Day 87 - ....again

I woke up feeling not so well again and the rest of the day didn't get any better. It felt like I was in slow motion all day. There was no energy to walk or run. It definitely was good mental training today. Just to keep moving forward was a big effort just like the last miles of an ultra for me. Tomorrow is another day:-)

Day 86 - Only a walk

Today I had another fast walk and it felt great. The weather was nice and very little wind. After I got home from work I wasn't feeling the best.  I thought I would wait until later to run. When later came around I still wasn't feeling any better. I think I am reaching my breaking point again and have to back off a little. No run tonight just sleep.


2-24-2011 - 3 miles - 36:45 - walk

Day 85 - Club run

The weather is not as warm as last week but the sun is shining during my walk. I am starting to see some other people out of their houses. With the spring on the way people are starting to move.

Tonight I went for a club run. It has been way to long since I made one of these runs. It is always nice to catch up with other runners. There must of been maybe 40+ people there tonight.  A great night of running with friends.

2-23-2011 - 3 miles - 36:51 - walk 

2-23-2011 - 6.4 miles - 52:00 - run

Day 84 - 80 days to go

There are only 80 days left until the race. It’s time to start making plans for that weekend on where to sleep and crew. I was looking at some of the info for the race this year and came across this video from last year’s race that someone made. It shows some of the course, runners and other things at the race. After watching the video it really gets you in the mood to run. It also looks really cool running in the warm weather :-)

My walk went real well today. Sunny and clear – you can’t beat that. Tonight I left for my run around 5 p.m. I talked to my friend Al tonight before I left and he said the black vultures were at Pulpit Rock. So that is where I headed. When I made it to Pulpit Rock they were not there but the view was very clear. The trails were all cover in snow again from Monday. Once I got back on the road I went down town to add some more time and miles. I finished with 15 miles of walking and running for the day in a little over 2 ½ hours. The time just flew by today!

2-23-2011 - 3 miles - 36:36 - walk 

2-23-2011 - 12 miles - 1:55 - run

Day 83 - No run day

No walk at work today. I left early to pick the little ones up. After a long weekend of running for me I started to feel the effects. Tired and a little bit of a head cold. I left for my run around 6 to do some loops and I didn’t get very far. I could not warm up and though I better back off and not push through this time. I headed back home and did some walking on the treadmill and finished with 3 miles. Not a big day but a smart one in the long run.

2-22-2011 - 3 miles - 38:00 - walk/run

Day 82 - Tired legs

Today I was trying for 20 slow miles with one long run. I left around 12:00 p.m. and headed to the mountain. The route was the same as the last couple of days - up to Pulpit Rock, out to the Pinnacle and back to the road to add some more miles. It’s was a good route to test myself on with all the rocks and with tired legs. After doing a lot of road running with a flat surface I have to get use to lifting my legs over rocks again. A lot more hikers today then in past few weekends. They are also getting the itch to get back on the trail. The views were really clear and the trails were still a little icy at places. Once I hit the road and made the turn on Mountain road I was at 11 miles. That is where the legs said they didn’t want to go anymore. My pace slowed close to a 10 min. mile on a gradual downhill. I fought through the discomfort for the next 7 miles. I hit my driveway and my watch said 17.87. I went in and changed into my road shoes and started to leave when the rest family pulled in the driveway returning from a movie party. That meant my running was done for the day. I finished with 17.87 miles and just over fifty miles of running in the last 3 days. Life is good!

2-20-2011 - 17.87 miles - 3:21 - run

Day 81 - Very windy

I left the house around 9:40 a.m. and it was very windy. There was a tail wind for the first half mile and then a cross wind until I made it to the mountain. The wind is not that bad in the woods. The trees do a great job of blocking most of the wind. It was very loud on the trail today with the wind blowing the trees. The trails were clear in some spots and very icy in others. There were a lot of hikers out on the trail today. A lot of regulars that I see almost every week. Two people had a fire at the Pinnacle enjoying the view. On the way back down to the parking lot a lady was walking her dog with a leash. Another couple had 2 dogs not on a leash. The two dogs went right over and started to fight with the other dog on the leash. I guess they didn't see the sign in the parking lot that reads "All dogs must be leashed". Why wouldn't you leash your dog when you see someone coming with another dog? The last half mile was straight into the wind. Wow! That was tough! I never ran in a wind like that before. It just held me back and it felt like I couldn't go anywhere.

