today was supposed to be the first day of three-a-week runs with Andrew K., but he called me at 10:20 last night and asked me to cover for him on ems since he needed to take his pregnant wife to the hospital. she's due any day now, so i said, "go!" and hung up. what else do you do when a friend needs help?
anyway, that call meant i would be running alone this morning. i left the house around 5:30 and ran a lap around my scotty dog route. at the end of that lap, i was feeling a bit uncomfortable, so i stopped in for a pit stop.
my business taken care of, i went out for another run around the dog. this one was actually a bit faster than the first. by a bit, i mean 3 seconds. that's a bit in my book. what about yours?
after this second lap, i stopped in to make sure people were getting up and to mix up some baked oatmeal for breakfast. the best thing about baked oatmeal, besides its delicious taste, is its baking time. when i put it in the oven around 6:15, i had 35 minutes to run before it could possibly be done. i took most of that time completing two consecutive loops of good ol' scotty. these two laps brought me to just over 6 miles and made me very tired.
i went in to check on breakfast and there were about 20 seconds left on the timer i'd set. i checked the baked oatmeal and gave it another four minutes before setting it on the table for everyone to eat. well, almost everyone. my youngest decided today was a good day to run a fever, so she was back in bed.
i ate breakfast and then headed out one more time. i'd done the math in my head and knew i could get 10 miles in with another double lap around the dog, so that's what i set out to do. these last two laps were painful, but not as painful as the end of the solid 10-miler i did on saturday. i was slow and plodding, especially on the second half of the last lap. it was ugly.
i came back around to my start/stop point and needed another tenth of a mile or so to make 10 miles, so i turned north and ran until my garmin alert beeped again. ten miles. done.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
1.82 miles in 21.03
connect.garmin.com/activity/65670690
i had difficulty on this run with my wife. it came almost immediately on the heels of my 10-miler. i was stiff as all get out.
after a five minute warm up, we started running. my wife is repeating the couch to 5K workouts she started with, but trying to run harder than the first time. today's workout called for three five-minute runs broken up by two three-minute walks. with the garmin, i was able to create laps so we could see how fast we were running.
our first time running, we maintained a 10:01/mile pace. the second time we averaged 10:03/mile. the last run slowed a bit since my wife was getting tired. we came in at 10:30/mile.
we stopped and walked to cool down then. i wasn't able to walk very quickly. i hurt all over.
a quick shower afterward and i had to get to the junior high games to run the clock.
i had difficulty on this run with my wife. it came almost immediately on the heels of my 10-miler. i was stiff as all get out.
after a five minute warm up, we started running. my wife is repeating the couch to 5K workouts she started with, but trying to run harder than the first time. today's workout called for three five-minute runs broken up by two three-minute walks. with the garmin, i was able to create laps so we could see how fast we were running.
our first time running, we maintained a 10:01/mile pace. the second time we averaged 10:03/mile. the last run slowed a bit since my wife was getting tired. we came in at 10:30/mile.
we stopped and walked to cool down then. i wasn't able to walk very quickly. i hurt all over.
a quick shower afterward and i had to get to the junior high games to run the clock.
10.00 miles in 1:37:48
connect.garmin.com/activity/65659723
i haven't done very many long runs since the beginning of the year, so i decided to take in 10 miles today. i started around 10:00 and headed north and then west around town. when i hit main, i decided to go south instead of taking in the other side of town. i ran straight down to the river park and made a complete circle of the memorial walk, taking in the turn around and then, jumping over a couple of barriers, came out of the trees and ran past the lion's club shelter.
when i exited the park, i headed back north toward town. i followed the path and then turned east on 20th street south. i ran past a couple of hunters and made sure they knew i wasn't a wild animal. no sense in getting shot. if you look really carefully on the garmin map, you can see a couple of places where i ran to the other side of the road to avoid the windblown dust from a couple of vehicles.
at eden road, i turned north again and ran up and over the railroad tracks and then on toward the highway. i was at around five miles at this point. i felt like quitting, but i pushed through it and kept going. on the other side of the highway, the road climbs ever so slowly for about a mile. it was painful going.
i turned west onto 20th avenue north. i was running pretty slowly by this point. i thought about running back around to home and quitting. i didn't want to go on. i spooked some cattle on the south side of the road. they were running much more energetically than me.
i made it to the end of 20th avenue and turned south onto argonia road. i was seriously ready to quit. everything hurt. i decided 8 miles would be enough. that's what i'd have had if i'd run straight home.
when i got to the city limits, i crossed the highway and pushed aside all thoughts of stopping. i'd started out to run 10 miles. i was going to do it. i intentionally turned away from home and headed out toward the far side of town.
i circled around and then ran up and down some of the streets near home until i was sure i'd get 10 miles when i passed the house. i ran past my wife who was waiting for me to run with her. i told her i couldn't do it. i was dead. somehow i drug myself around the last two corners and made it back to my starting point. just past there i hit 10 miles and pulled up. my wife walked up just behind me. she still wanted me to run. i told her i needed at least a little break, so we headed inside. i took my run off the garmin and then headed back out with my wife. i'll report on that run separately.
the worst part of this run was thinking, "if i was running a half marathon, i'd still have had 3 more miles to go." thankfully, there are still a few months to go.
i haven't done very many long runs since the beginning of the year, so i decided to take in 10 miles today. i started around 10:00 and headed north and then west around town. when i hit main, i decided to go south instead of taking in the other side of town. i ran straight down to the river park and made a complete circle of the memorial walk, taking in the turn around and then, jumping over a couple of barriers, came out of the trees and ran past the lion's club shelter.
when i exited the park, i headed back north toward town. i followed the path and then turned east on 20th street south. i ran past a couple of hunters and made sure they knew i wasn't a wild animal. no sense in getting shot. if you look really carefully on the garmin map, you can see a couple of places where i ran to the other side of the road to avoid the windblown dust from a couple of vehicles.
at eden road, i turned north again and ran up and over the railroad tracks and then on toward the highway. i was at around five miles at this point. i felt like quitting, but i pushed through it and kept going. on the other side of the highway, the road climbs ever so slowly for about a mile. it was painful going.
i turned west onto 20th avenue north. i was running pretty slowly by this point. i thought about running back around to home and quitting. i didn't want to go on. i spooked some cattle on the south side of the road. they were running much more energetically than me.
i made it to the end of 20th avenue and turned south onto argonia road. i was seriously ready to quit. everything hurt. i decided 8 miles would be enough. that's what i'd have had if i'd run straight home.
when i got to the city limits, i crossed the highway and pushed aside all thoughts of stopping. i'd started out to run 10 miles. i was going to do it. i intentionally turned away from home and headed out toward the far side of town.
i circled around and then ran up and down some of the streets near home until i was sure i'd get 10 miles when i passed the house. i ran past my wife who was waiting for me to run with her. i told her i couldn't do it. i was dead. somehow i drug myself around the last two corners and made it back to my starting point. just past there i hit 10 miles and pulled up. my wife walked up just behind me. she still wanted me to run. i told her i needed at least a little break, so we headed inside. i took my run off the garmin and then headed back out with my wife. i'll report on that run separately.
the worst part of this run was thinking, "if i was running a half marathon, i'd still have had 3 more miles to go." thankfully, there are still a few months to go.
Friday, January 28, 2011
2.44 miles in 18:46
connect.garmin.com/activity/65502244
it was 59 degrees at noon, so i had to get out. i decided to try the same route as i ran with andrew this morning. i pushed pretty hard, running in short sleeves and shorts, and made it around the loop in 18:46. wish i'd had more time. it felt so nice to be running in the sun.
it was 59 degrees at noon, so i had to get out. i decided to try the same route as i ran with andrew this morning. i pushed pretty hard, running in short sleeves and shorts, and made it around the loop in 18:46. wish i'd had more time. it felt so nice to be running in the sun.
2.44 miles in 21:58
connect.garmin.com/activity/65463030
wow! Andrew K. showed up right at 5:00 this morning, ready to go! i'd left my garmin outside, so it was all linked up and ready to go.
we hit it hard at the beginning. our feet were flying over the chip-n-seal surface and a pretty good clip. at one point we hit 7:24/mile pace. that was probably too hard! we backed off and finished the first mile in 9:09.
the second mile felt slower, but it ended up being 9:10. how's that for consistent? our official stats for our time together: 2.02 miles in 18:28.
i walked andrew up to his house and then returned to our finish line. i ran from there back home, finishing the last .42 miles in 3:30. i wanted to run more this morning, but i wasn't feeling quite right, so i didn't. maybe i'll put in a mile or two at noon. it's supposed to get up to 70 today.
wow! Andrew K. showed up right at 5:00 this morning, ready to go! i'd left my garmin outside, so it was all linked up and ready to go.
we hit it hard at the beginning. our feet were flying over the chip-n-seal surface and a pretty good clip. at one point we hit 7:24/mile pace. that was probably too hard! we backed off and finished the first mile in 9:09.
the second mile felt slower, but it ended up being 9:10. how's that for consistent? our official stats for our time together: 2.02 miles in 18:28.
i walked andrew up to his house and then returned to our finish line. i ran from there back home, finishing the last .42 miles in 3:30. i wanted to run more this morning, but i wasn't feeling quite right, so i didn't. maybe i'll put in a mile or two at noon. it's supposed to get up to 70 today.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
1.74 miles in 13:20
connect.garmin.com/activity/65375990
the thermometer read 52 at noon. i had to run. i wore shorts, a short sleeved shirt and short socks. it didn't take any time at all to dress. i ran around the outside edge of the northside of town. my first mile was at 7:32 pace. the remaining .74 miles were at 7:48 pace. so my average pace was 7:39. that's all according to garmin. i actually ran a bit faster than that, but i accidentally hit the start button when i was connecting my 305 to its cradle, so i added a few seconds. i don't know how many, so i'll just go with what i've got.
the thermometer read 52 at noon. i had to run. i wore shorts, a short sleeved shirt and short socks. it didn't take any time at all to dress. i ran around the outside edge of the northside of town. my first mile was at 7:32 pace. the remaining .74 miles were at 7:48 pace. so my average pace was 7:39. that's all according to garmin. i actually ran a bit faster than that, but i accidentally hit the start button when i was connecting my 305 to its cradle, so i added a few seconds. i don't know how many, so i'll just go with what i've got.
Ain't it a shame to work on Sunday?
I posted a Kids Club video about doing good on Sunday and a friend told me about this song he remembered from childhood. Ain't It a Shame to Work on Sunday? was a real hit at one time in legalistic churches. I wonder if the person who wrote this song really thought about what the last two verses implied. I laughed!
I wish I could have found a video of someone singing this song. Unfortunately (I think), there were none to be found. I only found a short sample on Amazon MP3 download page. The sample has slightly different, and less humorous, words.
Without something to show you, I guess I'll just give you the lyrics. Enjoy!
Ain't it a shame to wash on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a washing shame),
Ain't it a shame to wash on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a washing shame),
Ain't it a shame to wash on Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Ain't it a shame to work on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a working shame),
Ain't it a shame to work on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a working shame),
Ain't it a shame to work on Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Ain't it a shame to joyride Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a joyriding shame),
Ain't it a shame to joyride Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a joyriding shame),
Ain't it a shame to joyride Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Ain't it a shame to gossip on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a gossiping shame),
Ain't it a shame to gossip on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a gossiping shame),
Ain't it a shame to gossip on Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Ain't it a shame to lie on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a lying shame),
Ain't it a shame to lie on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a lying shame),
Ain't it a shame to lie on Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
I wish I could have found a video of someone singing this song. Unfortunately (I think), there were none to be found. I only found a short sample on Amazon MP3 download page. The sample has slightly different, and less humorous, words.
Without something to show you, I guess I'll just give you the lyrics. Enjoy!
Ain't it a shame to wash on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a washing shame),
Ain't it a shame to wash on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a washing shame),
Ain't it a shame to wash on Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Ain't it a shame to work on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a working shame),
Ain't it a shame to work on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a working shame),
Ain't it a shame to work on Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Ain't it a shame to joyride Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a joyriding shame),
Ain't it a shame to joyride Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a joyriding shame),
Ain't it a shame to joyride Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Ain't it a shame to gossip on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a gossiping shame),
Ain't it a shame to gossip on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a gossiping shame),
Ain't it a shame to gossip on Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Ain't it a shame to lie on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a lying shame),
Ain't it a shame to lie on Sunday,
Ain't it a shame (a lying shame),
Ain't it a shame to lie on Sunday,
When you got Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,
(And you got Thursday, Friday, and Saturday),
Ain't it a shame.
