (BTW...I turned off the baseball game last night in the middle of the 7th inning - BIG MISTAKE!) and I believe part of the problem is that it stays dark until 7am now.

So...I did not get out for a run this morning.  I was hoping to sneak out for a lunchtime run today - but I had conference calls peppered through my schedule until 3:30pm.  However, I did slip out around 4pm for what I was hoping would be a 4 mile neighborhood run.

The weather is great for running.  Overcast, cool and slightly breezy.  It's hard to believe that I'm wasting this wonderful running weather!

As I headed out of my neighborhood - about 3/4 of a mile into my run - my lungs were feeling a bit tight.  At that point I decided to turn right and do one of my 3 mile loops instead of turning left to do a 4/5/6 or 7 mile loop.  I don't want to get a relapse of this cold just as I feel I'm getting over it.

I ended up running the 3.38 miles in 34:04 - a 10:05 pace.  My HR was high - 157 avg - but my mileage is down over the past two weeks and I guess I'm still fighting this bug.  I can't wait to fully recover and really run again!!!

W&OD Trail In The Dark

First of all, my chest congestion is better - not 100%, but thanks to Mucinex and VapoRub I was able to sleep last night.

Except for the fact that I woke up at 4:45am. At that point, Sherry was no longer in bed - it ends up that the boys (who are both battling coughs of their own) had both woken up, so Sherry was busy getting them back down. I'm not sure how I didn't hear them...I guess I was in a nice deep sleep at least for some part of the night.

My original plan was to wake up at 5:45am, get in my running clothes and drive to Reston, VA to run there and shower at the gym. I have meetings all day with my Director who is in town, so I had to be in Virginia in the morning. My thought was to leave early and beat the traffic.

Lying in bed at 4:45am, I knew I would not get back to sleep. So I made the decision to just get out of bed and move the schedule up an hour. This way I'd get a good hour and a half of work in (I love free WiFi at Panera!) before picking up my boss.

I left the house at 5:15am and got to Reston by 5:45am. No traffic whatsoever! Hooray! Except it was still dark when I arrived.

I had a decision to make - run outside on the W&OD Trail in the dark or run inside on the treadmill. Given that I still had some congestion, I decided it would be to everyone's benefit if I stayed outside (this was validated a few times during my run...don't worry - I won't share the gory details).

I normally enter the W&OD trail at mile marker 17.5 by cutting through a field and down a hill on a pseudo-path through high grass. Since it was dark, I knew that was not the best way to go. So I used the sidewalk and went to the next biggest intersection and entered the W&OD trail via a street entrance. I started running at mile marker 18.0 and decided to go up 1.5 miles and return 1.5 miles.

It was nice to get running again - even it was just for 3 miles. I couldn't see my HRM watch in the dark, so I ended up with my heart rate a bit higher than it should on an easy run (155 avg), however, I'm still a bit under the weather and my body isn't 100%.

Three early miles in the dark - and now I'm ready to tackle the day!!!

No Running Again

I woke up and congestion was in my chest. Bad news for running.

Crossing my fingers that tomorrow will be a running day. Given the Jewish holidays are here (and that means lots of eating), I need the calorie burn BADLY!

Still Feeling Icky

No running again this morning. I'm waking up with a raw throat, nasal congestion and low energy.

I really want to run, but can't seem to get my behind out of bed to do it. I hope this cold will pass soon...

Low Energy

I've been fighting a cold the past few days.  Some congestion and coughing and lower energy.  Probably another reason I could not get myself out of bed for a run yesterday morning - as well as this morning.

I'm just going to try to get more sleep tonight and try to get the run in again tomorrow.

However, tomorrow morning I will be building our family's sukkah for the festival of Sukkot.  So, I can't run too much tomorrow as I'll be getting plenty of physical exercise.

No Run Today :-(

I was hoping to get a run in this morning, but my younger son had other plans.