The rest of the family left for a movie so I went for another run. I have to get them in when I can. I drove up to the mountain around 3:40 p.m. On the way up I passed a lot of the same people that were heading out when I was finishing on my first run. It was a little colder this time and not as many people out on the trail. On my way back I ran by the Windsor Furnace shelter and there were tents set up with maybe 8 people standing around a fire. Looks like they were going to have a fun night. I finished with two nice runs today and ready for the wind to move out of here.

2-19-2011 - 12 miles - 2:20 - run
2-19-2011 - 9 miles - 1:44 - run

Pinnacle

Pinnacle

Sunset

Sunset

Day 80 - Mud & Rocks

The weather was perfect today for my walk. Halfway through I got stopped by a big black Great Dane right in the middle of the road. The dog didn't want to let my around and the owner was no where to be found. Eventually the dog moved off of the road and I made my way back to work. What a pretty dog but the dog kind of looked at me like I could of been it's lunch:-)


Tonight I ran from home to the Pinnacle and back. It was a 12 mile round trip and the trail was in good shape. I have to learn to run on rocks again and a lot of them were showing their face. They have been covered in snow or ice for a long time now. I passed a lot of hikers that were heading back to their car. The Pinnacle was very peaceful and wish I could of stayed longer but I didn't want to get cold. On the way back in the dark there were a lot of hikers heading up the mountain to see the full moon. Sun, slush, rocks and mud - what a great run! 

2-18-2011 - 4.1 miles - 50:58 - walk 

2-18-2011 - 12 miles - 1:52 - run

Day 79 - Sunny and warm ;-)

I almost didn't make it back to work today after my walk with this weather.  Short sleeve shirt weather is great. It’s even going to be warmer tomorrow. This is my fastest walk of the year so far. I know it’s only a walk but I love the challenge of staying focused for the whole walk. It’s good practice for my running.

Tonight I made it out the door by 5. I knew I wanted to run a little faster after taking yesterday off and the weather being so warm. My first 5 miles went real well. I was right around a 6:30 pace for 4 of the miles and a 7:30 with one that has a long hill. The last 5 miles I backed off big time and just enjoyed the weather.

2-17-2011 - 3.41 miles - 40:59 - walk (12:01 pace - PR for me)

2-17-2011 - 10 miles - 1:18 - run (1st 5 miles 33:17)

Day 78 - No run day

I really love this weather. No jacket, no hat, no gloves and the sun beaming down. After walking in the 20 degree weather for weeks now 40 feels so warm. I can’t believe how time is flying by. I was being stalked by a hawk for some of my walk. I think it was looking for a mouse. No running for me today. I am feeling the effects of running to much so I had to back off.

2-16-2011 - 3 miles - 38:40 - walk

Day 77 - Beautiful sunset

I walked in my NB101 today. It feels like something is missing when I wear them to walk. I guess I am use to my hiking boots and they hit the ground faster with the bigger heal. The wind was blowing and felt very cold.

Tonight I ran from home up to the mountain. The sunset was beautiful. I snapped a couple pics along the way before it got dark. The sun was out today but it did not loosen up any of the snow/ice I was running on once I hit the trails. The view was great from the top and the moon was very bright. Full moon will be this Friday. Can’t wait to do a full moon run.

Sunset 2-15-2011

Sunset 2-15-2011

Sunset 2-15-2011

2-15-2011 - 3 miles - 39:13 - walk
2-15-2011 - 9 miles - 1:30 - run

Day 76 - Windy

There was a beautiful sunrise this morning. I can feel that spring is on the way. When I left for my walk it was calm and warm. Half way through the wind really started to pick up and of course it was a headwind for the last mile. My legs are feeling good today but my ankles are sore.

Tonight was a night I really didn't want to run. I was just trying to make excuses up in my head not to run and I really couldn’t come up with one I could live with. I left around 8:20 and the wind was blowing like crazy. After about 5 miles I got into a grove and kept moving forward. I was weaving around the town to only pass houses glowing with TV’s and very few cars on the road. Not a sole in sight. I finished with ten miles and a smile on my face.