Do good on Sunday...
Oily Al and Dumb Bunny are a little confused about what they can and cannot do on Sunday. When Kick Rick asks them to help a sick friend, they refuse because they think they would be breaking God's law.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
3.14 miles in 28:08
connect.garmin.com/activity/65208556i took a short break after i finished up my run with Andrew K. and then decided to run a bit more since my back was all loosened up. i reset my garmin and headed out to run a fun route i'd made up yesterday playing around with google maps. it involved a bunch of back tracking, but i ended up with a pretty good representation of my name. isn't running with a garmin fun? you can draw big-nosed scotty dogs and spell your name. what's next?
2.44 miles in 24.01
connect.garmin.com/activity/65205092
well, Andrew K. set his alarm clock right today, so we got to run together. in fact, i think he was knocking on my door earlier than ever.
we spent a minute or two talking about my garmin and then we headed out on our run. my back took almost the entire time to completely loosen up, but it never felt bad. no sharp pains. no stumbling.
we finished our loop in 20:19 and discovered that dailymile had been crediting us with about a tenth of a mile more than we had actually been running. we're not going to go back and fix all those workouts, but it did change our pace a bit. we finished with 2.03 miles and a 9:51 pace. not bad for an injured guy and a newbie.
when we parted, i asked andrew if he was ready to start running three times a week and he thought he was. so we'll run again friday and then next week it'll be monday, wednesday, friday. woohoo!
oh! i almost forgot. i used my heartrate monitor for the first time this morning, so you can see all that on garmin connect.
well, Andrew K. set his alarm clock right today, so we got to run together. in fact, i think he was knocking on my door earlier than ever.
we spent a minute or two talking about my garmin and then we headed out on our run. my back took almost the entire time to completely loosen up, but it never felt bad. no sharp pains. no stumbling.
we finished our loop in 20:19 and discovered that dailymile had been crediting us with about a tenth of a mile more than we had actually been running. we're not going to go back and fix all those workouts, but it did change our pace a bit. we finished with 2.03 miles and a 9:51 pace. not bad for an injured guy and a newbie.
when we parted, i asked andrew if he was ready to start running three times a week and he thought he was. so we'll run again friday and then next week it'll be monday, wednesday, friday. woohoo!
oh! i almost forgot. i used my heartrate monitor for the first time this morning, so you can see all that on garmin connect.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
1.59 miles in 14.41
connect.garmin.com/activity/65073261
i almost didn't run this morning. my back hurt and i didn't want to aggravate things. i decided to try it and see what would happen. it took me almost 20 minutes to pull my socks and tights on. adding layers to the top took half that time.
i stepped outside at 5:10 to see if i could see my running partner. i looked north. no Andrew K. i looked west. no Andrew K. i walked down to the corner and back. no Andrew K.
it was 5:15. i decided to leave without my friend. i punched the start button on my brand new garmin 305 and took my first cautious steps. the pain was there, but it wasn't as bad as i imagined it would be. i ran slowly, making sure i kept my feet beneath me.
i ran up to Andrew's house. no lights! i kept running, peeking occasionally just because i could, at my current pace.
i hit one mile and didn't hear my alert. i'll have to figure that out. i kept going. i was feeling a bit nauseous, but i pushed through it. i made the legs of my scotty dog and continued on toward the finish line. at the end, i took an early turn and gave scotty a big nose. i hope he's okay with that. can't do anything about it now anyway.
i poked the stop button at the corner of pine and vine and, since i didn't want to get stiff, continued walking to cool down. i walked up to allen and back and then came in out of the cold.
i spent the next 20 minutes or so trying to figure out how to get the right drivers installed so i could connect my garmin and upload my data to garmin connect. i finally restarted the computer and everything worked like a charm. i didn't use my heartrate monitor today because i wasn't thinking clearly enough to remember i even had one. tomorrow, maybe.
my back survived. i am alive. the zero is zapped. God is good. i am thankful.
i almost didn't run this morning. my back hurt and i didn't want to aggravate things. i decided to try it and see what would happen. it took me almost 20 minutes to pull my socks and tights on. adding layers to the top took half that time.
i stepped outside at 5:10 to see if i could see my running partner. i looked north. no Andrew K. i looked west. no Andrew K. i walked down to the corner and back. no Andrew K.
it was 5:15. i decided to leave without my friend. i punched the start button on my brand new garmin 305 and took my first cautious steps. the pain was there, but it wasn't as bad as i imagined it would be. i ran slowly, making sure i kept my feet beneath me.
i ran up to Andrew's house. no lights! i kept running, peeking occasionally just because i could, at my current pace.
i hit one mile and didn't hear my alert. i'll have to figure that out. i kept going. i was feeling a bit nauseous, but i pushed through it. i made the legs of my scotty dog and continued on toward the finish line. at the end, i took an early turn and gave scotty a big nose. i hope he's okay with that. can't do anything about it now anyway.
i poked the stop button at the corner of pine and vine and, since i didn't want to get stiff, continued walking to cool down. i walked up to allen and back and then came in out of the cold.
i spent the next 20 minutes or so trying to figure out how to get the right drivers installed so i could connect my garmin and upload my data to garmin connect. i finally restarted the computer and everything worked like a charm. i didn't use my heartrate monitor today because i wasn't thinking clearly enough to remember i even had one. tomorrow, maybe.
my back survived. i am alive. the zero is zapped. God is good. i am thankful.
Friday, January 21, 2011
a quick ten
it's amazing what a little sunshine can do for a man's spirits. even though it was still below freezing when i headed out for a quick 10-miler at noon, it felt a ton warmer at 28 than it had at 20 this morning in the dark.
i pushed it on the way out to the top of drouhard hill, fighting to maintain decent speeds against a wicked wind. at times i dropped down to 10mph, but other times i was over 15mph.
the battle to get to the westernmost point of my ride was well worth the effort. when i turned around, my speeds immediately jumped up over 20mph. i blasted down drouhard hill hitting 25mph. for most of the ride back to argonia, i was cruising along easily at 17-20mph. i dropped down to 15-18mph on the southbound section just before town, but my speeds rebounded when i straightened out after the final curve.
not the fastest ride ever, but i'm pleased considering the wind and the time of year. (9.96 miles @ 16.6mph)
i pushed it on the way out to the top of drouhard hill, fighting to maintain decent speeds against a wicked wind. at times i dropped down to 10mph, but other times i was over 15mph.
the battle to get to the westernmost point of my ride was well worth the effort. when i turned around, my speeds immediately jumped up over 20mph. i blasted down drouhard hill hitting 25mph. for most of the ride back to argonia, i was cruising along easily at 17-20mph. i dropped down to 15-18mph on the southbound section just before town, but my speeds rebounded when i straightened out after the final curve.
not the fastest ride ever, but i'm pleased considering the wind and the time of year. (9.96 miles @ 16.6mph)
cooooold!
i felt colder on my bike this morning than i've felt on a ride in a long time. there was something about the 20 degree air and the moderate winds that made it bitter. even beneath my shoe covers and bar mitts my toes and fingers were frozen. this winter seems to be worse than any i remember since moving here nearly 13 years ago.
i didn't have time for the 20 or more mile i would have liked to have ridden, but at least i got 16 in. the ice and snow have kept me off two wheels so much this year that i'm beginning to be a little concerned about my lack of mileage. i'm pretty sure that my year's goal isn't out the window yet, but i'm going to have to put in some serious distances in the future to catch up.
not much to say about the ride itself. the wind and cold kept my speed down. the dark made it impossible to judge my pace. can't wait till the days start getting noticably shorter. i love riding with the sun up. (16.00 miles @ 14.6mph)
i didn't have time for the 20 or more mile i would have liked to have ridden, but at least i got 16 in. the ice and snow have kept me off two wheels so much this year that i'm beginning to be a little concerned about my lack of mileage. i'm pretty sure that my year's goal isn't out the window yet, but i'm going to have to put in some serious distances in the future to catch up.
not much to say about the ride itself. the wind and cold kept my speed down. the dark made it impossible to judge my pace. can't wait till the days start getting noticably shorter. i love riding with the sun up. (16.00 miles @ 14.6mph)
2.55 miles in 22:27
this morning, i enjoyed another run with Andrew K. he showed up at my place a little after 5:00 and we hit the road running. with my back injury, i was glad andrew wasn't in the mood to push it at first. we ran at a decent pace, but nothing extraordinary. this gave my muscles time to warm up and adjust so that pain didn't become an issue.
later in the run, we started picking things up as we talked about andrew's improved stride and turn over rate. he's come a long way in the past three weeks. we ran past my place and continued on to our "finish line" in front of the grade school. i stopped the clock there at 19:02, a new PR for the two of us on that route. (we probably ran it faster on wednesday, but without an exact time on my stopwatch, this is more official.) our first time together we did this loop in 20:32.
after talking with andrew a bit as we walked to his house, i turned around and ran back to the house, adding another .43 miles to my total for the morning. i would have run more, but i really wanted to get in some bike time this morning. the weather has put me way behind where i need to be to reach my cycling goal this year. i'm not worried about it too much, but it's bugging me.
later in the run, we started picking things up as we talked about andrew's improved stride and turn over rate. he's come a long way in the past three weeks. we ran past my place and continued on to our "finish line" in front of the grade school. i stopped the clock there at 19:02, a new PR for the two of us on that route. (we probably ran it faster on wednesday, but without an exact time on my stopwatch, this is more official.) our first time together we did this loop in 20:32.
after talking with andrew a bit as we walked to his house, i turned around and ran back to the house, adding another .43 miles to my total for the morning. i would have run more, but i really wanted to get in some bike time this morning. the weather has put me way behind where i need to be to reach my cycling goal this year. i'm not worried about it too much, but it's bugging me.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
1.50 miles in 12:00
i was out in the elements last night while the freezing rain was falling. my feet were slipping and sliding all over the place. it was scary. if my duties hadn't required me to be out, i'd have been content to stay in.
the ice was still on the ground under a light dusting of snow this morning. i don't do ice like this with or without snow, so i had to workout indoors this morning.
i descended into the dungeon and flipped the switch on the dreadmill. i poked a few buttons and the self-inflicted torture began.
i set the incline to 2% and then started out with a 4 minute warm up at 6.5mph and then pushed my pace up to 7.8mph. i ran at that pace for a minute and then pushed it up to 8.2mph for another minute. after that minute, i dropped back to 7.5mph for a minute.
the rest of my time was spent increasing and decreasing my speed as the suffering increased. i eventually hit 9mph for a minute before starting to back down.
at the very end, as i was trying my best to cool down, i started feeling really nasty. i hit the stop and hurried to the bathroom. i thought i was going to lose it in the house, but after a short time everything equalized and the nastiness passed.
i went back and shut everything down. i'd had enough for the day.
the ice was still on the ground under a light dusting of snow this morning. i don't do ice like this with or without snow, so i had to workout indoors this morning.
i descended into the dungeon and flipped the switch on the dreadmill. i poked a few buttons and the self-inflicted torture began.
i set the incline to 2% and then started out with a 4 minute warm up at 6.5mph and then pushed my pace up to 7.8mph. i ran at that pace for a minute and then pushed it up to 8.2mph for another minute. after that minute, i dropped back to 7.5mph for a minute.
the rest of my time was spent increasing and decreasing my speed as the suffering increased. i eventually hit 9mph for a minute before starting to back down.
at the very end, as i was trying my best to cool down, i started feeling really nasty. i hit the stop and hurried to the bathroom. i thought i was going to lose it in the house, but after a short time everything equalized and the nastiness passed.
i went back and shut everything down. i'd had enough for the day.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
4.81 miles in 42:13
i called Andrew K. last night to see if he wanted to run this morning since we missed our time yesterday. he was game, so just after 5:00 he showed up and we took off.
