Posts Tagged ‘Duke’

It’s that time of year in which bulleted blog posts are becoming the norm. There’s a wide variety of things on my mind with nothing really dominating. I was tempted to leave my 1,000-mile journey post as the last post of the year, but then people would get all worried about me. I don’t need any strangers knocking on my door right now. So, here’s a variety hour, blog post no. 594 since April 2007.

* My chiropractor appointments are going well. The leg stretches have proven to me that I’m no longer very flexible. I’m not sure that I ever was. It’s been a wake-up call that I should do some sort of stretching though, no matter what some people say. I’m not getting in the “to stretch or not to stretch” debate. Different things work for different people. I won’t stretch a cold muscle … and that’s all I’m saying about that.

* As a result of resting and getting my body fixed, I think that I can run again soon. Not that I’ve fully stopped, but less than 10 miles in 5-plus weeks isn’t really running. I ran 1.2 pain-free miles yesterday. All at once. It’s the first time since the marathon running more than a mile non-stop (I think). My hope is to give myself a Christmas gift this week and run 2 miles non-stop. We’ll see. No promises.

* Speaking of not really running, but still running, I’ve had ZERO 0.0-mile weeks this year. While I don’t like all these very low single digit weeks, this is another nice accomplishment to this awesome year, assuming I keep the streak alive in these final two weeks of the year. If I could give 2010 a theme, I would call it The Year of the Streaks.

* There are 89 days until the Shamrock Half Marathon. It’s either going to be Shamrock No. 5 in a row in the best shape ever or not at all. I’m not going to half-ass it or risk injury. If I can’t run regularly again soon, I’m not going to push it. But if I can run soon — at least getting to double digits comfortably in a week by mid-January — you better believe I’ll go for a PR again.

* So this getting to the 170s by the end of the year thing … let’s just say I’ve maintained, and I’m very happy for that. With very little running, combined with a cold from hell in the past two weeks, I can’t do everything I want to do physically. Maintaining in the first three weeks is a win for me. I’m not giving up hope on it though, but I’m also not going to work my way to a sickness that lasts even longer.

Here's Nermal a couple of months ago, lounging out in a kiddie pool.

* Lastly, on a sad non-running note, “my” cat died this weekend. Nermal — yes, after Garfield’s cousin (except my Nermal was a boy) — was 15 years old this month. He was a classic fat cat — probably about 25 pounds. He was as mean as a pissed off snake through much of his life. I use the term “my” because when I was a senior in high school, I just had to have him. But through college and a couple of apartments that didn’t allow pets, Nermal stayed with my mom and stepdad his whole life. Ironically enough — and perhaps very fittingly — he died by his food dish Sunday, probably on his way to some food.

While he was mean, he’ll be missed. Nermal’s death caps the year of animal deaths in my family — my aunt and uncle’s dog died this fall, as did one of my sister’s dogs. It makes me very appreciative that Duke is in such great health right now and to do whatever I can to make sure he’s around for as long as he can be.

As with many of my miles this year, Duke was with me for mile 1,000.

I’ve said many, many times this year how great of a year this has been for me with running. Then November came along and it all seemingly came crashing down. But I’m not going to let an injury define my year or set the stage for 2011.

There have been so many great things happen this year that my attitude about running is changed forever. 2010 has been the highest of highs and it’s time to reflect on running quadruple digits for the first time in the seven full years I’ve been running. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I (quietly) hit 1,000 running miles in 2010 Saturday. So here it is, the highlights of my 1,000 miles of running this year …

0-2.4
Funny thing about the year with the most running miles ever … I didn’t run my first miles until Jan. 4 because I started the year off with a horrible cold and horrible weather conditions.

42.5-54.5
It’s very rare to have a non-race run to be so life-altering, but these miles covered a run/power hike on Terrapin Mountain that I didn’t think I could do. A big group of us battled wind, cold and icy conditions at the top to do this. This run set the tone for the year, putting in my head that I could do anything I set my mind to. Not that it wasn’t there before, but it became reality.

226.6-239.7
Simply put: a PR in the Shamrock Half Marathon. A goal met that was a long time coming.

This was me at the 100th mile in April. Looking back, this photo was somewhat of a wake-up call to drop a few pounds. Besides my beard, I can see the difference in my mile 1,000 photo and this one.