Sunrise 2-14-2011

2-14-2011 - 3 miles - 37:38 - walk
2-14-2011 - 10 miles - 1:29 - run

Day 75 - Black vultures

Today I had to do some shopping before hitting the trail. I finally made it out around 1. My legs were feeling really good after yesterday’s hill fest. Roads were the plan today but I thought I would check out the trails first. It warmed up nice and the trails were great. A little slippery at some sports but no ice. So I decided to run up to Pulpit Rock and then the Pinnacle following the AT out and back. Passing only a few people I made it to the Pinnacle. I haven’t been up there since the ice came through. There were a lot of birds flying around and I got some pics. No real close ups at the Pinnacle but some nice silhouettes. Then when I made it back to Pulpit Rock I looked over and there were three black vultures standing on the rocks. Correct me if I am wrong but I think they are black vultures. This was the first time I ever saw them standing on the rocks right there. The one quickly flew away but the other two had not plans of flying off. I quickly snapped some pics in case they flew away. It is always best to take pics as fast as you can because you usually will miss the shot if you wait. I probably spent 10 min. within 15 feet of them. Taking more photos and some video. I wish I would have had my other camera to get some better close ups. Once on the road I was at 11 miles for the day and decided to go for 20. I headed down town and weaved my way around the streets and back home hitting 20. My legs could really feel it in the last two miles. Finally I finished a nice back to back long weekend of running.

2-13-2011 - 20 miles - 3:30 - run (9 trail/11 road)

Pinnacle

Pinnacle

Pulpit Rock - Black Vultures

Pulpit Rock - Black Vultures

Pulpit Rock - Black Vultures

Pulpit Rock - Black Vultures

Pulpit Rock - Black Vultures

Day 74 - Hill repeats

Today I woke up (a good thing) and it was a slow moving day. After some coffee and breakfast I finally made it out the door a little after 9 a.m. The other years I was training for this race I was running by 6 or 7 on the weekends. It is nice to sleep in most weekends this year. I decided to do hill repeats today. The Pulpit Rock road hill is a mile from the bridge to the last telephone pole at the top. To make it fun I decided to take a picture every time I would make it to the top - see pictures below. I am glad I took off from running yesterday because I needed the extra energy to finish these hills. I don't run them for speed only the endurance. You can really break yourself down quick and learn to deal with the discomfort of running when you do a lot of them. I wore my shoes with the screws in them and I am glad I did. The road is still cover with ice and ice foot prints all the way to the top. It was really good training because I had to watch every step like you do running on a rocky trail. I went there to do 10 and I finished them all - not walking one of them. My last hill was tough but kept moving forward. After I snapped the last pic I ran over to the lookout and laid on the ground in the snow for a couple minutes and felt like I could of fell right a sleep. I only used two bottles of my drink mix and no food so I was low on energy by the end. Stopping for a couple of minutes I could feel the legs getting real tight. After hobbling down the mountain I went home and had my favorite recovery drink - Coca-Cola.

2-12-2011 - 21 miles - 4:53 - run - 6,514 feet up - 6,514 feet down elevation

Day 73 - Need trails soon

Today at 6:30 a.m. the temp was around 10°F. With these temps the mountain is going to be a sheet of ice for a while. This weekend I hope it warms up a little to do some trail running. This week was the most I ran on the road in a long time and I need some trails soon. I went for a longer walk today and it felt good. I kept a 12:20 pace for the whole walk. No running for me tonight. Dinner, Valentine's dance and a sleep over for the little ones.

2-11-2011 - 4.1 miles - 50:37 - walk

Day 72 - Cold

It was very sunny, windy and cold on my walk today. I wore my NB101’s today on my walk and my feet were freezing. Of all days I pick today to wear them. I finally paid my entry fee for Bull Run 50 today. That wasn’t the plan to run that event but now that I signed up and paid I am ready for that fun weekend trip. I think I am more excited to see some of the first time runners from our club finish then I am to run the event.

Tonight I left for my run around 8:20 p.m. One thing when you leave for a road run at that time the roads are less traveled. There is still a lot of ice along the roads which makes it a little harder to run at night. The temp was around 18°F and there was some wind. As long as you keep moving you don’t get cold. I did try to change a song on the mp3 player and my fingers were exposed to long to the cold. Then I had to try and warm my fingers up. That is always fun trying to get feeling back in your fingers half way into your run. In the last 5 days I ran 10 miles or more each day and I am starting to feel it. Most of these miles were road miles. I think I found my breaking point on roads. I need to get on the trails this weekend.

2-10-2011 - 3 miles - 39:05 - walk
2-10-2011 - 10 miles - 1:23 - run

Day 71 - Loops

My legs are feeling really good today on my walk. The ice on the one pond is starting to melt a little more each day. The roads are getting wider now that the snow/ice is melting. I still feel there will be another big storm on the way before the end of winter.