we ran at a pretty fast pace at the beginning of our run. i'd guess we were running somewhere near an 8:00/mile pace. i say "guess" because just before we finished our first mile, i glanced at my watch and noticed it read 0:01. don't know how that happened. i thought i'd made sure i got it running. grrrrr! i started it up then and when we stopped at the completion of our 2.12-mile loop it was at 11:03. i figured we'd run around seven or eight minutes before that, so i generously called our time 18:03. it was probably closer to 19:03, but who cares? it might have been a personal best, but no world records were on the line.
after walking andrew a block north to his house, i took off running again. i ran pretty hard for about 3/4 of a mile and then started feeling not so great. don't know what was going on, but i had to slow down. a short time later, as i approached main street, i heard voices. not the "in my head" voices i usually hear, but the "out of head" voices coming from other people. as i stepped onto main, i spotted the four runners to whom the voices belonged. i decided to join them and get my body back under control.
they were headed toward the south end of town, so i jogged along with them. after a block, they slowed to a walk. i asked who i was running with. i'd known i was with jean and keri, but couldn't figure out the other two in the dark without blinding them all with my headlamp. turns out it was christie and kim who were braving the cold with their friends. we started running again after a block and then slowed to a walk a short time later. i was feeling better at this point. the company and the slower pace were helping.
when we started running again, i glanced back and noticed a car coming down the street behind us. i ran over to their side of the road and decided to bid my friends adieu. i waved as i ran away and turned onto 20th street.
when i got around the corner and turned back north onto lucky lane, i started feeling lousy again. i thought i was going to puke. grrrrr! today was not my day. i slowed and walked a short time to get things settled and then ran much more slowly back home.
i'm rested up and cooled down now. no more nausea. i'm okay with my final pace. even if i add a minute to it for the guesswork on the "with andrew" portion, i ended up sub-9:00/mile over almost five miles. the best part, of course, was having company along the way.
we ran at a pretty fast pace at the beginning of our run. i'd guess we were running somewhere near an 8:00/mile pace. i say "guess" because just before we finished our first mile, i glanced at my watch and noticed it read 0:01. don't know how that happened. i thought i'd made sure i got it running. grrrrr! i started it up then and when we stopped at the completion of our 2.12-mile loop it was at 11:03. i figured we'd run around seven or eight minutes before that, so i generously called our time 18:03. it was probably closer to 19:03, but who cares? it might have been a personal best, but no world records were on the line.
after walking andrew a block north to his house, i took off running again. i ran pretty hard for about 3/4 of a mile and then started feeling not so great. don't know what was going on, but i had to slow down. a short time later, as i approached main street, i heard voices. not the "in my head" voices i usually hear, but the "out of head" voices coming from other people. as i stepped onto main, i spotted the four runners to whom the voices belonged. i decided to join them and get my body back under control.
they were headed toward the south end of town, so i jogged along with them. after a block, they slowed to a walk. i asked who i was running with. i'd known i was with jean and keri, but couldn't figure out the other two in the dark without blinding them all with my headlamp. turns out it was christie and kim who were braving the cold with their friends. we started running again after a block and then slowed to a walk a short time later. i was feeling better at this point. the company and the slower pace were helping.
when we started running again, i glanced back and noticed a car coming down the street behind us. i ran over to their side of the road and decided to bid my friends adieu. i waved as i ran away and turned onto 20th street.
when i got around the corner and turned back north onto lucky lane, i started feeling lousy again. i thought i was going to puke. grrrrr! today was not my day. i slowed and walked a short time to get things settled and then ran much more slowly back home.
i'm rested up and cooled down now. no more nausea. i'm okay with my final pace. even if i add a minute to it for the guesswork on the "with andrew" portion, i ended up sub-9:00/mile over almost five miles. the best part, of course, was having company along the way.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
riding at noon
i've been up late several times over the past five days, so i wasn't too surprised when i overslept this morning and missed the window of opportunity for a workout. thankfully, this week, my work schedule allows for a noon workout, so i braved the windy, cold and got in a little over 10 miles on my bike today. i'm hoping for a run at 5:00 tomorrow morning since andrew and i missed our regular tuesday run. (10.65 miels @ 15.9mph)
Monday, January 17, 2011
devotions on the road
i woke up a little after 5:00 this morning feeling kind of antsy. not sure why. maybe because of personal stuff. maybe because of that nasty zero on my dailymile profile. whatever the cause, i got dressed and out the door by 5:30 and headed west in the dark.
the roads were a little damp this morning. must have gotten a little rain last night. thankfully, there wasn't any ice as i rode out to danville and back.
spent a lot of time thinking and praying this morning. (16.02 miles @ 14.5mph)
the roads were a little damp this morning. must have gotten a little rain last night. thankfully, there wasn't any ice as i rode out to danville and back.
spent a lot of time thinking and praying this morning. (16.02 miles @ 14.5mph)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
2.08 miles in 22:37
i walked in after my PR-breaking 10K+ and ran right into my wife who was getting ready to go out for a run. while i typed my "running the skinny kid into the ground" report, she got dressed. when she was ready and i'd submitted my workout, we headed out the door.
we ran south to the park on pine street and then turned around and headed north to the highway. i was just along for the "ride", so i followed my wife's lead and she was running pretty fast. when we got to the highway, she really picked up the pace and ran hard to main street. reaching that point, we turned south and slowed to a walk to allen street. from allen we ran all the way down to the railroad tracks, turned around and ran back a block or two before walking for another block. after that break we ran back to the highway and walked a block there before finishing out the run with a push back to our house. we stopped the clock at our driveway and then walked down to the park and back to cool down.
this was a great follow up to my earlier run and a good workout for my wife.
we ran south to the park on pine street and then turned around and headed north to the highway. i was just along for the "ride", so i followed my wife's lead and she was running pretty fast. when we got to the highway, she really picked up the pace and ran hard to main street. reaching that point, we turned south and slowed to a walk to allen street. from allen we ran all the way down to the railroad tracks, turned around and ran back a block or two before walking for another block. after that break we ran back to the highway and walked a block there before finishing out the run with a push back to our house. we stopped the clock at our driveway and then walked down to the park and back to cool down.
this was a great follow up to my earlier run and a good workout for my wife.
6.37 miles in 59:29
remember that skinny kid i beat by 22 seconds at the run for missions 10K in october? i ran that kid and that PR into the ground today! i ran 0.17 miles further than a 10K in 1:09 less than my 10K time! my pace back then was 8:38/mile. today it was 8:14/mile! i knew i was getting faster, but had no idea that i could pull this kind of time off! i am bouncing off the walls! woohoo!
Friday, January 14, 2011
in the lead
one day left in the jump start challenge on dailymile and i'm ahead by more than 5000 calories burned! good thing this started when i was chasing my 2010 goal!
in the lead
one day left in the jump start challenge on dailymile and i'm ahead by more than 5000 calories burned! good thing this started when i was chasing my 2010 goal!
icy, dicey ride
i wiped out on ice once. i don't want to do it again. that's why i've not been on my bike since monday's snowy ride. once the cars drove over the snow and the temperatures dropped into the single digits, the streets and roadways have been a glare of the slick stuff. so while the rocketship's (a.k.a. Roopak S.) bike carried him to a sub-1 hour 40K time trial, my precious cato has sat idle, longing to hit the road, and i've been running, according to Jeremy B., like a mad man. "i remember when you only logged cycling miles," he commented. "man, those were the days."
yesterday, i decided there was finally enough ice melted on highway 160 and pine street for me to venture out on two wheels again. there were still patches of snow and ice here and there, but there were ways around them. the mile of 160 closest to home was going to be the diciest. more on that in a bit.
i got up this morning a little after 5:00 and dressed to ride. do you hear me, jeremy? i dressed to ride! i was more than a little nervous. i knew there were still a few places where i'd have to ride out into the regular lane to avoid a spill, exposing myself to the cars and trucks that frequent "my" stretch of asphalt.
i walked my bike down the driveway instead of clipping in. there was still a strip of ice at the end of it and i thought a short walk was a small price to pay for staying upright. once i was on pine street, i swung my leg over the top tube, clipped my right foot in and took a pedal stroke, then two, then three. as much as it pained me to do so, i rode slowly up the street, making sure i could see far enough ahead to avoid black ice and crusty snow.
i made it up pine street and made a wide right turn on to a deserted highway 160. there wasn't a headlight in sight in either direction. i pushed on the cranks and brought my speed up a bit, but kept it a slow on purpose as i headed east. i knew that at 18 degrees, any moisture on the roadway was a potential hazard.
all the way out, the road was clear and the shoulder reasonably so. there was only one spot near the top of anitchrist hill that forced me to ride further away from the side than i would have liked.
since i'd been running the temp all week, i had decided early on that i needed to make today a ride the temp day. with that in mind, i rode to the top of nine mile hill and turned around.
the ride back was as uneventful as the ride out until i got to eden road. at this point, i got nervous again. it was in this last little stretch that i'd seen most of the icy encroachments onto the shoulder of the highway yesterday. i prayed and continued on. as i proceeded cautiously, riding out in the main traffic lane, i kept glancing over my shoulder. i wanted to know if a car was coming from behind. i knew i might have to stop if an approaching car and a slippery shoulder met me simultaneously. not one car passed me after i prayed at eden road. not one! God is good!
i turned onto pine and rode like a retired man out for a cruise on the beach. i crept cautiously along, turning this way and that to avoid anything that looked in the least bit icy. i pulled up short of my driveway, dismounted and once again walked my bike into the garage.
i know my speed isn't all that impressive today. i know the mileage isn't either. i got out and rode though and that counts for something...at least in my book. (18.12 miles @ 14.1mph)
yesterday, i decided there was finally enough ice melted on highway 160 and pine street for me to venture out on two wheels again. there were still patches of snow and ice here and there, but there were ways around them. the mile of 160 closest to home was going to be the diciest. more on that in a bit.
i got up this morning a little after 5:00 and dressed to ride. do you hear me, jeremy? i dressed to ride! i was more than a little nervous. i knew there were still a few places where i'd have to ride out into the regular lane to avoid a spill, exposing myself to the cars and trucks that frequent "my" stretch of asphalt.
i walked my bike down the driveway instead of clipping in. there was still a strip of ice at the end of it and i thought a short walk was a small price to pay for staying upright. once i was on pine street, i swung my leg over the top tube, clipped my right foot in and took a pedal stroke, then two, then three. as much as it pained me to do so, i rode slowly up the street, making sure i could see far enough ahead to avoid black ice and crusty snow.
i made it up pine street and made a wide right turn on to a deserted highway 160. there wasn't a headlight in sight in either direction. i pushed on the cranks and brought my speed up a bit, but kept it a slow on purpose as i headed east. i knew that at 18 degrees, any moisture on the roadway was a potential hazard.
all the way out, the road was clear and the shoulder reasonably so. there was only one spot near the top of anitchrist hill that forced me to ride further away from the side than i would have liked.
since i'd been running the temp all week, i had decided early on that i needed to make today a ride the temp day. with that in mind, i rode to the top of nine mile hill and turned around.
the ride back was as uneventful as the ride out until i got to eden road. at this point, i got nervous again. it was in this last little stretch that i'd seen most of the icy encroachments onto the shoulder of the highway yesterday. i prayed and continued on. as i proceeded cautiously, riding out in the main traffic lane, i kept glancing over my shoulder. i wanted to know if a car was coming from behind. i knew i might have to stop if an approaching car and a slippery shoulder met me simultaneously. not one car passed me after i prayed at eden road. not one! God is good!
i turned onto pine and rode like a retired man out for a cruise on the beach. i crept cautiously along, turning this way and that to avoid anything that looked in the least bit icy. i pulled up short of my driveway, dismounted and once again walked my bike into the garage.
i know my speed isn't all that impressive today. i know the mileage isn't either. i got out and rode though and that counts for something...at least in my book. (18.12 miles @ 14.1mph)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
5.79 miles in 53:59
it was 8 degrees when i went to bed last night. by midnight it must have dropped to 1, because when i got up this morning to run with Andrew K., the weatherbug said the high was 1 degree. the low was -1 and it was currently 0.1. brrrr!