257.8-359
Talk about doing anything I set my mind to, the April streak is the highlight of my year. While I had PRs and climbed mountains, running at least a mile a day for 30 straight days was one of the most self-satisfying things I’ve ever done in my seven years of running. Speaking of PRs and climbing mountains, during my streak I set a PR in a 5k by one second (miles 310.2-313.3) and ran a half marathon that climbed Roanoke Mountain (miles 325.1-336.2). I also ran just before and after midnight for two of those days during Relay for Life. Looking back, April 2010 was the single best running month ever. Expect another streak in 2011.

435.8-437.5
Not all these miles have to be good — this was my DNF in a trail half marathon in June. While I was sick for much of that week, I learned that it’s OK to not finish if the body doesn’t allow it. My DNF was so much better than a DNS. I gave it a shot; that’s all I could do that day.

514-515
One measly mile, but it was oh-so fast. The 6:15 in the Academy Mile was surprising, and to this day I think I could have done better.

647-660.1
It’s strange how many humbling runs I’ve had this year, and the Lynchburg Half Marathon in August is no exception. It was a wake-up call that I needed to step-up my training a bit. A GIANT hill in the middle killed any thoughts of having a good race and it made me realize that I had to stop taking hills for granted. But I finished with my son in my hands, and that was what made this so special.

810.6-820.6
Not a PR, but I survived some late race heat to put in a good performance at the Virginia 10 Miler, a pretty much unplanned race. Looking back, I know I could have set a PR had I not had an 18-miler the week before. Maybe, just maybe, this becomes a big focus for 2011.

835.6-855.6
The first 20-miler of my Richmond Marathon training session was also a bit humbling. Looking back, I still don’t know what to say about it. Each long run this summer was special with hitting distances I haven’t hit in 3 years. It makes it even more special now knowing that I’m not going to do it again anytime soon.

901.6-921.6
The second 20-miler, which set the stage for the injury I have now. I clearly remember the last big hill in that run and my knee starting to ache a bit. Had I stopped that run at around 18 miles instead of pushing it, who knows what could have happened the rest of the year. But I can’t play the “what if” game. It’s another lesson in listening to my body that I so easily forget.

966.6-992.8
I’ve well documented the Richmond Marathon and how that went and how things have gone since then, but looking back a month later, I wouldn’t have done anything differently. If I lived and ran in hindsight, I would be doing myself a disservice. It’s done and I’ve moved on. So many of you out there who have injuries and regrets with running need to do the same thing.

999.2-1,000
It’s not even a whole mile, but this Saturday I hit 1,000 running miles for the year. Since the marathon, I’ve ran a few tenths here and there, only logging a mile or more just a couple of times. It certainly didn’t happen like I thought it would or when it would or any of that once I knew it would happen, but now that I’ve hit the mark I don’t care. I did it. 1,000 miles. Quadruple digits.

To mark the occasion, I took my dog, Duke, to the nearby middle school to run the final bit on a field where I ran my very first “official” mile when I was in 4th or 5th grade. Fittingly, it was cloudy, cold and windy, like so many of my runs in the first couple of months in the year.

I ran the final few tenths of a mile on a flat field at the Bedford Middle School, site of my first ever timed mile 20+ years ago.

So there you have it. You won’t see a 2010 recap or top 10 list from me in the next couple of weeks because this is it. This IS my year of running. I may run another mile here or there, but these are the best and worst of what the year had to offer. A year ago at this time I was ready for 2010 to be “my” year — a redefining sort of year. And to reflect on this year, I must say that it was my year.

There’s a lot of my mind from Saturday’s Richmond Marathon, but it’s going to take some time to find all the right words for what I’m thinking and feeling. Before I move on to those thoughts or what might happen next, I wanted to give a big “thank you” to a lot of people for all the support over the past few months and year in making this happen. Saying “thanks” isn’t enough, but it’s the best that I can do:

* To my wife
My wife was a trooper on Saturday venturing around Richmond to all the party zones and then walking her way to find me on the course near the end. In addition to all the support on Saturday, my wife never had any issues with my evening runs or early morning weekend long runs over the summer (or my sweaty clothes I liked to leave on the bathroom floor).

* To my mom
From the comments on my blog to some extra babysitting a few nights so I could run, my mom has always been one of my biggest fans.

* To my Daily Mile friends
I almost lumped social networking into one, but Daily Mile deserves its own shout-out. Without the support on there from others going through the same things, or offer advice from there own experiences, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.

