Last Run of the Year...I Hit 2000 Miles!

Today was my last run of the year and I only needed 5.04 miles to hit 2000 for the year. After the way my legs felt yesterday I didn't know if I even wanted to go out today, but since this was a goal for the year I figured I could walk 5 miles if necessary. Once I got going I actually felt pretty good, but know I need a few days off after today. I have only had 3 days off since the marathon which isn't a real good recovery at all. My run was nice and I felt a really good sense of accomplishment.

Have a safe and happy new year! I look forward to a great 2008 and wish everyone the best!

Stats - 5.13 miles/42:56/8:21 pace
AHR - 138
MHR - 155

Christmas Week Recap 12/25 - 12/29

Christmas Day - Tuesday - 12/25
First of all, Merry Christmas. I hope Santa brought all of you nice boys and girls what you hoped for!

After seeing what Santa brought us and opening up gifts, I went out for a quick run around the neighborhood. I always love running on Christmas day. It always seems so fresh outside and it is nice to say "Merry Christmas" to every one you run into. There were a few folks out walking and running, but most of the regulars I see out there were probably still inside.

Stats - 5.5 miles/47:02/8:33 pace
AHR - 131
MHR - 146

Wednesday - 12/26
Today I went for another short run around the neighborhood to keep my daily runs going as I go for 2000 miles this year. It is definitely within reach.

Stats - 5.15 miles/43:30/8:26 pace
AHR - 135
MHR - 153

Thursday - 12/27
Today I met Jay and Rachel for an easy 7 miler on the trail. We started at 9:15 after I dropped Caroline off at soccer camp. The morning started out really cold, but I was pretty warm about half way into the run. My left knee hurt right as we started, but the pain went away after awhile.

Stats - 7.01 miles/1:03:17/9:02 pace
AHR - 132
MHR- 161

Friday - 12/28
I dropped Caroline off at camp again today so I hit the trail a little after 9:00. Alicia was there and we ran from the Rock to Congress together and then she peeled off. I finished the 7 mile loop and called it a day. I am now less than 20 miles from 2000. My knee is still sore so not good news. I iced it all afternoon and hopefully it will hold up for tomorrow's hilly run.

Stats - 7.11 miles/1:01:08/8:36 pace
AHR - 136
MHR - 157

Saturday - 12/29
Today I met the ATT group for their long run up to Mt. Bonnell and back. I visited with Ann and Marcy a bit and then settled in with Jay, Brian, and Amy. My left knee is still sore so I wanted to take it easy and not push the pace. Given the way I have been eating and drinking since the marathon I doubt if I could have gone much faster. I am really enjoying my easy running, "beverages," and good (bad) food, but know I need to get back on my program on January 2nd. The run went well although my stomach blew up about 4 miles into the run. Brian and I stuck together and caught Jay and Amy at the top of Bonnell. Brian picked it up on the way back and the 3 of us finished most of the remaining run together. My knee felt good the entire run, but got stiff as the day wore on. I iced it off an on all day and will rest tomorrow before running at least 5.04 miles on Monday to get to 2000 for the year.

Stats - 14.65 miles/2:15:56/9:16 pace
AHR - 131
MHR - 174

Christmas Eve Run

Today I met a few folks for a 10 mile run around the lake. It was supposed to be a pace run, but there was no way I was going that fast. I took yesterday off and my legs feel the best that they have felt since the marathon. Larry, Marcy, Jay, Alicia, DV, Jeff and I took off together. We then separated into couples with Jay and I bringing up the rear. It was a nice easy run and kind of a Christmas Eve tradition. I remember of these runs when Alex was a bit hungover, but still made the run with Jay and me. Once we finished I joined Ava, Larry, Carmen and Jay for a wonderful breakfast at Maudies. It was nice to have a Christmas eve breakfast with my running buds...new and old.

Today will be spent getting ready for Santa...the girls are so excited. I love to see their excitement! I hope Santa makes your wishes come true this holiday and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Thank you for your friendship!