andrew showed up around 5:10 and we headed out almost immediately. the streets were a bit dicey. the ice seemed slicker than ever. it was hard to maintain footing at times. i don't know how, but we managed our 2.12-mile loop in just a few seconds more than what we'd done it on dry pavement. andrew remarked, "i think i could run this faster if it wasn't icy." good things are coming.
after walking andrew a block to his house and walking that same block back to where our loop ended, i took off again. i was going to finish a second loop. my pace was good for this second loop. i finished it just 16 minutes after i'd finished the first.
i felt so good after the second loop i decided to go for a third. the last loop was completed in just over 17 minutes. i was so excited. i thought i had completed more than a 10K in under 54 minutes. 2.12 x 3 = 6.36, right? i was pumped even if i thought i was going to barf.
then i got home and figured my miles. i'd forgotten to subtract the four blocks from my house up to our stopping point. i forgot to subtract them twice, once for each lap. i'm still pleased with my run. the second and third laps felt good and i ran them fairly quickly. it was 8 degrees when i checked the temp at 7:00.
maybe i'll try a full 10K on saturday. i know now, that i need to tag on the 6 blocks beyond the "finish" of the third lap to hit 10K. i'm pretty sure i can bust a PR, especially if the ice melts off some today and tomorrow. it's supposed to get up to 30 today. almost freezing! tomorrow...35! woohoo!
andrew showed up around 5:10 and we headed out almost immediately. the streets were a bit dicey. the ice seemed slicker than ever. it was hard to maintain footing at times. i don't know how, but we managed our 2.12-mile loop in just a few seconds more than what we'd done it on dry pavement. andrew remarked, "i think i could run this faster if it wasn't icy." good things are coming.
after walking andrew a block to his house and walking that same block back to where our loop ended, i took off again. i was going to finish a second loop. my pace was good for this second loop. i finished it just 16 minutes after i'd finished the first.
i felt so good after the second loop i decided to go for a third. the last loop was completed in just over 17 minutes. i was so excited. i thought i had completed more than a 10K in under 54 minutes. 2.12 x 3 = 6.36, right? i was pumped even if i thought i was going to barf.
then i got home and figured my miles. i'd forgotten to subtract the four blocks from my house up to our stopping point. i forgot to subtract them twice, once for each lap. i'm still pleased with my run. the second and third laps felt good and i ran them fairly quickly. it was 8 degrees when i checked the temp at 7:00.
maybe i'll try a full 10K on saturday. i know now, that i need to tag on the 6 blocks beyond the "finish" of the third lap to hit 10K. i'm pretty sure i can bust a PR, especially if the ice melts off some today and tomorrow. it's supposed to get up to 30 today. almost freezing! tomorrow...35! woohoo!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
1.55 miles in 13:10
it is so cold out there today. how cold cold is it? you ask. it's so cold...hey! was that a yeti?
i woke up around 5:30 and laid around in bed for awhile. it was so warm. i finally drug myself out from under the covers around ten till six and got partially dressed. before i put on the really warm stuff, i mixed up some baked oatmeal and put it in the oven. i figured i'd have plenty of time to run in the 35-40 minutes it takes to bake. i figured right.
oh, i forgot to tell you, it was 0.9 degrees out. that's cold, but not as cold as it could be. i started out planning to run my scotty dog route. i ran the first half of it with no problems. if i ran in the snow, i had no traction problems. finding snow to run in was the problem. i mostly ran at the edges of the streets. there was too much ice in the middle.
when i got down to the south end of the scotty dog, i was still planning to make his legs and finish him off, but i was distracted by the railroad crossing arms. they were down and the lights were flashing and the bells dinging and there was no train. i kept looking around. no bright lights coming down the tracks. the strangeness of the situation kept me occupied until i was past the turn that makes scotty's legs. "i guess he can be legless today," i thought. i ran on and then made my second mistake. i turned to to the east too soon. so now i have a nebulous blob.
must've been the cold messnig with my brain. it was 0.4 degrees out when i got back after all.
i woke up around 5:30 and laid around in bed for awhile. it was so warm. i finally drug myself out from under the covers around ten till six and got partially dressed. before i put on the really warm stuff, i mixed up some baked oatmeal and put it in the oven. i figured i'd have plenty of time to run in the 35-40 minutes it takes to bake. i figured right.
oh, i forgot to tell you, it was 0.9 degrees out. that's cold, but not as cold as it could be. i started out planning to run my scotty dog route. i ran the first half of it with no problems. if i ran in the snow, i had no traction problems. finding snow to run in was the problem. i mostly ran at the edges of the streets. there was too much ice in the middle.
when i got down to the south end of the scotty dog, i was still planning to make his legs and finish him off, but i was distracted by the railroad crossing arms. they were down and the lights were flashing and the bells dinging and there was no train. i kept looking around. no bright lights coming down the tracks. the strangeness of the situation kept me occupied until i was past the turn that makes scotty's legs. "i guess he can be legless today," i thought. i ran on and then made my second mistake. i turned to to the east too soon. so now i have a nebulous blob.
must've been the cold messnig with my brain. it was 0.4 degrees out when i got back after all.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
staying power
All sorts of people start working out at the beginning of the year. They join exclusive health spas or the local YMCA. They spend a ton of cash on a personal trainer. Some purchase equipment they can use in the privacy of their own home. Hundreds swear off foods that taste good, hoping to be leaner by year’s end. Most of these people make it through the first month of training or dieting or what have you. Few are faithful for a full twelve months. Lacking the proper motivation, they skip workouts or neglect their coach. The starving ones forget their diet and, in a moment of weakness, enter the doors of an all-you-can-eat buffet. Tragic isn’t it? If only they’d had the right motivation at the right time, they could’ve made it through to the other side as happier, healthier people.
I do not want this to be your sad story at the end of this year. I want you to lead a satisfying, invigorating life. To that end, I offer this list of suggestions for staying power. If you will follow even five of these ten simple steps to sustained motivation, you will be the envy of all your neighbors who failed to stick with their plan for improvement. When they beg you to share your secret of success, would you be kind enough to send them my way? I’m getting paid per click, so I need some traffic here!
Here are my top ten keys to sustained motivation…
10 – Spend a lot of money on equipment.
I realize this doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me and every other cheapskate in the room. The thought of spending hard earned cash on something that sits on a shelf or hangs in the garage unused drives me insane. If you’re a tightwad, live a little. You may regret it when you run out of money for necessities later in the month, but the anger you feel then will burn a few calories and push you to make use that pair of running shoes, that bike, that rowing machine, that thigh master. If I’m wrong on the expensive bike thing, please send me a personal invitation to your garage sale. I’ll be happy to take any $10,000 custom bike off your hands for $150. Please purchase a 60cm frame just in case.
9 – Buy a carnival mirror.
When you look in a regular mirror, what do you see? You see the real you. You imagine that you look good. This is okay if you really do look good. But if you’re like me, the imaginary you that you see staring back at you is keeping you from maximum improvement. Enter the carnival mirror. If you buy one that makes you look larger than you are and use it exclusively for the first month of training, you will see great gains. You’ll work yourself into a frazzle trying to rid yourself of those extra inches. When you switch to a regular mirror at the end of the month, you’ll be amazed at the new you! “I lost 12 inches overnight!” you’ll say. Your friends will smile and shake their heads as they walk away to hide the scissors.
8 – Sign up for a race or challenging event.
No one likes to look like a fool. Not even me. You can use this aversion to shame to our advantage. All you have to do is sign up for a race and suddenly the motivation you’ve been searching for is yours. You start training like, well, like a fool. You put in the hours. You challenge yourself. You push yourself to the limits of your ability. You laugh. You cry. You puke. Okay, maybe you don’t spew, but I do. I usually feel better afterwards. Why do you do all this? Because you paid good money to enter the race and because you don’t want to be last, not even in your age group. A word of caution here: Don’t sign up for a race too early in your training. I did that and ended up third in my age group in my first race…third out of three!
7 – Workout with NICE people who are stronger, faster, better than you.
Finding a running partner or a bicycle club that won’t destroy your self-confidence is harder than you think. You can’t seek out people weaker, slower and worse than you or your pooled mediocrity will destroy what little fitness you each had. At the same time, you want to be careful about the stronger, faster, better people you meet. Some of them are good coaches who will patiently answer your questions and tell you gently when you’re out of line. You’ll learn a lot from such people just by watching them. Others are Sith Lords who allow you to tag along just so they can drop you in the middle of nowhere. If you don’t like riding alone, tired and miles from anywhere, check your potential partners out before you head out on the mean streets. Trust me on this one. I failed to do this and watched the friendly sounding Oz Bicycle Club peloton ride away from me numerous times. Once I was left for dead with a thunderstorm approaching from the west. Get references!
6 – Add variety to your workout schedule.
With few exceptions doing the same thing over and over will diminish motivation over time. If you run or ride the same route 365 times, it’s going to get old. Trust me. It’s going to get really, really, really old. Avoiding boredom takes a bit of sleuthing, but the time spent online or with your nose in a book will keep your “want to” going for a lot longer than the same old, same old. Learn about fartleks (runners use weird words), progressive runs, tempo workouts, intervals, time trials and other painful things you can do to break the monotony of calm and ease. If you can’t read, ask questions. (There’s something wrong with that last sentence, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.) Reading the workouts of the superstars I’m friends with on Twitter and DailyMile informed my queries. “What’s this?” I’d ask. “And how do you do it?” With the info I gained I was able to add spice to my daily exercise times. If you do the same, you’ll be motivated to keep going for months or years or, dare I say it, decades.
5 – Take up photography.
If you don’t think holding a camera in your hand can motivate you to stick with your workout plan, you’ve got a thing or two to learn about life. The first thing you need to know is this: cameras do not lie, at least not when handled by amateurs. Snapshots show every physical flaw – those fluffy hips, those frog legs, that sagging belly – in all its glory. You know it’s true. If you want to use the camera as a motivator, get up off the couch. Do it now! Go find your camera and head for a room with a mirror. It’s okay if you stop to catch your breath once or twice as needed. When you’re finally standing in front of a looking glass, make sure it’s not the curvy carnival mirror you bought earlier. Then turn on your camera, take off the lens cap (my mom always forgets to do that) and shoot yourself. Make sure to get your most unflattering side. The image you’ve captured should be awful looking. When you’re sure you’ve got the worst possible photo of yourself, print it and put it on your refrigerator or on the cupboard door where you hide the donuts or both. This is your “before” picture and your aim from the day you shoot it is to get fit enough to take and print an “after” image that will shock and amaze all who see them side by side. See how motivating photography can be?
4 – Run or ride past that house with the evil dog that always breaks his chain.
When something is known to be painful, most people avoid it or put it off. That’s why the dentist is the most hated man in town. He’s the guy that pokes and prods and makes you wince. Speed work and intervals are the painful side of working out. You’ve got to really want to improve in your chosen sport to subject yourself to the torture involved. If you actually read the heading above this paragraph, you’re probably wondering where in the world I’m going with this. The dog hasn’t even come up yet. Well, here’s what you’ve been waiting to hear. If you intentionally ride past that house where “evil dog” dwells, you get all the added motivation you need to increase your speed. He’ll chase you. You’ll flee with your heart in your throat. Everyone gets a good workout. Repeat as necessary when your plan calls for intervals. (A variation for you swimmer types: have a friend throw a half dozen piranha in the pool after you’ve done your warm up laps.)
3 – Find something you can do better than someone who’s stronger, faster, better than you.
There are people in this world who can ride their bikes at over 30mph for an hour or two. There are others who can run a sub-6:00 pace for miles. I can do neither and I’m guessing very few of you reading this is like one of these scary fast people. Their amazing speed and breathtaking pace probably doesn’t motivate you very much. Perhaps it even dampens your spirits. If so, find something you’re better at than one of these freaks of nature. Let me give you an example from my own life to get you started in the right direction. I have a friend. I’ll call him Steve Speirs. He is the two-time winner of the Cayman Islands Marathon. He didn’t finish with a sub-6:00 pace, but he was sub-7:00. He’s a super-human runner in my book. A week or two after his repeat victory he was listed in the Washington D.C. Running Report as the sixth best runner. Pretty impressive! Well, I got out a piece of scrap paper and listed all the runners in my hometown. What I discovered was amazing! I rank higher in speed than sixth among Argonians who run regularly! I am now motivated to maintain a higher ranking than Steve and so I train harder.