* To my Twitter followers
For those who don’t “get” Twitter, you need to find your niche. The support on Twitter is unbelievable and helped carry me through many of my long runs as I took my phone along with me.

* To my friend Travis
Earlier this year Travis and I strung together some awesome runs as we prepared for the Shamrock Half in March. We didn’t run together quite as much in the summer as our training took us in different directions, but his support along the way and the mileage we shared together went a long way in making the marathon happen.

* To my dog Duke
I may get annoyed with his antics on a leash sometimes, but Duke is an awesome running partner. I should write about him more than I do. I have no idea how many miles he’s gone with me this year, but every weekend he was up and out the door at 5:30 or to run several miles of my long runs. He survived the crazy cold earlier in the year and made it through some intense heat this summer.

* To the spectators
The Richmond Marathon has some great support along the entire course (minus the Lee Bridge), along with some good bands and DJs. Even when I was walking, people were able to give me a boost. It’s tough to acknowledge those things while they’re happening, but please, keep lining the course!

* To all my commenters
There’s some overlap here, but for anyone not following me on anything not listed above, thank you for commenting and reading my blog. I’ll never meet many of you, but every comment means the world to me. Thank you.

Unlike mile 700 and mile 800, mile 900 had no signs. It was just me and my best running pal Duke.

And just like that, I have less than 100 miles to go to hit 1,000 miles for 2010. Unbelievable.

“Duke, look at that bird.”

The only problem is, Duke didn’t see the bird and that bird wasn’t flying away. And then he stepped on it. Twice.

The bird flapped around and chirped, and then two birds came out of nowhere and sent us on our merry way.

It’s not much to this story, but it was story I had to tell. And the baby bird was OK, I think. He hopped back up and appeared to recover. We didn’t stick around too long though — mommy bird wasn’t too happy.

By special request after mentioning it on Facebook and Twitter, I am writing about falling while running last night. The short story is I fell and I’m OK. The long story is … I was running with Duke and my friend Travis. About a mile and a half into our run, we had to pass a few people on the sidewalk. We ran out into the street and then back onto the sidewalk. I thought I jumped high enough to get back on, but apparently due to the darkness and wet conditions, I didn’t jump high enough, or one foot didn’t go high enough … or something like that.

All I know is that all of a sudden I fell on the sidewalk … in front of other people. My first priority was making sure Duke stopped, which he had. He was just kind of looking at me with a concerned look. But I got up, made sure I could move OK and kept on with my run. When I dropped Duke off a little while later I realized I had blood running down my leg and had a few more scrapes than I first realized. But I was OK, and Travis and I continued our run.

We ended up running almost 6 miles, my longest run in quite some time. I think it was my first run beyond 4 miles since the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half in early September. That just shows how bad my running has been since that race. I’m actually a little sore today from both the fall and the run. My shoulder actually hurts a little bit too, so suprise, surprise, I’m putting off a day of 100 push-ups. But I’m not forcing it and will just start again next week. Actually, I’ll probably do another day of it this weekend and then just redo the same week next week.

So, about this fall. I know I’m not alone … I just can’t be. Take my poll below.

[polldaddy poll=2282922]

In case you’ve been living under a rock, it’s been raining in Virginia and other parts of the mid-Atlantic for three straight days. And not just any rain … crazy, late-hurricane season monsoon-type rain. Fortunately where I am we’ve been spared the worst, but we had about 4 inches total in a short time frame. Eastern parts of the state have had much more.

It’s also gone from a very nice upper 60s or so to about 40 degrees tonight. It’s been awful. That all being said, it did stop raining a bit this evening — long enough to get in a good run and get my dog out of the house for a half hour or so. To say he was going stir crazy is an understatement. He’s had that oh-so-sad depressed doggy look for a while now. It’s the “why can’t I have 5 more minutes to circle the yard to poop” look. So we both got out and got rid of the energy that’s been building up.

For the first time in two months, I hit the teens with my running miles this week. The last time this happened was about the time I decided that miles just didn’t matter; it was a time that running stopped being fun for a little while, too. So I’m here to once again say that miles do matter!

I had the best running week I’ve had in a while — with miles and the way I felt. It’s amazing to me how running hills around Bedford in two weeks have made me feel. I have a long way to get to where I want to be, but this is a great start at a time of the year that running usually dwindles for many people. I hope that I’m setting myself up for a good Christmas Classic 5k in a few weeks. Being able to easily run the course a couple of times a week certainly helps.

