Friday, December 17, 2010

Day 17 - Amazing Sunrise

The sunrise was amazing today! The picture below was taken around 7:30 a.m. Within only a couple minutes after this the clouds covered it and the sky lost its bright colors.


I didn't wear my cover over my face today at my walk and was it cold on the way back.  It was 31°F outside but the wind made it very cold. My legs were a little tired for the first half mile and they felt great by the time I finished. I am still using the Cardio Trainer on my phone to do all my walks and some runs. It seems pretty accurate on all my walks so far. This whole week I tested out my new Elements vest from Under Armour. It has some wind proofing in it which worked really great to keep my core warm by preventing any wind from coming in at the zipper. I never really used Under Armour but my great neighbor hooked me up with some great discounts.


After another cold week of running and walking I took today off from running. The down day should help give me more energy for this weekends long runs. The little ones went to a friends house and my wife and I went out for dinner and a movie at home (The Hangover). By the time we got home from picking the little ones up it was almost 10 and I was beat.

12-17-2010 - 2.8 miles - 36:02 - walk

Day 16 - Pedal to the metal

The sunrise was beautiful today. It's amazing how fast the sky's color can change at this time. If your not ready with your camera it is gone but you always have tomorrow but it will be different. I always have my family look up at the sky in the morning or night.  We have seen so many great sunrises and sunsets.


Todays fast walk at work went really well.  The temps were up a little and there was no wind. My legs felt like I could move them so much faster today then other days. Even the hills went well. Sometimes you have days like this and you can put the pedal to the metal even in a walk.

I was thinking of what my training plan is and I don't really have a training plan. I just "wing it" most of the time. Of course I do know I will run long on the weekends and have a fast run or two during the week but I never really know which day or how far until that day. Life is very busy with everything going on that I don't have time for a running plan - nor do I want one. That is another reason I have fun with running - it is mine and I can do anything I want with it. If I want to run, hike, walk while I am out there and do it fast, slow, long or short I can. There are now rules to follow other than moving forward consistently.

Tonight a couple minutes before the start of my run I was thinking to myself I want to run fast tonight. The 7 mile road course I usually run at least once a week. Starting out with a 1.3 mile of flat or down hill where you can get the legs moving right from the start.  From there the next .7 mile section climbs about 150 ft. which you have to try and push this section. The next .9 mile section is flat with a slight up grade then descends over a 190 feet where you can get the legs moving as fast as you want. The course is flat from there for the next 1.45 miles. Then the hill hits a .3 mile section that climbs 135 feet. Keeping your legs moving at this point is a challenge. Then it is downhill for the next .75 with a 140 feet of decent. The last stretch climbs around 220 feet and this is where you can have a good or an ok run. The last section really teaches me to keep moving even when everything seems to be falling apart.  Tonight I had a good night and kept focused the whole run - 48:40. Now I am ready for a long slow weekend run.


12-16-2010 - 2.8 miles - 35:48 - walk
12-16-2010 - 7 miles - 48:40 - run - 375 ft. elevation

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Day 15 - Peaceful night time run

Another lovely day of off and on snow showers. Lunch time walks are really hitting the spot lately. You can go out and clear you head. My legs are feeling good right now and the fast walks are getting better. The headwinds are always a challenge on the way back. The purchase of the Under Armour Tactical HeatGear Hood to keep the cold out is really paying off.
The way back on my walk at work
Tonight I was running by 6. Night time runs in the mountains are so peaceful.  When the snow is down it lights up the mountain and you can see things you usually can't see in the dark. Full moon on the 21st should be great if there is snow around.  A little road section and into the mountains I headed. I made it up to Pulpit Rock and looked around and could not believe no one else was up there - just kidding! Not to many people make there way up there on a dark cold windy night. Last year I hiked up on New Years to see if anyone was shooting fireworks off. I heard noises but didn't see any fireworks. After the mountains I was on the road again for about 5 1/2 miles and headed back home. Finished with a nice 10 mile run.

The rock in the back reminds me of the altitude profile at the MMT 100

Below is the altitude profile of the MMT 100 course. (Pic below is from the vhtrc.com website)



Below is a little video of the view from Pulpit Rock at night.