Feliz Navid!

Stats - 10.17 miles/1:30:45/8:55 pace
AHR - 129
MHR - 150

Long Run with the ATT Folks

Today I ran my longest run since the marathon. I got up really early to join my friends who are training for ATT and Napa. They were on a 20 mile journey and although I was tempted, but off early. We used pieces of the ATT course and I cut off at Hancock and then headed across to Duval and through downtown to get back to RunTex. I was able to stay with my friends for the first 7.5 miles and then did the remaining 6.5 on my own. Gilbert gave me a bottle of Accelerade and sent me on my way. I had to make a pit stop at a Shell station, but other than felt really good.

Stats - 14.10 miles/2:05:53/8:55 pace
AHR - 133
MHR - 152

Easy Run with Emma at My Side

Friday is usually my day off, but I since I am pushing toward 2000 miles I needed to get in a few miles today. I decided to put Emma on her new bike so she and I could go together. We headed out and around the Circle C trail and then back to the house. It was good for her to get her bike out on the open road instead of doing circles in the cul-de-sac. We were able to talk a bit and she learned how to shift gears. Unfortunately I can't get her out of the highest gear yet, but she will learn.

Stats - 5.06 miles/43:33/8:36 pace
AHR - 132
MHR - 152

Easy Run on the Trail

Today I met Brian for a jaunt on the 7 mile loop. I haven't been to the trail in a long time and it was like seeing an old friend after a few weeks away. We were supposed to meet Jay as well, but we got our meeting point mixed up and passed him coming the other way. The run was easy and the conversation good.

Stats - 6.9 miles/1:03:08/9:08 pace
AHR - 133
MHR - 150

Easy Run Again

Today I hit the road with Wish again and we did yet another different loop around our neighborhood. We ran North and looped around the Circle C Trail and then looped back to the east around Kiker Elementary and south until we reached our starting point. I left Wish and added some additional mileage.

I went to see my chiropractor about my left leg and it is my sciatic and lower back causing havoc with my leg. It is nothing serious and definitely something I can work around...on to 2000 miles!

Stats - 6.84 miles/1:00:25/8:50 pace
AHR - 136
MHR - 157

Hitting the Gym

Today I decided to cross train and do some minimal running on the treadmill. I rode the elliptical trainer for 30 minutes and planned to run for 30 minutes easy. My left leg felt all jacked up when I started running and I almost stopped. I stuck with it and once I got into a rhythm I felt really good. My new Asics GT 2130 felt great. I ended up running for 45 minutes at just below 9:00 pace. Once I finished I stretched really well and then used the hip machines to loosen up my hips. My left leg still feels a little weird, but a lot better than yesterday. It is definitely a nerve in the back of my leg.

Stats - 5.05 miles/45:00/8:55 pace

Run on the Golf Course

I am still on my quest to hit 2000 miles for the year, but my butt/hip was hurting yesterday morning so I took Sunday off. Today I met Wish and we did a loop through Circle C and onto the golf course. It was 28 this morning so we were bundled up really good. Running on the icy grass was fun and it was good to get off the pavement for a change. Once Wish turned off to go home, I took the long way home.

My hip is still sore, but I think it is a nerve or something since it moves around. I did some reading on Piriformis syndrome so I did some stretching to keep it loose. I probably need to go see the chiropractor to get my back tweaked and my body realigned.

Stats - 6.75 miles/1:02:49/9:18 pace
AHR - 135
MHR - 151

Easy Run at Home

Today I slept in on a Saturday...what a concept! Once I got up I had about an hour to get ready and get a run in before I tried to score Hannah Montana tickets for the girls. I ran through the Circle C trail again and back home. I wanted to run for 45 minutes, but ran out of time.

As for Hannah Montana, I spent almost an hour and couldn't get through. I think they need to go back to the old way of tickets...standing in line so that the scalpers don't buy up all the tickets.