Tonight I did some loops around the neighborhood. They are almost a mile long (.93) all on the road. It felt good not to run down the crazy road I usually run on. I did the first 6 miles with them averaging in the high 6’s which felt good. Then I finished off the last 4 miles with an averaging at an 8:30 pace. The route has a gradual up and a gradual down with and elevation change of maybe 50 feet. I think I might try to do 34 laps someday which would be 31.62 miles or just over a 50k. Right now Sunday’s temps might reach the 40’s. Maybe Sunday would be a good day to try and run it or maybe I will save if for when it gets a little warmer.

2-9-2011 - 3 miles - 38:28 - walk
2-9-2011 - 10 miles - 1:16 - run

Day 70 - 10 weeks down

Today finishes 10 weeks of training. Wow that went really fast! This blog thing is a great way for me to keep track of what I have been doing and share with others. It also keeps me honest with my training. I feel I built up a good base up until now. I have to work on more hill training, some more speed work and staying healthy for the next 12 weeks. It sounds easy but it’s going to be a challenge. Last week I felt I didn't have a lot of energy. The nights are staying lighter longer and it is great to run in daylight for a little part of my runs. By this time of the year it gets harder to run in the dark. Right now the only issues I am have is a little pain on the inside of my left ankle. I think it is from pushing my walks to hard.

For some reason my legs were very sore when I woke up today. My walk at work felt good and loosened my legs up from last night. I left the house tonight around 5:30 and it was still light out. I changed my route and ran on some different back country roads that were pretty hilly. The wind wasn’t too much of an issue like some areas. Now we need some more warmer days to melt some of the ice on the sides of the roads.

2-8-2011 - 3 miles - 38:53 - walk
2-8-2011 - 10.30 miles - 1:25 - run

Below is my training for the last 10 weeks.

Week 1
Walk = 4.5

Run = 72.25

Total Miles = 76.75

Week 2

Walk = 10.6

Run = 68.7

Total Miles = 79.3

Week 3

Walk = 14

Run = 69.5

Total Miles = 83.5

Week 4 (Disney 3 days off of running)

Walk = 5.8

Run = 21.35

Total Miles = 27.15

Week 5 (Disney 3 days off of running)

Walk = 5.6

Run = 38.75

Total Miles = 44.35

Week 6

Walk = 14

Run = 68

Total Miles = 82

Week 7

Walk = 11

Run = 56.75

Total Miles = 67.75

Week 8

Walk = 15.4

Run = 62

Total Miles = 77.4

Week 9

Walk = 15.8

Run = 61

Total Miles = 76.8

Week 10

Walk = 15.6

Run = 51

Total Miles = 66.6

Day 69 - Are you alright buddy?

On my walk today the temperature was around 38°. After the first quarter mile it really warmed up. I was walking with no gloves, no winter hat or no jacket for the first time in a long time and it felt great. A truck slowed down and some kid yelled “Are you alright buddy?” I just nodded and he drove off. I thought it was nice of him to ask. When people around here see people walking I guess they think your car broke down and exercise is unheard of to them.

I left the house around 6 for a road run. 10 miles was the distance I was trying to hit tonight. It was still very warm out with very little wind. Half way through it started to rain. I looked at my watch on my way back home and I thought it read 9.85 miles and I finished in my drive way to finish with 10 miles - so I thought. It didn’t feel like 10 it felt short. When I got inside I sat down and looked at my watch again and the calories I burned was 1000 not 10 miles. I only ran 9.15 miles. So I hopped on the treadmill and finished my run. Not what I was planning on doing but I really wanted to hit 10 miles.

2-7-2011 - 3 miles - 37:42 - walk
2-7-2011 - 10 miles - 1:25 - run

Day 68 - Slippery to nice

The sun was beaming when I woke up today and the temps were to go above freezing. I arrived at the mountain around 9 a.m. to run with a group of other runners. After the ice yesterday and other plans that other runners had for the day it was only Dan and I. We tried to get up the mountain but it was too icy. I changed shoes and we went out for a nice 8 mile road run. After the run we went back to a friend’s house for lunch.

Around 3 I went back up to the mountain to see what the conditions were like after the temps went over 40. The ice started to soften up a little and it was very nice running. No solid ice as long as I stayed on the trail. There was some ice hanging onto the trees. On my way back down the road hill the sun was reflecting off of the fields making the reflection look like a big lake. It looks like some more cold and a little snow is on the way again.

The Appalachian Trail

The chunks of ice at the top on the AT

Pulpit Rock road hill

Pulpit Rock road hill

2-6-2011 -  8 miles - 1:10 - run
2-6-2011 -  4 miles - 1.00 - run