2 – Develop your guilt complex.
Perhaps you didn’t grow up in a home emotionally damaging enough to fully develop one of the athlete’s greatest motivators: false guilt! How sad. You probably lay around in bed one or two mornings a week. There are, after all, no voices in your head shouting, “Lazy slob!” You most likely skip workouts with no remorse. You are constantly on the edge of slackerdom and you don’t even realize it! You think you’re happy! You need help! Call the seven meanest people you know – your dentist, your proctologist, your mother-in-law, your drill sergeant, your cat loving cousin, your pizza delivery boy, your therapist – and beg them to help you. Ask each of them to call you at 4:00 in the morning on a different day of the week. Instruct them not to say, “Hello,” or “How are you?” at any time! Instead tell them they need to overuse words like should and ought as they belittle you. Have them continue to ring your number every day until you dream about their insults every night and hear their haranguing in your mind when they’re not around. When that day comes, call each of them up and give them a piece of your mind. Tell them how angry their unkind words made you and promise not to speak to them ever again. When you’ve called all seven of them and broken off each relationship, go for a run. You know you should!
1 – Sign up for DailyMile!
Some of you are the sole runner or cyclist or swimmer in your community. You have to drive miles to meet up with a running partner or a bicycle club. Maybe your pool is only open in the summer. I suppose that’s a good idea if the temps drop below freezing in your area. If you’re a loner – a sad, sad athlete like me – let me tell you what to do. Get online and sign up to be a part of the best online community in the universe - DailyMile! (They didn’t pay me to say that. Wish they had, but they didn’t.) The friends you meet there will push you to improve. Their encouraging words will get you through the tough days when the wheels fell off or the “evil dog intervals” you planned don’t work out as well as you had hoped. Post your sob story on your DailyMile profile and dozens, no hundreds, no millions of like-minded athletes will say things that would make Dr. Phil happy. (There might have been a little exaggeration in that last sentence.) What are you waiting for? Sign up now! Encouragement and motivation is just a click away!
Disclaimer: If you follow the suggestions given here and unexpected harm comes to you or your family, call Steve Speirs and ask his advice. He’s not a lawyer, but he might be able to fix what you’ve destroyed. Maybe.
- Originally posted on the DailyMile Community Blog
I do not want this to be your sad story at the end of this year. I want you to lead a satisfying, invigorating life. To that end, I offer this list of suggestions for staying power. If you will follow even five of these ten simple steps to sustained motivation, you will be the envy of all your neighbors who failed to stick with their plan for improvement. When they beg you to share your secret of success, would you be kind enough to send them my way? I’m getting paid per click, so I need some traffic here!
Here are my top ten keys to sustained motivation…
10 – Spend a lot of money on equipment.
I realize this doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me and every other cheapskate in the room. The thought of spending hard earned cash on something that sits on a shelf or hangs in the garage unused drives me insane. If you’re a tightwad, live a little. You may regret it when you run out of money for necessities later in the month, but the anger you feel then will burn a few calories and push you to make use that pair of running shoes, that bike, that rowing machine, that thigh master. If I’m wrong on the expensive bike thing, please send me a personal invitation to your garage sale. I’ll be happy to take any $10,000 custom bike off your hands for $150. Please purchase a 60cm frame just in case.
9 – Buy a carnival mirror.
When you look in a regular mirror, what do you see? You see the real you. You imagine that you look good. This is okay if you really do look good. But if you’re like me, the imaginary you that you see staring back at you is keeping you from maximum improvement. Enter the carnival mirror. If you buy one that makes you look larger than you are and use it exclusively for the first month of training, you will see great gains. You’ll work yourself into a frazzle trying to rid yourself of those extra inches. When you switch to a regular mirror at the end of the month, you’ll be amazed at the new you! “I lost 12 inches overnight!” you’ll say. Your friends will smile and shake their heads as they walk away to hide the scissors.
8 – Sign up for a race or challenging event.
No one likes to look like a fool. Not even me. You can use this aversion to shame to our advantage. All you have to do is sign up for a race and suddenly the motivation you’ve been searching for is yours. You start training like, well, like a fool. You put in the hours. You challenge yourself. You push yourself to the limits of your ability. You laugh. You cry. You puke. Okay, maybe you don’t spew, but I do. I usually feel better afterwards. Why do you do all this? Because you paid good money to enter the race and because you don’t want to be last, not even in your age group. A word of caution here: Don’t sign up for a race too early in your training. I did that and ended up third in my age group in my first race…third out of three!
7 – Workout with NICE people who are stronger, faster, better than you.
Finding a running partner or a bicycle club that won’t destroy your self-confidence is harder than you think. You can’t seek out people weaker, slower and worse than you or your pooled mediocrity will destroy what little fitness you each had. At the same time, you want to be careful about the stronger, faster, better people you meet. Some of them are good coaches who will patiently answer your questions and tell you gently when you’re out of line. You’ll learn a lot from such people just by watching them. Others are Sith Lords who allow you to tag along just so they can drop you in the middle of nowhere. If you don’t like riding alone, tired and miles from anywhere, check your potential partners out before you head out on the mean streets. Trust me on this one. I failed to do this and watched the friendly sounding Oz Bicycle Club peloton ride away from me numerous times. Once I was left for dead with a thunderstorm approaching from the west. Get references!
6 – Add variety to your workout schedule.
With few exceptions doing the same thing over and over will diminish motivation over time. If you run or ride the same route 365 times, it’s going to get old. Trust me. It’s going to get really, really, really old. Avoiding boredom takes a bit of sleuthing, but the time spent online or with your nose in a book will keep your “want to” going for a lot longer than the same old, same old. Learn about fartleks (runners use weird words), progressive runs, tempo workouts, intervals, time trials and other painful things you can do to break the monotony of calm and ease. If you can’t read, ask questions. (There’s something wrong with that last sentence, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.) Reading the workouts of the superstars I’m friends with on Twitter and DailyMile informed my queries. “What’s this?” I’d ask. “And how do you do it?” With the info I gained I was able to add spice to my daily exercise times. If you do the same, you’ll be motivated to keep going for months or years or, dare I say it, decades.
5 – Take up photography.
If you don’t think holding a camera in your hand can motivate you to stick with your workout plan, you’ve got a thing or two to learn about life. The first thing you need to know is this: cameras do not lie, at least not when handled by amateurs. Snapshots show every physical flaw – those fluffy hips, those frog legs, that sagging belly – in all its glory. You know it’s true. If you want to use the camera as a motivator, get up off the couch. Do it now! Go find your camera and head for a room with a mirror. It’s okay if you stop to catch your breath once or twice as needed. When you’re finally standing in front of a looking glass, make sure it’s not the curvy carnival mirror you bought earlier. Then turn on your camera, take off the lens cap (my mom always forgets to do that) and shoot yourself. Make sure to get your most unflattering side. The image you’ve captured should be awful looking. When you’re sure you’ve got the worst possible photo of yourself, print it and put it on your refrigerator or on the cupboard door where you hide the donuts or both. This is your “before” picture and your aim from the day you shoot it is to get fit enough to take and print an “after” image that will shock and amaze all who see them side by side. See how motivating photography can be?
4 – Run or ride past that house with the evil dog that always breaks his chain.
When something is known to be painful, most people avoid it or put it off. That’s why the dentist is the most hated man in town. He’s the guy that pokes and prods and makes you wince. Speed work and intervals are the painful side of working out. You’ve got to really want to improve in your chosen sport to subject yourself to the torture involved. If you actually read the heading above this paragraph, you’re probably wondering where in the world I’m going with this. The dog hasn’t even come up yet. Well, here’s what you’ve been waiting to hear. If you intentionally ride past that house where “evil dog” dwells, you get all the added motivation you need to increase your speed. He’ll chase you. You’ll flee with your heart in your throat. Everyone gets a good workout. Repeat as necessary when your plan calls for intervals. (A variation for you swimmer types: have a friend throw a half dozen piranha in the pool after you’ve done your warm up laps.)
3 – Find something you can do better than someone who’s stronger, faster, better than you.
There are people in this world who can ride their bikes at over 30mph for an hour or two. There are others who can run a sub-6:00 pace for miles. I can do neither and I’m guessing very few of you reading this is like one of these scary fast people. Their amazing speed and breathtaking pace probably doesn’t motivate you very much. Perhaps it even dampens your spirits. If so, find something you’re better at than one of these freaks of nature. Let me give you an example from my own life to get you started in the right direction. I have a friend. I’ll call him Steve Speirs. He is the two-time winner of the Cayman Islands Marathon. He didn’t finish with a sub-6:00 pace, but he was sub-7:00. He’s a super-human runner in my book. A week or two after his repeat victory he was listed in the Washington D.C. Running Report as the sixth best runner. Pretty impressive! Well, I got out a piece of scrap paper and listed all the runners in my hometown. What I discovered was amazing! I rank higher in speed than sixth among Argonians who run regularly! I am now motivated to maintain a higher ranking than Steve and so I train harder.
2 – Develop your guilt complex.
Perhaps you didn’t grow up in a home emotionally damaging enough to fully develop one of the athlete’s greatest motivators: false guilt! How sad. You probably lay around in bed one or two mornings a week. There are, after all, no voices in your head shouting, “Lazy slob!” You most likely skip workouts with no remorse. You are constantly on the edge of slackerdom and you don’t even realize it! You think you’re happy! You need help! Call the seven meanest people you know – your dentist, your proctologist, your mother-in-law, your drill sergeant, your cat loving cousin, your pizza delivery boy, your therapist – and beg them to help you. Ask each of them to call you at 4:00 in the morning on a different day of the week. Instruct them not to say, “Hello,” or “How are you?” at any time! Instead tell them they need to overuse words like should and ought as they belittle you. Have them continue to ring your number every day until you dream about their insults every night and hear their haranguing in your mind when they’re not around. When that day comes, call each of them up and give them a piece of your mind. Tell them how angry their unkind words made you and promise not to speak to them ever again. When you’ve called all seven of them and broken off each relationship, go for a run. You know you should!
1 – Sign up for DailyMile!
Some of you are the sole runner or cyclist or swimmer in your community. You have to drive miles to meet up with a running partner or a bicycle club. Maybe your pool is only open in the summer. I suppose that’s a good idea if the temps drop below freezing in your area. If you’re a loner – a sad, sad athlete like me – let me tell you what to do. Get online and sign up to be a part of the best online community in the universe - DailyMile! (They didn’t pay me to say that. Wish they had, but they didn’t.) The friends you meet there will push you to improve. Their encouraging words will get you through the tough days when the wheels fell off or the “evil dog intervals” you planned don’t work out as well as you had hoped. Post your sob story on your DailyMile profile and dozens, no hundreds, no millions of like-minded athletes will say things that would make Dr. Phil happy. (There might have been a little exaggeration in that last sentence.) What are you waiting for? Sign up now! Encouragement and motivation is just a click away!
Disclaimer: If you follow the suggestions given here and unexpected harm comes to you or your family, call Steve Speirs and ask his advice. He’s not a lawyer, but he might be able to fix what you’ve destroyed. Maybe.
- Originally posted on the DailyMile Community Blog
staying motivated
All sorts of people start working out at the beginning of the year. They join exclusive health spas or the local YMCA. They spend a ton of cash on a personal trainer. Some purchase equipment they can use in the privacy of their own home. Hundreds swear off foods that taste good, hoping to be leaner by year’s end. Most of these people make it through the first month of training or dieting or what have you. Few are faithful for a full twelve months. Lacking the proper motivation, they skip workouts or neglect their coach. The starving ones forget their diet and, in a moment of weakness, enter the doors of an all-you-can-eat buffet. Tragic isn’t it? If only they’d had the right motivation at the right time, they could’ve made it through to the other side as happier, healthier people.
I do not want this to be your sad story at the end of this year. I want you to lead a satisfying, invigorating life. To that end, I offer this list of suggestions for staying power. If you will follow even five of these ten simple steps to sustained motivation, you will be the envy of all your neighbors who failed to stick with their plan for improvement. When they beg you to share your secret of success, would you be kind enough to send them my way? I’m getting paid per click, so I need some traffic here!