He came into our room around 5am and came into bed with us.  He started to get playful so I brought him back to his room and I tried to get him to get back to sleep.  I knew that he was up for the day (or at least until 10:30am when he went down for a nap!).

I let Sherry continue to sleep and I stayed on kid duty.  No morning run...

I'll try to get one in tomorrow.

Surviving The Fast

Today was Yom Kippor. No running for me today. Actually, no eating or drinking today - that was the reason for no running.

Yesterday was a really busy day at work - I didn't walk in the door from work until 6:10pm...and synagogue services were scheduled to start at 6:30pm - UGH!! I quickly shoveled food down, got in my suit and out the door for synagogue - all in less than 30 minutes. I made it just in time for the first Kol Nidre prayer.

I was in synagogue most of today. There was a break from 2pm to 5pm - we had a babysitter take our boys to a playground for two hours while Sherry and I took a short nap. That is definitely the way to go!

We hosted a "break the fast" meal after synagogue tonight - around 7:30pm. Sherry and I figured out we had close to 40 people in our house this evening to fill up on bagels, kugels, blintzes, quiches, salads and desserts.

After all of that food, I definitely need to try to get a run in tomorrow morning :-)

Under The Weather...No Running :-(

I had started to feel a bit under the weather on Sunday night. I ran on Monday morning anyway, but by Monday evening I was really feeling bleh. I decided it would be best to get as much sleep as possible on Tuesday morning, and the trend continued this morning. I'm feeling better, but not 100%.

Tomorrow is Yom Kippor - so I'll be fasting from about 6pm tonight until 7:30pm tomorrow. So, no run for me tomorrow!

Hopefully I'll get out there on Friday morning and then do a long weekend run.

Morning Run and New Milestone

I woke up early and got a run in. My normal 4 miler - in the dark today starting at 6am. I guess I better get used to running in the dark.

Today's run puts me at 802 miles run for the year! Still on pace for 1,000... (as a benchmark, last year I ran about 625 miles and the year before that about 550 miles).

Sunday Morning Long Run

I made it out this morning around 6:30am. It was still dark - when will Daylight Savings end??

As I started my run, I saw the East sky in a beautiful array of pinks, reds and orange hues. One of the many advantages to getting out of the house early for a run - watching the sunrise.

I ran my 7.3 mile loop around the perimeter of my neighborhood and adjacent neighborhoods. 10:35/mile pace - 151 avg HR.

It's a bit ironic that 7 miles is now a "long run" where a few months ago I was running longer during my weekday runs. I'm sure that as I start to train for other long distance races that I'll easily get back to longer runs. I may even try to do some longer weekend runs soon just to keep the mileage base up.

The upcoming week poses another scheduling dilemma for my runs. Thursday is Yom Kippor - and an all day fast. So, definitely no running on Thursday. I'll hopefully be able to get at least three runs in...

One Mile With My Boy

Today was a scheduled rest day.  However, my 6 year old was acting quite wild in the house this morning - especially with his soon-to-be 3 year old brother.  He constantly asks to run with me and my wife - but he wants nothing to do with me when I'm soaked with sweat coming back from a run.

This morning was my big chance!

I asked him if he wanted to go out for a run and he LOVED the idea!  We both quickly changed, laced up our running shoes (OK, his sneakers and my running shoes) and we were out the door.

He recently joined the Running Club at his school, so he is learning how to pace himself.  A few months ago he would have darted off and then walked and then darted off again.  Today, we settled into a slow pace and headed off towards the lake.

My goal was to make it to the lake (about 1/2 mile) and back.  As we approached our synagogue building - about 1/4 of a mile into the run - he wanted to stop and walk.  We were going uphill and he said he started to hurt.  I knew that he wasn't really in pain - it was just starting to get uncomfortable.  I pushed him a bit - told him not to walk but we can run a bit slower until we get over the hill...then it will be easier.

We finally got to the top of the hill and started to recover on the downhill.  He started to get in a rhythm again!  Off to the lake we go!!!