I’ve also developed a great running partner recently. My dog, Duke, has been able to last much longer than I thought he could, going for three 3-plus mile runs this week. He’s usually been good for a couple of miles coupled with a mile or so walking, but he’s proven to me that he has much more energy than I thought he had. Makes me wish I was a dog sometimes …

When it comes to running, October 2009 stands out in my mind as the lowest of the low in my almost six years of running. My few injuries are an exception. I wasn’t injured in October. I was full of excuses. Sure, moving doesn’t make life easy, but in hindsight, why is my workout log completely blank from Oct. 7-12?

I also fell completely off the 100 push-ups wagon, but at the same time I’m reaping the rewards of the program. Moving boxes and furniture in the past few weeks have been much easier than a couple of years ago when I moved. But this is a program I want to finish — I just don’t know when. Tonight, for the first time in a couple of weeks, I dropped down and did 33. I guess I could say I’m 33 percent of the way there. Oddly enough, 33 is what I maxed at in week 4 (after 85 push-ups).

But what do I do? The 100 push-ups Web site actually recommends that I start on week 3 if I do more than 20 in my initial test. Although it wasn’t an “initial” test, I think going back to week 3 is a good idea. That might help me get past week 4 that I never got through after two attempts. But honestly, moving got in the way then and it may get in the way in the next few weeks, but no matter what this is making me a stronger person. I may take a lot longer than some people, but I’m determined to get to 100.

So as I get the 100 push-ups program jump started, I am also determined to get my running back in order too. Tonight I kicked the month off with a 3.6 mile run that included Bedford’s loop. My dog, who usually only runs for a couple of miles or so, joined me. I’m pretty sure it was his longest run ever. It was a nice, cold, full moon run, complete with street lights.

I need these runs and I need these runs to regain my consistency. I need these runs to do well in a couple of small races before the end of the year. I need these runs for next year. I’m starting over, somewhat. I don’t feel like I’m out of shape by any means, but like much of the way the rest of this year has been, I’m not where I want to be with anything — with speed, with weight, with just being happy with running.

It (re)starts now. I’m done with my excuses.

Feb. 14 was the last time I added the tag “speed workout” to a post. It’s not that I haven’t done any speed workouts; I just haven’t written about the few I’ve done since then. Following my foot ordeal in the spring, summer (as I have well documented) was pretty much on cruise control — one speed. So tonight I changed that.

Moving forward behind the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half, I pretty much want the last three-plus months of the year to be about setting myself up for the next training session at the beginning of 2010. That means getting back to speed workouts at least once a week, one “long” run a week of 5-6 miles and more cross training. It’s been almost a year since I’ve joined the gym and I have fallen way off the goals I set for cross training, so I’d like to focus on that a bit more. And, don’t forget, I want to complete the 100 push-up challenge. In simple terms, I want to get in good overall shape while improving my running. You know, the whole quality vs. quantity debate.

So wait, wasn’t this post going to be about speed work? You see, I’ll do whatever I can to avoid it. YES, I did do a speed workout tonight. It wasn’t much, but I have to start somewhere. I kept this one short and simple — four quarter-mile intervals on the treadmill with a quarter-mile recovery between each one. I started with what’s generally been comfortable for me in the past — 7.5 mph, an 8-minute mile pace. To assure that I got faster as I went along, I increased the mph by 0.1 for each interval. That means the last once was in a 7:41 pace.

It felt good to move beyond that same-old pace I’ve been used to for a few months. I did a couple of speed workouts this summer on gym visits, but it felt forced. Tonight felt more routine, even if there was nothing routine about it. Tonight, I hope, is the bare minimum of what my speed workouts will be. I want to do more intervals, longer intervals, tempo runs, fartleks, etc. Much of what I’ll do will be on the treadmill, but I hope to get a few speed sessions outside. The treadmill is great for control and since it’s been so long since I’ve done this, I need all the help I can get right now.

Lastly, I know I don’t post too much about my individual workouts, but I feel pretty good about tonight. It all started with a walk in my neighborhood with my wife, son and dog, which included a half-mile run with my nutty dog (and 0.1 with my wife). When I got home I did my week 2, day 1 push-ups with sets of 10, 12, 9, 9 and 16. Then I headed to the gym for 2.5 more miles of running and 5 miles on the exercise bike. Now I’m ready for a good night’s sleep …