Here are my top ten keys to sustained motivation…
10 – Spend a lot of money on equipment.
I realize this doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me and every other cheapskate in the room. The thought of spending hard earned cash on something that sits on a shelf or hangs in the garage unused drives me insane. If you’re a tightwad, live a little. You may regret it when you run out of money for necessities later in the month, but the anger you feel then will burn a few calories and push you to make use that pair of running shoes, that bike, that rowing machine, that thigh master. If I’m wrong on the expensive bike thing, please send me a personal invitation to your garage sale. I’ll be happy to take any $10,000 custom bike off your hands for $150. Please purchase a 60cm frame just in case.
9 – Buy a carnival mirror.
When you look in a regular mirror, what do you see? You see the real you. You imagine that you look good. This is okay if you really do look good. But if you’re like me, the imaginary you that you see staring back at you is keeping you from maximum improvement. Enter the carnival mirror. If you buy one that makes you look larger than you are and use it exclusively for the first month of training, you will see great gains. You’ll work yourself into a frazzle trying to rid yourself of those extra inches. When you switch to a regular mirror at the end of the month, you’ll be amazed at the new you! “I lost 12 inches overnight!” you’ll say. Your friends will smile and shake their heads as they walk away to hide the scissors.
8 – Sign up for a race or challenging event.
No one likes to look like a fool. Not even me. You can use this aversion to shame to our advantage. All you have to do is sign up for a race and suddenly the motivation you’ve been searching for is yours. You start training like, well, like a fool. You put in the hours. You challenge yourself. You push yourself to the limits of your ability. You laugh. You cry. You puke. Okay, maybe you don’t spew, but I do. I usually feel better afterwards. Why do you do all this? Because you paid good money to enter the race and because you don’t want to be last, not even in your age group. A word of caution here: Don’t sign up for a race too early in your training. I did that and ended up third in my age group in my first race…third out of three!
7 – Workout with NICE people who are stronger, faster, better than you.
Finding a running partner or a bicycle club that won’t destroy your self-confidence is harder than you think. You can’t seek out people weaker, slower and worse than you or your pooled mediocrity will destroy what little fitness you each had. At the same time, you want to be careful about the stronger, faster, better people you meet. Some of them are good coaches who will patiently answer your questions and tell you gently when you’re out of line. You’ll learn a lot from such people just by watching them. Others are Sith Lords who allow you to tag along just so they can drop you in the middle of nowhere. If you don’t like riding alone, tired and miles from anywhere, check your potential partners out before you head out on the mean streets. Trust me on this one. I failed to do this and watched the friendly sounding Oz Bicycle Club peloton ride away from me numerous times. Once I was left for dead with a thunderstorm approaching from the west. Get references!
6 – Add variety to your workout schedule.
With few exceptions doing the same thing over and over will diminish motivation over time. If you run or ride the same route 365 times, it’s going to get old. Trust me. It’s going to get really, really, really old. Avoiding boredom takes a bit of sleuthing, but the time spent online or with your nose in a book will keep your “want to” going for a lot longer than the same old, same old. Learn about fartleks (runners use weird words), progressive runs, tempo workouts, intervals, time trials and other painful things you can do to break the monotony of calm and ease. If you can’t read, ask questions. (There’s something wrong with that last sentence, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.) Reading the workouts of the superstars I’m friends with on Twitter and DailyMile informed my queries. “What’s this?” I’d ask. “And how do you do it?” With the info I gained I was able to add spice to my daily exercise times. If you do the same, you’ll be motivated to keep going for months or years or, dare I say it, decades.
5 – Take up photography.
If you don’t think holding a camera in your hand can motivate you to stick with your workout plan, you’ve got a thing or two to learn about life. The first thing you need to know is this: cameras do not lie, at least not when handled by amateurs. Snapshots show every physical flaw – those fluffy hips, those frog legs, that sagging belly – in all its glory. You know it’s true. If you want to use the camera as a motivator, get up off the couch. Do it now! Go find your camera and head for a room with a mirror. It’s okay if you stop to catch your breath once or twice as needed. When you’re finally standing in front of a looking glass, make sure it’s not the curvy carnival mirror you bought earlier. Then turn on your camera, take off the lens cap (my mom always forgets to do that) and shoot yourself. Make sure to get your most unflattering side. The image you’ve captured should be awful looking. When you’re sure you’ve got the worst possible photo of yourself, print it and put it on your refrigerator or on the cupboard door where you hide the donuts or both. This is your “before” picture and your aim from the day you shoot it is to get fit enough to take and print an “after” image that will shock and amaze all who see them side by side. See how motivating photography can be?
4 – Run or ride past that house with the evil dog that always breaks his chain.
When something is known to be painful, most people avoid it or put it off. That’s why the dentist is the most hated man in town. He’s the guy that pokes and prods and makes you wince. Speed work and intervals are the painful side of working out. You’ve got to really want to improve in your chosen sport to subject yourself to the torture involved. If you actually read the heading above this paragraph, you’re probably wondering where in the world I’m going with this. The dog hasn’t even come up yet. Well, here’s what you’ve been waiting to hear. If you intentionally ride past that house where “evil dog” dwells, you get all the added motivation you need to increase your speed. He’ll chase you. You’ll flee with your heart in your throat. Everyone gets a good workout. Repeat as necessary when your plan calls for intervals. (A variation for you swimmer types: have a friend throw a half dozen piranha in the pool after you’ve done your warm up laps.)
3 – Find something you can do better than someone who’s stronger, faster, better than you.
There are people in this world who can ride their bikes at over 30mph for an hour or two. There are others who can run a sub-6:00 pace for miles. I can do neither and I’m guessing very few of you reading this is like one of these scary fast people. Their amazing speed and breathtaking pace probably doesn’t motivate you very much. Perhaps it even dampens your spirits. If so, find something you’re better at than one of these freaks of nature. Let me give you an example from my own life to get you started in the right direction. I have a friend. I’ll call him Steve Speirs. He is the two-time winner of the Cayman Islands Marathon. He didn’t finish with a sub-6:00 pace, but he was sub-7:00. He’s a super-human runner in my book. A week or two after his repeat victory he was listed in the Washington D.C. Running Report as the sixth best runner. Pretty impressive! Well, I got out a piece of scrap paper and listed all the runners in my hometown. What I discovered was amazing! I rank higher in speed than sixth among Argonians who run regularly! I am now motivated to maintain a higher ranking than Steve and so I train harder.
2 – Develop your guilt complex.
Perhaps you didn’t grow up in a home emotionally damaging enough to fully develop one of the athlete’s greatest motivators: false guilt! How sad. You probably lay around in bed one or two mornings a week. There are, after all, no voices in your head shouting, “Lazy slob!” You most likely skip workouts with no remorse. You are constantly on the edge of slackerdom and you don’t even realize it! You think you’re happy! You need help! Call the seven meanest people you know – your dentist, your proctologist, your mother-in-law, your drill sergeant, your cat loving cousin, your pizza delivery boy, your therapist – and beg them to help you. Ask each of them to call you at 4:00 in the morning on a different day of the week. Instruct them not to say, “Hello,” or “How are you?” at any time! Instead tell them they need to overuse words like should and ought as they belittle you. Have them continue to ring your number every day until you dream about their insults every night and hear their haranguing in your mind when they’re not around. When that day comes, call each of them up and give them a piece of your mind. Tell them how angry their unkind words made you and promise not to speak to them ever again. When you’ve called all seven of them and broken off each relationship, go for a run. You know you should!
1 – Sign up for DailyMile!
Some of you are the sole runner or cyclist or swimmer in your community. You have to drive miles to meet up with a running partner or a bicycle club. Maybe your pool is only open in the summer. I suppose that’s a good idea if the temps drop below freezing in your area. If you’re a loner – a sad, sad athlete like me – let me tell you what to do. Get online and sign up to be a part of the best online community in the universe - DailyMile! (They didn’t pay me to say that. Wish they had, but they didn’t.) The friends you meet there will push you to improve. Their encouraging words will get you through the tough days when the wheels fell off or the “evil dog intervals” you planned don’t work out as well as you had hoped. Post your sob story on your DailyMile profile and dozens, no hundreds, no millions of like-minded athletes will say things that would make Dr. Phil happy. (There might have been a little exaggeration in that last sentence.) What are you waiting for? Sign up now! Encouragement and motivation is just a click away!
Disclaimer: If you follow the suggestions given here and unexpected harm comes to you or your family, call Steve Speirs and ask his advice. He’s not a lawyer, but he might be able to fix what you’ve destroyed. Maybe.
- Originally posted on the DailyMile Community Blog
I do not want this to be your sad story at the end of this year. I want you to lead a satisfying, invigorating life. To that end, I offer this list of suggestions for staying power. If you will follow even five of these ten simple steps to sustained motivation, you will be the envy of all your neighbors who failed to stick with their plan for improvement. When they beg you to share your secret of success, would you be kind enough to send them my way? I’m getting paid per click, so I need some traffic here!
Here are my top ten keys to sustained motivation…
10 – Spend a lot of money on equipment.
I realize this doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me and every other cheapskate in the room. The thought of spending hard earned cash on something that sits on a shelf or hangs in the garage unused drives me insane. If you’re a tightwad, live a little. You may regret it when you run out of money for necessities later in the month, but the anger you feel then will burn a few calories and push you to make use that pair of running shoes, that bike, that rowing machine, that thigh master. If I’m wrong on the expensive bike thing, please send me a personal invitation to your garage sale. I’ll be happy to take any $10,000 custom bike off your hands for $150. Please purchase a 60cm frame just in case.
9 – Buy a carnival mirror.
When you look in a regular mirror, what do you see? You see the real you. You imagine that you look good. This is okay if you really do look good. But if you’re like me, the imaginary you that you see staring back at you is keeping you from maximum improvement. Enter the carnival mirror. If you buy one that makes you look larger than you are and use it exclusively for the first month of training, you will see great gains. You’ll work yourself into a frazzle trying to rid yourself of those extra inches. When you switch to a regular mirror at the end of the month, you’ll be amazed at the new you! “I lost 12 inches overnight!” you’ll say. Your friends will smile and shake their heads as they walk away to hide the scissors.
8 – Sign up for a race or challenging event.
No one likes to look like a fool. Not even me. You can use this aversion to shame to our advantage. All you have to do is sign up for a race and suddenly the motivation you’ve been searching for is yours. You start training like, well, like a fool. You put in the hours. You challenge yourself. You push yourself to the limits of your ability. You laugh. You cry. You puke. Okay, maybe you don’t spew, but I do. I usually feel better afterwards. Why do you do all this? Because you paid good money to enter the race and because you don’t want to be last, not even in your age group. A word of caution here: Don’t sign up for a race too early in your training. I did that and ended up third in my age group in my first race…third out of three!
7 – Workout with NICE people who are stronger, faster, better than you.
Finding a running partner or a bicycle club that won’t destroy your self-confidence is harder than you think. You can’t seek out people weaker, slower and worse than you or your pooled mediocrity will destroy what little fitness you each had. At the same time, you want to be careful about the stronger, faster, better people you meet. Some of them are good coaches who will patiently answer your questions and tell you gently when you’re out of line. You’ll learn a lot from such people just by watching them. Others are Sith Lords who allow you to tag along just so they can drop you in the middle of nowhere. If you don’t like riding alone, tired and miles from anywhere, check your potential partners out before you head out on the mean streets. Trust me on this one. I failed to do this and watched the friendly sounding Oz Bicycle Club peloton ride away from me numerous times. Once I was left for dead with a thunderstorm approaching from the west. Get references!
6 – Add variety to your workout schedule.
With few exceptions doing the same thing over and over will diminish motivation over time. If you run or ride the same route 365 times, it’s going to get old. Trust me. It’s going to get really, really, really old. Avoiding boredom takes a bit of sleuthing, but the time spent online or with your nose in a book will keep your “want to” going for a lot longer than the same old, same old. Learn about fartleks (runners use weird words), progressive runs, tempo workouts, intervals, time trials and other painful things you can do to break the monotony of calm and ease. If you can’t read, ask questions. (There’s something wrong with that last sentence, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.) Reading the workouts of the superstars I’m friends with on Twitter and DailyMile informed my queries. “What’s this?” I’d ask. “And how do you do it?” With the info I gained I was able to add spice to my daily exercise times. If you do the same, you’ll be motivated to keep going for months or years or, dare I say it, decades.