We got to where we could see the lake.  I knew that this was about where the 1/2 mile point was.  I was ready to turn back, but he wanted to keep on going.  ALRIGHTY!!!!

We continued along the path next to the lake for another tenth of a mile.  It started to go uphill again slightly, so my son finally said he was ready to turn around and go back.

He was also ready to walk.  He wanted to count to 100 before we ran again.  I said 30.  He said, "How about 90?".  I answered, "How about 25?"  His response - "OK...let's do 30."

As we were walking, a man from the neighborhood who was out for a walk stopped us.  He said that we reminded him of the runs he used to take with his son, and that he was impressed with how far my son was able to run at such a young age.  He also said that his son is now running Track and Field at Princeton!  (I'm not convinced that my son will ever be a standout runner and good enough to run at a Division 1 University...but I can dream, right???)

On the way back home, we did stop for 3 walking breaks.  Counting to 30 at the first two before starting to run and 20 for the final one.  Of course, once we hit our block of houses came the final sprint home - just like you would expect from a six year old!

I measured our run on the Gmap-Pedometer this evening and it ends up we went out 0.6 miles - so 1.2 miles round trip.  It was most likely the slowest run of the year for me...and perhaps one of the most enjoyable!

Sneaking In A Run :-)

It was 4:35pm.  Work was slowing down.  No emails had come in for about 30 minutes and I had just touched base with the engineer who was going to resolve the last issue that I needed completed before the end of the week.

And it was a sunny, 70 degree afternoon with a slight breeze.

Definitely time for a RUN!!!!

I shut down, jumped into some running gear and hit my 3.25 mile lake loop.  The trees are starting to show some red, yellow and orange - seeing their reflection on the lake while the late afternoon sun beat down against a gentle breeze was just an awesome end to the week.

I found myself pushing faster and running stronger a lot of the way.  I ended up running a 9:54/mile pace at 153 average HR.  That was a much better use of time than waiting for another email or phone call at the office :-)

I got home before 5:30pm, showered and was downstairs for Shabbat dinner in a flash.  Have a nice weekend everyone!!!

...Or Not Back In The Saddle

I'm not sure what has come over me. The past three mornings I have woken up with no motivation or energy to go out and run. I know that I'll feel great once I'm out there, but I can't get myself out of bed.

This morning was the strangest. I had my running gear laid out and ready. I slept through the night. I woke up at 6:15am and I still couldn't get myself out of bed.

I'm hoping that this is just my body trying to catch up on sleep. I didn't get enough sleep last weekend and the beginning of the week was hectic. I'll try to break this pattern and get out for a nice morning run tomorrow morning - the weather report looks precipitation free for the next week so I really need to take advantage of the great running weather!

Back In The Saddle!

Due to my trip to Ann Arbor and preparing for Rosh HaShana on my return, it had been four full days since I last ran.  To add insult to injury, these four days included meals that either had foods that I should be avoiding, a lot more alcohol than I am used to consuming nowadays, or oversized portions that probably eclipse the number of calories I should be eating in a full day....and some of the meals were a combination of all three.

So, I was very happy to get back on the road and run this morning.  The kids were both up by 5:30am which was about the time I was planning to get out of the house and run.  "You're going to leave me with this?" was what my wife said as I was getting my running gear on.

There was a heavy rain last night which cleared the air up.  When I got out the door it was a crisp, cool and dark morning - 54 degrees and no humidity.  I wish this weather could stick around all the time!

I did my normal 4.4 mile neighborhood loop, taking it easy as I hadn't run in over half a week.  Stats - 10:48/mile pace; 148 avg HR.

Luckily, I do not have any more big meals on the calendar until next week's pre- and post- Yom Kippor feasts.  I'll need to work off the damage of the last four days before then...

Back To Reality

This past weekend I was in Cleveland (Medina, OH) and Ann Arbor, MI - visiting a friend of mine from college and going to the UofM vs Wisconsin football game.