Stats - 4.88 miles/41:51/8:34 pace
AHR - 136
MHR - 157

Back to Running

Today I abandoned the walking portion of my recovery and traded it for easy running. I met Wish and we headed to the Circle C Trail. We looped through there and then did another loop around Wish's piece of the hood. I headed back home and did some stretching before work. It was a nice run and my legs are feeling good. I am still hoping to hit 2000 miles for the year so I need to push myself through some additional easy runs the rest of the month.

Stats - 6.19 miles/58:10/9:23 pace
AHR - 129
MHR - 151

Running/Walking

Today I was a little pressed for time so I did a little walk/run/walk over to the school to watch Caroline perform in her school play this morning. I walked a bit, ran for about .4 miles and then walked fast to get to the school on time. She and her class did a great job with "Snow Days." After the play I left the school and walked for a bit and then ran for about a mile on the way home. It was a nice little work out. I may add a little more running distance tomorrow.

Stats - 3 miles/35:50/11:57 pace

A Little Walking and a Little Running

Today I met Wish for some walking and a bit of running...my first since the marathon. It was really cold again after an 80 degree day yesterday. We walked over to the short trail that runs around the Circle C soccer fields. Once we hit the trail we broke into a slow jog. We ran for about 1.5 miles and stopped when we got back to Escparpment. My legs felt good, but we walked back to our starting point.

Tomorrow will probably be a rest day and I plan on getting back to my normal 5 day a week running schedule starting this weekend. I will go slower than normal and not be back with the Gazelles until January. I need a big mental break as well.

Stats - 5.03 miles/1:12:39/14:25 pace (awesomely slow!)
AHR - 91
MHR - 131

New BLOG Name

Today I changed the name of my BLOG to Running with Joy...Again. I know this is a rip off of the Gazelle slogan, but it is the way I feel. Running has been feeling like work lately due to me always thinking about and pushing for my marathon goal of 3:20 and Boston. After my 3 mile walk today I thought back to when I started walking in the summer of 2001. Back then I never thought of running a marathon...let alone finishing 11 of them. Today I realized that I have kind of lost my way and want to get back to basics. I walked 3 miles with my iPOD listening to classic rock and enjoying my neighborhood. I really enjoyed it and decided I needed to run with Joy again. I will run Boston one day and really appreciate it when that day comes. Until then I will train hard, help others with their running, and spend more time with my family and help them with their running. I look forward to my new journey!

Walking stats - 3.05 miles/49:29/16:12 pace

Dallas White Rock Marathon

What can I say...I didn't get it done again and I don't even have a good handle on what happened. All I know is that I finished and had some fun along the way. The experience took me back to my first marathon. It is weird because I am not bummed or really disappointed. I just think my 3:24 in Chicago last year was a peak performance for me and I should look up on that race as a really good accomplishment. There aren't many runners as big as I am that have run a marathon that fast.

As for the race the weather was cloudy and cold with a pretty good wind. I wore a singlet and shorts which was good at the start, but the temps dropped throughout the day and I was a bit cold at the end. I had a good race plan based on the layout of the course. I started out on track but got thrown off when I had to stop to pee during mile 4. I told myself not to get the time back all at once and to stick to my plan. I enjoyed the nice neighborhoods we ran through and the support of the folks out cheering us. With the potty stop during mile 4, I was still on my race plan track through 10 miles. Once I got to the lake I hit the strong north wind and began to lose time. I was losing about 5-10 seconds per mile with my splits ranging from 7:45 - 7:54 during miles 11-17. I was supposed to be laying down 7:38s in this section, but the wind really kicked my ass around the lake. I ran an 8:00, 8:15 and a 9:00 through the climb out of the lake area and went down hill from there. My closing splits ranged from 8:59 to 11:23. I held off walking until mile 25 and I actually felt worse when I walked. My legs felt like jello and I felt dizzy. I started shuffling along to the finish and picked it up a bit in the finishing chute to finish with some pride.