5 – Take up photography.
If you don’t think holding a camera in your hand can motivate you to stick with your workout plan, you’ve got a thing or two to learn about life. The first thing you need to know is this: cameras do not lie, at least not when handled by amateurs. Snapshots show every physical flaw – those fluffy hips, those frog legs, that sagging belly – in all its glory. You know it’s true. If you want to use the camera as a motivator, get up off the couch. Do it now! Go find your camera and head for a room with a mirror. It’s okay if you stop to catch your breath once or twice as needed. When you’re finally standing in front of a looking glass, make sure it’s not the curvy carnival mirror you bought earlier. Then turn on your camera, take off the lens cap (my mom always forgets to do that) and shoot yourself. Make sure to get your most unflattering side. The image you’ve captured should be awful looking. When you’re sure you’ve got the worst possible photo of yourself, print it and put it on your refrigerator or on the cupboard door where you hide the donuts or both. This is your “before” picture and your aim from the day you shoot it is to get fit enough to take and print an “after” image that will shock and amaze all who see them side by side. See how motivating photography can be?
4 – Run or ride past that house with the evil dog that always breaks his chain.
When something is known to be painful, most people avoid it or put it off. That’s why the dentist is the most hated man in town. He’s the guy that pokes and prods and makes you wince. Speed work and intervals are the painful side of working out. You’ve got to really want to improve in your chosen sport to subject yourself to the torture involved. If you actually read the heading above this paragraph, you’re probably wondering where in the world I’m going with this. The dog hasn’t even come up yet. Well, here’s what you’ve been waiting to hear. If you intentionally ride past that house where “evil dog” dwells, you get all the added motivation you need to increase your speed. He’ll chase you. You’ll flee with your heart in your throat. Everyone gets a good workout. Repeat as necessary when your plan calls for intervals. (A variation for you swimmer types: have a friend throw a half dozen piranha in the pool after you’ve done your warm up laps.)
3 – Find something you can do better than someone who’s stronger, faster, better than you.
There are people in this world who can ride their bikes at over 30mph for an hour or two. There are others who can run a sub-6:00 pace for miles. I can do neither and I’m guessing very few of you reading this is like one of these scary fast people. Their amazing speed and breathtaking pace probably doesn’t motivate you very much. Perhaps it even dampens your spirits. If so, find something you’re better at than one of these freaks of nature. Let me give you an example from my own life to get you started in the right direction. I have a friend. I’ll call him Steve Speirs. He is the two-time winner of the Cayman Islands Marathon. He didn’t finish with a sub-6:00 pace, but he was sub-7:00. He’s a super-human runner in my book. A week or two after his repeat victory he was listed in the Washington D.C. Running Report as the sixth best runner. Pretty impressive! Well, I got out a piece of scrap paper and listed all the runners in my hometown. What I discovered was amazing! I rank higher in speed than sixth among Argonians who run regularly! I am now motivated to maintain a higher ranking than Steve and so I train harder.
2 – Develop your guilt complex.
Perhaps you didn’t grow up in a home emotionally damaging enough to fully develop one of the athlete’s greatest motivators: false guilt! How sad. You probably lay around in bed one or two mornings a week. There are, after all, no voices in your head shouting, “Lazy slob!” You most likely skip workouts with no remorse. You are constantly on the edge of slackerdom and you don’t even realize it! You think you’re happy! You need help! Call the seven meanest people you know – your dentist, your proctologist, your mother-in-law, your drill sergeant, your cat loving cousin, your pizza delivery boy, your therapist – and beg them to help you. Ask each of them to call you at 4:00 in the morning on a different day of the week. Instruct them not to say, “Hello,” or “How are you?” at any time! Instead tell them they need to overuse words like should and ought as they belittle you. Have them continue to ring your number every day until you dream about their insults every night and hear their haranguing in your mind when they’re not around. When that day comes, call each of them up and give them a piece of your mind. Tell them how angry their unkind words made you and promise not to speak to them ever again. When you’ve called all seven of them and broken off each relationship, go for a run. You know you should!
1 – Sign up for DailyMile!
Some of you are the sole runner or cyclist or swimmer in your community. You have to drive miles to meet up with a running partner or a bicycle club. Maybe your pool is only open in the summer. I suppose that’s a good idea if the temps drop below freezing in your area. If you’re a loner – a sad, sad athlete like me – let me tell you what to do. Get online and sign up to be a part of the best online community in the universe - DailyMile! (They didn’t pay me to say that. Wish they had, but they didn’t.) The friends you meet there will push you to improve. Their encouraging words will get you through the tough days when the wheels fell off or the “evil dog intervals” you planned don’t work out as well as you had hoped. Post your sob story on your DailyMile profile and dozens, no hundreds, no millions of like-minded athletes will say things that would make Dr. Phil happy. (There might have been a little exaggeration in that last sentence.) What are you waiting for? Sign up now! Encouragement and motivation is just a click away!
Disclaimer: If you follow the suggestions given here and unexpected harm comes to you or your family, call Steve Speirs and ask his advice. He’s not a lawyer, but he might be able to fix what you’ve destroyed. Maybe.
- Originally posted on the DailyMile Community Blog
year end report
i spotted my 2010 year end report on dailymile today. check it out at www.dailymile.com/people/openmikey/training/2010/summary!
year end report
i spotted my 2010 year end report on dailymile today. check it out at www.dailymile.com/people/openmikey/training/2010/summary!
5.74 miles in 1:01:34
poor andrew k. he should have been more careful about choosing a running partner. someone more sane would never have made him get out on a morning like this. they wouldn't have suggested a three-miler just so he could join the "run the temp" club. he did not choose someone kind and lucid like that. he chose me.here's the sad story. shortly after 5:00, andrew showed up at my house ready to run. i had already noted the temperature and thought about running the temp. if andrew didn't want to do it all, i'd finish it out after i left him.
when he knocked at the door and came in, i popped the question: "so, do you want to join the run the temp club?" he looked at me, puzzled. i said, "it's 3 degrees. if we run three miles, we're in." he shrugged his shoulders and said, "sure."
a little stretching and we were out the door. since we were running a little farther than andrew had been running, we took it slow. it was wise to run slowly anyway since there were large patches of black ice everywhere. there were times when my feet were slipping backwards at every step. i made sure my footstrike was solid all morning.
we ran out around the edges of town, taking in my normal three-mile route with a few minor adjustment to avoid puddles we weren't sure were frozen solid. not sure why we thought they'd be wet at 3 degrees. hmmm.
we ran back up to a block south of andrew's and then parted ways. he and i had run 3.15 miles in 35:15 - that's an 11:11 pace. not bad considering the conditions and the short walk break we took on lucky lane.
i ran on from where andrew stopped. i intended to run straight home and get warm, but my shoes, stupid things, had other plans. they turned me west again after a block and then started turning this way and that all over town adding nearly three miles more to a workout that was already crazy enough.
i ended my run back where andrew andi started - the corner of pine and vine. i stopped my watch at just over an hour and hurried inside. i'm not going to run again today. i'm definitely not going to try to ride. it's too slippery!
Monday, January 10, 2011
trying to stay upright.
it was bound to happen some day. i snapped today. rode right off into the deep end. i am a certifiable nut! i got home from work full of energy and decided to spend it riding around town on the frozen slush that used to pass for streets. there was a bit of slipping and sliding. i even had to put my feet down a few times, but mostly i just kept my mountain bike under me and rode this way and that trying to avoid a headwind as much as possible. it was bitterly cold. 16 degrees with a windchill of 4. brrrr! these 7.3 miles give me just over 10 for the day. woohoo! i'm staying in now unless i just have to get out again. (7.3 miles @ 8.3mph)
It us lawful to do good...
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (Matthew 12:9-14)
As I read those words today, my mind went back to my days as an intern at a church in western Kansas.
I had organized a group of teens from the church to help out a widow in town who needed some work done around the house. She was unable to do it herself, so we gave up a few hours one Sunday to serve her.
A few days later, I was called into the pastor’s office. A member of the church’s board of elders was there. He had come to confront the Sabbath-breaker. I was shocked as he raked me over the coals for giving my time to this widow. It was the worst possible thing I could have done on the Lord’s Day as far as he was concerned. Worse yet, I’d taught the teens in the church to desecrate the holy too.
I laid into him and reminded him of this story. Probably not the wisest thing I’ve ever done, but I was so angry! I was in trouble for doing something God encourages in his word: caring for widows and orphans in their distress. This is true religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless. That’s what James says.
We’re taking about the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” at Kids Club this Wednesday. I am going to encourage the kids to care for the needs of others no matter what day it is. I hope you will do the same. I pray each of you will serve others whenever the opportunity arises.
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!
To receive my once or twice weekly message via email, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages are available at freegroups.net/groups/webmessage.
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (Matthew 12:9-14)
As I read those words today, my mind went back to my days as an intern at a church in western Kansas.
I had organized a group of teens from the church to help out a widow in town who needed some work done around the house. She was unable to do it herself, so we gave up a few hours one Sunday to serve her.
A few days later, I was called into the pastor’s office. A member of the church’s board of elders was there. He had come to confront the Sabbath-breaker. I was shocked as he raked me over the coals for giving my time to this widow. It was the worst possible thing I could have done on the Lord’s Day as far as he was concerned. Worse yet, I’d taught the teens in the church to desecrate the holy too.
I laid into him and reminded him of this story. Probably not the wisest thing I’ve ever done, but I was so angry! I was in trouble for doing something God encourages in his word: caring for widows and orphans in their distress. This is true religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless. That’s what James says.
We’re taking about the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” at Kids Club this Wednesday. I am going to encourage the kids to care for the needs of others no matter what day it is. I hope you will do the same. I pray each of you will serve others whenever the opportunity arises.
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!
To receive my once or twice weekly message via email, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages are available at freegroups.net/groups/webmessage.
1.39 miles in 10:50
what better way is there to check out the road conditions on the highway than to run up and see them for yourself? i couldn't think of any better way, so i did just that. i ran up to u.s. 160 and over to the now-closed argonia mart. the highway didn't look very clear. turning south, i ran down main street to the railroad tracks and then took a couple of turns to get back home. i nice run and pretty fast (for me) considering the slicker-than-snot conditions. running in the less-packed snow along the edge of the street was better than running on the hardpack.
running no-nos
•Lining up at the front of the race and then running slower than a baby can crawl.
•Abruptly stopping during a race. Move to the side first!
•Running without recovery days, and then complaining about getting injured.
•Not returning greetings or simple nods when passing another runner.
•Don’t bring your untrained dog to a race.
•“I just started running. Can I run a marathon in 6 weeks?”
•If you must spit or blow your nose please do so at the back of the pack.
•Runners, don’t run WITH traffic. (Are you crazy?)
•Don’t be a jerk when talking about your pace. (Check out these cartoons)
•Cutting other runners off & slowing down.
•Throwing drinks at the feet of the runners behind you.
Act like a grown-up and throw it in the bin a few paces down the road.
•Not paying attention to traffic or signals: It makes us all look bad.
•Ignoring injuries and trying to ‘run through’ them.
•If you use someone’s mp3-player / gps-tracker, recharge the batteries!
•Don’t group-hog the entire road/trail width! Let others pass.
•Being unaware of your surroundings. Does your music have to be that loud? Really?
•Stopping IMMEDIATELY after the finish line. Keep going a few meters to get out of the way.
•Don’t give advice without being asked. This holds true to most sports.
•Bitching about what’s better: Minimal, barefoot or simple running shoes.
Choose your own poison and enjoy yourself.
•Not thanking the volunteers.
•If you must, then at least look before you spit.
•Don’t be an elitist *insert inappropriate word*. Whether people run 2 miles or 50 miles a week, they’re runners.
•If the track is very busy, don’t run upstream.
•If you have a bad case of the tummy demons, it’s nice to move to the back of the line as to not poison the rest of the group behind you.