The weekend was great - complete with a Michigan victory and visits in Ann Arbor to Dominick's and Cottage Inn (I also got a chipati carry-out from Pizza Bob's). Of course, this means that I overate and consumed waaay more alcohol than my body is used to now.

I returned this afternoon and have been "going and blowing" ever since. I led the Israeli dance group at my synagogue. When I got back, I quickly ate dinner and helped put the kids to be and then started to set up for Rosh HaShana Eve dinner tomorrow night (we're having 18 people for dinner). I then logged into work for a bit. I'm finally sitting down and watching football!

I'm not sure what kind of running week I'll have since it is Rosh HaShana on Tuesday and Wednesday. I should try to run at least one of the days, if not both. With Jewish Holidays comes lots of food...

Early (No-So) Rainy Run

My younger son was up in the middle of the night again. So when I couldn't get back to sleep and the clock was showing 4:50 on it, I decided to just brush my teeth and get into my running clothes already (my alarm was going off in 25 minutes anyway...what's the difference???)

I hemmed and hawed about my first big decision of the morning. To run outside or at the gym. Over the past 24 hours, the weather here has been much cooler and it started to rain yesterday afternoon and continued through the night. At 4am I could hear the wind swooshing around outside and the drizzle hitting the windows. Cold rain - YUCK! Treadmill at 5am - BORING! What's a guy to do????

I decided to grab my reflector vest and go outside. It ended up being an excellent choice :-)

I got outside at 5:15am and noticed that it had stopped raining. It also was not as cold as I was expecting (it ended up being in the high-50s at that time, not the low 50s/high 40s). I had put a bunch of Led Zeppelin albums on my iPod shuffle last night - I turned it on and the song that popped up was "The Rain Song" - whoa!

It ended up being a really nice run. It ended up raining lightly on me for about 10 minutes - but it was a refreshing drizzle - not the bone-chilling downpour that I was dreading. I just wish it would get lighter a bit earlier. Running for a full hour in the darkness is a downer. I mean, at least give me the sunrise as an incentive for exercising on the early side!

Today's stats - 5.51 miles in 57:53. 10:31/mile pace. 147 avg HR, 161 max HR. This put me at 20 miles for the week and 782 miles for the year (yes...I am still on pace for 1,000 miles this year!). The Brooks Defyance shoes I bought 5 weeks ago now have 111 miles on them...at this rate, I'll need another pair by Chanukah!

No more running this week. And probably no more blogging. I'll be heading up to Ann Arbor for tomorrow's UofM vs Wisconsin football game. GO BLUE!!!!

Six on the W&OD Trail

Today I was scheduled to be in Northern Virginia again. I decided that I would pack up my gym bag, leave earlier to beat the traffic, run on the W&OD Trail and shower at the Fitness First in Reston.

I left the house around 6:25am and got around the Beltway pretty quickly. Car was parked in front of the gym by 7am and 5 minutes later I was running on the trail. I pick it up at the 17.5 mile marker - my plan was to run towards Herndon again, this time to the 20.5 mile marker and then come back.

The plan was also to keep my HR under 150 as much as possible. I want to get back to training at a slower pace to improve aerobic efficiency.

The weather was wonderful once again - temperatures in the high-50s and clear skies. Towards the end of my run the sun was getting higher in the sky and starting to warm things up a bit.

It was a great run - 6 miles at a 10:13/mile pace. Average HR was 149 and max was 165 (I don't remember getting that high during the run...perhaps it was while I was going over an overpass or something). More importantly, whenever my HR started getting into the low 150s I slowed down a tad and brought it into the 140s. This made for a nice, steady run. Too bad I had to go to work this morning, as I would have loved to run twice as long on this trail!
----

This was the third day in a row that I have run. I'm compressing my schedule this week as I'll be heading to Ann Arbor, MI this weekend to see the UofM Football game! Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to squeeze in a run this weekend, so I'm trying to get some miles in during the week.