I had fun along the way talking to some people and giving high fives to many of the kids along the route. I thought the course was really good and sets up well for Gazelles. I plan to go back next year to get my 3:30, 2010 qualifying time. There were a couple of logistical issues at the finish, but overall it was a good marathon. It is definitely better than the Austin marathon and a lot cheaper than flying to Chicago.

I want to thank Carla, Emma and Caroline, and all my friends for their love and support this long fall season. I am looking forward to some down time and then hitting the shorter distances hard this spring.

I decided to drive home with Jay instead of dealing with the airports so we hit a pizza place and killed off a large pizza. We had a good time driving back and it was good to unwind on the road with a good friend.

Stats - 26.2 miles/3:42:18/8:29 pace
AHR - 148

Finish - 793 out of 4018
Gender place - 661 out of 2563
Mens 40-44 - 119 out of 442

Pre Race Shake Down Run

I got into Dallas about an hour late last night and got to my hotel around 10:30. It was nice and cold and Denver and it sucks here. I didn't sleep good because I was hot and I was pissed the weather forecast was looking way warm and humid. When I woke up I flipped on the TV and the weather guy said the cold front was moving in. I was ecstatic! I thought I slept 24 hours and missed the race. I flipped to another channel and they were saying the same thing. I called Jay and then called Larry. I was so happy I had to tell someone!

I met Jay and Randy down in the lobby of the Hyatt around 8:30 and we did a tour of the finish line. It was only about 3 miles, but we were able to see the finish line and the last mile or so of the course which was nice. We also stopped and took a look at the area where President Kennedy was assassinated. This nice man gave us a really cool tour of the points and his views of things as they went down. From the view I saw, the President was definitely hit by more than one gun. We were unable to assist the man with a few bucks which was his goal, but we did drive by later looking for him, but he was gone.

Jay and I hit the expo and then I was back in the room for some much needed rest. We went to drive the course around 3:30 and then met Larry and Ava, and their friends for dinner at Macaroni Grill. It was a great meal and I was good to go for the night.

Tomorrow is race day!

Diagonals

Today I ran over to the Circle C soccer fields for some diagonals. I did a 1.5 mile warm up and then did 20 minutes of diagonals on the soccer fields. The turf was smooth and soft and I felt great. I ran home and put an end to my fall marathon training...FINALLY! I am happy to be done and no matter what happens on Sunday, this is my last attempt at 3:20. I turn 45 in 2010 and can qualify beginning the end of September 2008 with a 3:30 for that race.

I head to Denver later this afternoon and then fly into Dallas on Friday night for the race. It will be a nice break before the marathon.

Stats - 5.39 Miles

Treadmill Run

The weather got cold again so I avoided it and ran on the treadmill at the gym. I took yesterday off after the Decker Relay and just ran for 45 minutes. I ran two miles at 7:41 pace and the rest around 8:30 pace. I did a bit of stretching afterward and headed home.

Stats - 5.45 miles/45:00/8:15 pace

Running Weekend 12/1 and 12/2

Saturday 12/1
Since I am doing the Decker Challenge Relay tomorrow I went out for a 45:00 minute run to add to tomorrow's mileage. I ran out of the hood and north for 23:00 and then turned around. I ran at a nice pace and my legs felt great.

Stats - 5.64 miles/46:18/8:12 pace
AHR - 138
MHR - 156

Sunday 12/2
I ran the Decker Challenge Relay with Larry this morning. I ran the first leg and the goal was to run at MGP or a bit faster. The weather was plain crappy...warm and humid. I did about a 1.5 mile warm up, did my last minute adjustments and got in the chute. I went out a little quick for the first mile and then pulled back a bit. My other splits were pretty consistent. Once I finished I jumped in the car with Wish and headed back to the start line. My legs felt great and I was thinking please don't let the weather in Dallas be like this. We ended up finishing 5th in the relay and I was really happy I didn't run the whole race.

Stats - 6.2 miles at right around 7:40 pace
AHR - 150
MHR - 168

Overall mileage for the day - 8 miles