12-15-2010 - 2.8 miles - 36:15 - walk
12-15-2010 - 10 miles - 1:34 - run - 1,000 ft. elevation


Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Day 14 - Chilllllly out

Everyone keeps talking about how cold it is right now in PA. But I keep reading about how cold some parts of Canada are right now -20°F. Now that is cold. 24°F in PA is cold but I have a race planned and I can't make excuses and let the weather determine my training. Cover your head, put some gloves on, get out in the world and get moving. That is what I was telling myself to do. When I know bad weather is is in the forcast I want to go out, see how bad it is and test myself.


I went out for my fast walk at lunch and it was cold. The wind was blowing and some snow was falling.  What more can you ask for than to be out in the elements waking up you senses. The feeling you get after you finish (when you get feeling back) is amazing.


On my way home tonight I was greeted with some more snow. It was only a dusting and the sidewalks and driveways were covered.  I could also see the mountains had a little coating. Later the family and I went to a Christmas program at the school at 6:30. Got home around 8 and I was out the door running in the 20° weather by 8:30 p.m. It would of been so easy to just stay home and relax but not tonight.  I started at a comfortable pace which turned into a faster pace then I was expecting tonight. After feeling really good the whole run I decided to pushed the last mile. Finishing the last mile in 6:56 felt great and my legs are going to be tired tomorrow.


Here is a great video to watch when you need a little motivation UltraRunning Video. After watching this video I want to go run!




12-14-2010 - 2.8 miles - 37:04 - walk
12-14-2010 - 7 miles - 50:20 - run

Monday, December 13, 2010

Day 13 - Monday a slow day

My wife and I had the day off.  Lucky us we got to spend some of the morning getting both cars their regular maintenance.  Then we did the grocery store, post office and then went back home for some lunch. I had a couple eggs with sour cream, salsa, cheese and black beans. A nice quick lunch before heading out for my run hit the spot.

After this weekend of what was filled with many hills my legs were a little tired today. I did a nice easy pace run all around the mountain with some road sections. I thought hunting was over for a little but I heard about 5 or 6 shots and didn't see a one person out today. These days are nice when you can relax and not have to worry about time. The views were great and the temps weren't bad with the sun out. The temps are really going to be dropping so this will be a cold week of running!

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Hamburg Reservoir

The road hill (my playground) to Pulpit Rock!

Windsor Furnace area - Click on the link below for an old picture. 
You can see one of the walls still stands to the upper left of this picture.


Below is a video I took when I was out running today.  I had to convert to a different file format for it to load into the blogging program. If you keep it small it looks ok but if you open it up full screen it is not that clear.



12-13-2010 - 7.2 miles - 1:30 - run

Day 12 - The Buzzard Run

I went to run the Buzzard course today. It's a 45 mile drive from my house. Why drive 45 miles at 6:30 a.m. to run in the pouring rain for many miles you may ask. You have to run it to understand. This course is one place that you always feel good when you pull in the parking lot if you don't miss the turn. The run is around 25 miles long with 5 big hills and one cold water crossing. Below is the map from someones gps from a previous run that we did there.  My watch didn't record the whole course this time.


When I pulled in the parking lot around 7:25 a.m. there were no cars. There was suppose to be a group of runners there but most decided not to run because of the weather. After sitting in my car and getting ready to run by myself another runner Stephan arrived. That means I didn't get to have all the fun - I had to share:) One lady did stop by and asked us if we needed turn sheets for the course but I know the course. The weather forecast for the day was rain and a lot of it but that never really happened.

Stephan and I started to run and talking about what the other runners were going to miss. I don't get to run a lot with Stephan so it was great to run and talk about life and running for over 5 hours. We power hiked most of the climbs and ran everything else. Stephan ran the last hill and I tried to catch him but there was nothing in the tank.  A couple down pours here and there but overall it was a great day! Below are pics from the course and of Stephan and I.

12-12-2010 - 25 miles - 5:20 - run - 3,200 ft. elevation


The Water Tank trail

End of the Horse-Shoe trail marker.

Stephan

Me

Man made bridge on the Appalachian Trail

In the center of the picture is the last climb
straight up a pipeline. The top is over a mile
away after the creek crossing.

Stephan getting ready to cross
the creek for the first time.

One step at a time and it is cold.

Don't fall - he didn't and I didn't either.