I'll likely take a rest day tomorrow and then run on Friday morning. So far I have close to 15 miles for the week, so I still may be able to make it a 20 mile week with a 5 miler on Friday.

Running in the Dark

Although I got a short run in yesterday, I wanted to run this morning. I planned to get up early so I could be home by 6:30am to help out with the kids.

I set the alarm for 5:15am. For some reason, I woke up at 5am. This happened to me frequently while I was training for the marathon - it was like my body knew the alarm was going to go off shortly so I got up anyway.

Of course I contemplated going back to sleep. But then I remembered how wonderful the weather has been early in the morning and I did not want to miss my chance.

I was outside by 5:30am. It was dark. It wasn't as crisp as some of the previous mornings were, but it was definitely comfortable. The skies were overcast so no stars were shining. Just me, the streetlights and the other crazy runners out there (before I left my neighborhood I crossed paths with 4 other runners!).

The theme of today's run was S-L-O-W. I tried to hit the breaks whenever I saw my heart rate going into the 150s. Again, it worked for the first 2 or 3 miles and after that my body just found its pace and stayed with it. Overall the run was 5.5 miles in 59:22 (10:47/mile pace) - 149 average HR, 163 max HR.

I took my iPod with me this morning. I normally don't listen to music while running in the dark, but for some reason I took it with me. My run started out with REM's Superman, and included some songs by Phil Collins, Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, Daughtry and others.

Short Run During a Work Break

This morning I slept in until 6:15am - so no morning run for me :-(

I got out of bed and started making the kids' breakfasts and lunches, put up coffee, etc. I got into the office before 8am and full-steam ahead (that coffee sure does help!)

At 9:30am I had hit a lull. No conference calls until 12 noon and I was waiting for others to get back to me before I could proceed any further. I could either open up the paper and do the Sudoku or slip into my running clothes for a quick 3 miler.

Hmmm...both were tempting - but the run won out! (I didn't feel too guilty as I knew that I was in conference calls from 12 to 5 straight - which meant eating lunch at my desk - so my run was kind of an early lunch break)

I ran my lake loop - which I hadn't run in about 3 months. It was warm and sunny outside...the temperatures were making their climb into the 70s as I was making my way to the lake.

I took it easy, but seem to want to speed up about 2 miles into the run for some reason. This has been happening to me often and I think I'll need to make an effort to re-teach myself what a slow, controlled run is. Although my average HR was 151, I ended around 164...there's no reason for me to be up that high on a 3 mile easy run.

I finished the loop in 32:27 - a 10:01/mile pace. I quickly showered and popped back into work. Working from home definitely has some awesome advantages! (as I typed out that sentence, my son just arrived home from school and both of my boys came up to my office to greet me - yet another reason working from home is great!)

Peaceful Sabbath Run

Today is the Jewish Sabbath (or Shabbat as we call it).  Throughout my marathon training I did my long runs on Shabbat - waking up early so I could finish up my long run, get home eat and shower and get ready to walk to our synagogue (1/4 mile down the street) by 9:45am.

Many people call Shabbat "the day of rest".  However, after spending months waking up before the sun rose and going for a run - some starting around 5:15am - my Shabbat was no longer a "day of rest".  However, long runs at this hour are definitely peaceful.  And today was another peaceful Shabbat run.

Again, however, it was not a day of rest :-(

The day started in our household around 5:10am when my youngest ran into our room - bright-eyed, bushy tailed and ready to start the day.  Grrrrrr.  We tried to get him to go back to sleep, but by 5:45, I realized it was not going to happen.  I put him in front of the TV by 6am, got in my running clothes and out the door I went.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL!  Low 50s.  No humidity.  Clear skies.  A crisp morning for running.  Delicious.

My plan was to do my 6-mile route or 7-mile route - depending on how I felt (turn onto Kentlands Blvd or continue on to Darnestown Road and finish back on Main Street).  Also in the plans was to take it easy.  I wanted to go slowly - see if I could still do a slow easy run after all those weeks of speedwork in preparation for the Kentlands 5K.

My first mile was 10:45 pace and HR in the low 140s.  I kept my pace and HR down nicely through the first 3 miles - even with the hills.  After that I started to speed up a bit - I had my iPod with me and as I normally end up doing, I run to the cadence of the music at times.  Not that I had thumpin' tunes with me - it was mainly Jack Johnson with a few miscellaneous tracks of Plain White Ts, Fastball and Smashmouth.

A strange thing that happened towards the end of my run - about 50 yards in front of me, I saw a fox quickly darting across Quince Orchard Road.  At 7:30am in the daylight (I thought foxes mainly ran around at night).  I slowed down and waited to ensure the fox was deep in the woods on my side of the road before I went further.  Last thing I want to do on a run is be chased by a fox (unless it is a relative of mine!)

As I approached Kentlands Blvd, I felt good, so I pushed it to the seven mile run.  All in all it was a glorious run - 7.33 miles in 1:16:36, a 10:28/mile pace and an average HR of 150.  And the start to a peaceful Shabbat (although definitely NOT a day of rest!)

More Pictures from Parks Half Marathon

Here are a few more pictures of me from the Parks Half Marathon:

From Brightroom

From an independent photographer Edward Johnson

I'll likely go out for an easy run tomorrow morning.  I'm going to really try to keep the pace easy - and perhaps do 6 or 7 miles.  It should be another crisp and clear morning...great for a run!

Follow-up From The Parks Half Marathon

During my post from The Parks Half Marathon, I mentioned that there was a runner that had collapsed around 11.5 miles.  It ends up he had heat stroke.  My sister sent me this tidbit from a weekly newsletter that she receives from The Sergeant's Program:

• Hi Everyone, The doctors feel he's progressing: no fever, blood pressure has stabilized, heart and brain are clear and healthy. They are concerned about the liver and kidneys, but they can deal with that if need be.   His wife told us the story of how he collapsed. She was waiting at the finish line wondering what was taking him so long. Meanwhile, he was already at Suburban for that hour and a half, faceless/nameless as he had no ID. He fell, and a woman stopped to help him (a trainer), and right behind her was a nurse. One ran to call 911 while the other elevated his head and feet. Apparently, the ambulance couldn't get down to the path so these two women along with another 2 women, carried him over to where the ambulance was going to pull up. His wife thinks these women saved his life. The nurse who saw his name on his shirt (before it was cut off him), googled it and tracked down his home phone number. His wife was so overwhelmed with what this stranger did for him...she couldn't speak. 

Amazing story of how runners help each other.  Also, a very scary story about the runner having no ID.  I'm glad that I wear my RoadID on my shoe.  Every runner should get one of these - just in case a situation like the one above happens.

First Post-Race Easy Run

I went out for an easy run this morning. My usual 4.4 mile neighborhood loop.

At 5:45am when I started, it was still dark outside - and a cool 52 degrees! Oh - how wonderful Sunday's race would have been with that weather.

I tried to keep the HR down as much as I could - I did pretty well with a 149 bpm average - however, there were many points of the run where I got lost in the music (I was listening to Ben Kweller this morning) and I was running a bit too fast. I guess that's what I get for doing all of the speedwork/tempo runs over the past 6 weeks.

I ended up with a 10:32/mile pace....and a big smile on my face for running on such a beautiful morning!

A Few Days of Rest

I'm still a little sore after Sunday morning's race, however, not so sore that I couldn't go out and run a few miles.  However, I'm going to take it easy for a few days before running again.  Maybe I'll go for a morning run Thursday or Friday.

In the meantime, I'll try to hit the gym and do either the rowing machine or elliptical trainer.

BTW - the weather this morning was wonderful.  It's in the low 60s and a little overcast.  Great running weather.  Why couldn't it have been like this on Sunday?????