•Play nice. Follow the track rules, and don’t be arrogant when someone points out those rules. Crowded tracks need a set of standards to avoid injuries.
•Don’t cheat races.
•Inside lanes on tracks are for fast runners.
•Don’t literally push people forward when the starting gun has fired.
•Don’t complain about the workout of your group / partner.
•If running with someone slower, don’t pressure them to speed up.
•When your running on trails with your dog, clean up its mess.
original source - http://tinyurl.com/runningnonos
•Abruptly stopping during a race. Move to the side first!
•Running without recovery days, and then complaining about getting injured.
•Not returning greetings or simple nods when passing another runner.
•Don’t bring your untrained dog to a race.
•“I just started running. Can I run a marathon in 6 weeks?”
•If you must spit or blow your nose please do so at the back of the pack.
•Runners, don’t run WITH traffic. (Are you crazy?)
•Don’t be a jerk when talking about your pace. (Check out these cartoons)
•Cutting other runners off & slowing down.
•Throwing drinks at the feet of the runners behind you.
Act like a grown-up and throw it in the bin a few paces down the road.
•Not paying attention to traffic or signals: It makes us all look bad.
•Ignoring injuries and trying to ‘run through’ them.
•If you use someone’s mp3-player / gps-tracker, recharge the batteries!
•Don’t group-hog the entire road/trail width! Let others pass.
•Being unaware of your surroundings. Does your music have to be that loud? Really?
•Stopping IMMEDIATELY after the finish line. Keep going a few meters to get out of the way.
•Don’t give advice without being asked. This holds true to most sports.
•Bitching about what’s better: Minimal, barefoot or simple running shoes.
Choose your own poison and enjoy yourself.
•Not thanking the volunteers.
•If you must, then at least look before you spit.
•Don’t be an elitist *insert inappropriate word*. Whether people run 2 miles or 50 miles a week, they’re runners.
•If the track is very busy, don’t run upstream.
•If you have a bad case of the tummy demons, it’s nice to move to the back of the line as to not poison the rest of the group behind you.
•Play nice. Follow the track rules, and don’t be arrogant when someone points out those rules. Crowded tracks need a set of standards to avoid injuries.
•Don’t cheat races.
•Inside lanes on tracks are for fast runners.
•Don’t literally push people forward when the starting gun has fired.
•Don’t complain about the workout of your group / partner.
•If running with someone slower, don’t pressure them to speed up.
•When your running on trails with your dog, clean up its mess.
original source - http://tinyurl.com/runningnonos
what dailymile is all about
It's for a number of reasons. #1) I'm at a different level of my training. #2) Its very stressful to always post your workouts when you aren't 100% #3) This site isn't designed for the serious athlete- a lot of people on here don't know what "real" training is. Everything is "good" or "great" I don't quite buy that. #4) I have a lot on my plate- need to stay focused ;)
Something smacked me across the face Sunday evening and left a bitter taste in my mouth. We all have reasons for living our lives as we do. Every person comes to daily mile for something different. Each of us takes away something different to apply in life. Whether it is one more mile run, a few seconds shaved off the PR, that last 5 pounds dropped, or to simply hear another voice express the thoughts in my own head.
- from TheUnaRunner.blogspot.com
Something smacked me across the face Sunday evening and left a bitter taste in my mouth. We all have reasons for living our lives as we do. Every person comes to daily mile for something different. Each of us takes away something different to apply in life. Whether it is one more mile run, a few seconds shaved off the PR, that last 5 pounds dropped, or to simply hear another voice express the thoughts in my own head.
- A person questioned the seriousness of Daily Mile. The idea is that Daily Mile is not for "the serious athlete". Who said Daily Mile has to be serious. Or silly. Or anything other than what you want it to be when you log in at that time.
- What you discover in exploring the posts of Daily Mile and fleshing out those relationships beyond the pages of the website is a plethora of emotion - joy, pain, suffering, elation, heartbreak, loss, rejuvenation and resurrection.
- Some friends have dealt with the loss of unborn children.
- More than a few friends have battled through serious injury to achieve amazing goals.
- A few are still sidelined by injury, dealing with the mental and emotional toll of not seeing the desired results. Sometimes "wanting" is not enough.
- One is wading through the devastation of a crumbling relationship.
- Another runs in memory of a lost loved one, but sidelined by illness.
- At least one friend runs alone. Without support of family.
- More than a few have made remarkable strides in health and weight loss, simply because.
- There is the amazing runner burned with Boston and another 4 months of running with a sliver of glass buried in her foot.
- Some run while struggling with unemployment, or work that is less than satisfying. Devoid of meaning.
- A person saw the light leading to better health, only to loss her closest friend.
- A few struggle with being overwhelmed by life. Work and family are all-consuming and little time is left for self.
- And I read several posts crying out over a loss of motivation. You can be so close to something awesome, only to veer off the track and get lost.
If you recognize any of these people I ask you not mention there names in the comments. Several people could fit into many of these examples and I would rather not call out someone publicly. Some are public with their own stories (guilty as charged), or you may have had private conversations and know the details. If so, send along a few words of encouragement.
The point of all this is to say that while Daily Mile may not be for "the serious athlete", it is a well of serious emotion. We come for the smiles, the laughter, the tears. The highs and lows. The congratulations and the condolences. Daily Mile is about living your best life possible.
- from TheUnaRunner.blogspot.com
2.92 miles in 24:43
by the time i got out to run this post-breakfast loop around town, the snow that had been falling pretty much non-stop all night had tapered off to nothing. the wind was absolutely calm and the sun, though you couldn't see it for all the cloud cover, was up making it a bit easier to see where i was going.
i made a valiant effort to beat my pre-breakfast cycling time on this route, but just couldn't pull off the upset. i had to be a bit more cautious than i had planned since more cars had been out to pack down the snow and expose the slippery slush below.
still, i had fun...more fun than any adult should be allowed to have in the snow. adults are supposed to be cranky and complain about the road conditions. not me! this was a treat! may even go out again at noon. we'll see.
i should get my fill of snow runs and rides this week. the predicted high temps aren't supposed to get above freezing until sometime on friday. could make basketball game trips and such very interesting.
i made a valiant effort to beat my pre-breakfast cycling time on this route, but just couldn't pull off the upset. i had to be a bit more cautious than i had planned since more cars had been out to pack down the snow and expose the slippery slush below.
still, i had fun...more fun than any adult should be allowed to have in the snow. adults are supposed to be cranky and complain about the road conditions. not me! this was a treat! may even go out again at noon. we'll see.
i should get my fill of snow runs and rides this week. the predicted high temps aren't supposed to get above freezing until sometime on friday. could make basketball game trips and such very interesting.
riding in a winter wonderland
snow! i woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. i was mesmerized as i watched it fall incessantly across the shaft of the yardlight out back. big, wet flakes by the thousands streaked through beam.
i had a decision to make. run or ride? obviously, riding on the highway on 700x23 tires was out. way too slick for that. i'm crazy, but not stupid. it was fat tires or feet. i tossed my options this way and that as i dressed and finally, when i stepped out into the garage opted to at least try for a mountain bike ride. if i fell at the end of the driveway, i'd just walk floyd back into the garage and go for a run.
all bundled up, i rolled slowly out. no need to wipe out badly. that's for teenagers. i wanted to stay upright. the snow in my face would be fun enough for me. landing hard on the ground at 44 is not as much fun as it was at 12. i made the turn onto the street with only the slightest of spinouts, so the ride was on. i rode my normal around town running route, thinking all the while that when i got back i could immediately hit the streets on foot for a duathlon of sorts. unfortunately, the loop took longer than expected and i was out of "before breakfast" time by the time i circled back around to home.
the ride was a blast! i was wearing my headlamp just under my helmet with glasses to shield my eyes from the wettest flakes. at times i could barely see two feet ahead of me. it was like rocketing through hyperspace in the millenium falcon only slower. there were a few times on the back streets i couldn't figure out exactly where the edges of the street was. that made for some interesting guess work.
i made it back around without hitting anything more solid than a crusty tire rut from an earlier car passing. distance and time stopped at the front end of my garage. the run was put on hold until after breakfast. we'll see if i can run this route faster than i rode it. (2.92 miles @ 7.7mph)
i had a decision to make. run or ride? obviously, riding on the highway on 700x23 tires was out. way too slick for that. i'm crazy, but not stupid. it was fat tires or feet. i tossed my options this way and that as i dressed and finally, when i stepped out into the garage opted to at least try for a mountain bike ride. if i fell at the end of the driveway, i'd just walk floyd back into the garage and go for a run.
all bundled up, i rolled slowly out. no need to wipe out badly. that's for teenagers. i wanted to stay upright. the snow in my face would be fun enough for me. landing hard on the ground at 44 is not as much fun as it was at 12. i made the turn onto the street with only the slightest of spinouts, so the ride was on. i rode my normal around town running route, thinking all the while that when i got back i could immediately hit the streets on foot for a duathlon of sorts. unfortunately, the loop took longer than expected and i was out of "before breakfast" time by the time i circled back around to home.
the ride was a blast! i was wearing my headlamp just under my helmet with glasses to shield my eyes from the wettest flakes. at times i could barely see two feet ahead of me. it was like rocketing through hyperspace in the millenium falcon only slower. there were a few times on the back streets i couldn't figure out exactly where the edges of the street was. that made for some interesting guess work.
i made it back around without hitting anything more solid than a crusty tire rut from an earlier car passing. distance and time stopped at the front end of my garage. the run was put on hold until after breakfast. we'll see if i can run this route faster than i rode it. (2.92 miles @ 7.7mph)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
not enough time
i really didn't have time for this ride. i woke up at 4:20 when my wake-the-dead clock went off. i felt awful, tired, drained, so i reset my alarm and went back to bed. i woke up on my own again an hour later. "i can ride 10 miles," i thought. i was probably right, but i pushed it to 12.
i don't really have time to be sitting here posting this. i've got to leave for oklahoma in 20 minutes. if i hadn't thought through most of what i wanted to say on the road, you wouldn't be getting this much. wish i had time to check in on rocketship (a.k.a Roopak S.) to see how his 40K time trial went. that will have to wait. i need a shower.
oh, before i forget! it was 20 degrees and the bar mitts worked great. no finger or thumb pain to speak of. (12.01 miles @ 15.9mph)
i don't really have time to be sitting here posting this. i've got to leave for oklahoma in 20 minutes. if i hadn't thought through most of what i wanted to say on the road, you wouldn't be getting this much. wish i had time to check in on rocketship (a.k.a Roopak S.) to see how his 40K time trial went. that will have to wait. i need a shower.
oh, before i forget! it was 20 degrees and the bar mitts worked great. no finger or thumb pain to speak of. (12.01 miles @ 15.9mph)
Friday, January 7, 2011
2.31 miles in 25:35
talked my wife into running outside with me. she agreed with some degree of trepidation. she's been running on the treadmill in the warmth and comfort of our house and wasn't so sure about how warm 45 degrees was. i assured her it would be plenty warm once we started running.
we walked three blocks to warm up and then started out running with the north wind at our backs. we ran down past the park and took a block west before heading north again. i'll admit running into the wind it did feel a bit chilly. we made it up to beech before we stopped for a walking break.
when we started running again we were headed west toward the farmer's co-op and the dark west side of town. thankfully, there was just enough sunlight left to avoid the potholes and large rocks.
we turned back east on garfield and headed back into town and then took a block south to the railroad tracks. we walked a little less than two blocks and then finished out the run with a six block stretch.
we walked the two and a half blocks home as our cool down.
we walked three blocks to warm up and then started out running with the north wind at our backs. we ran down past the park and took a block west before heading north again. i'll admit running into the wind it did feel a bit chilly. we made it up to beech before we stopped for a walking break.
when we started running again we were headed west toward the farmer's co-op and the dark west side of town. thankfully, there was just enough sunlight left to avoid the potholes and large rocks.
we turned back east on garfield and headed back into town and then took a block south to the railroad tracks. we walked a little less than two blocks and then finished out the run with a six block stretch.
we walked the two and a half blocks home as our cool down.
Who you should pray for...
Want to know something interesting?
Jesus only commands prayer for one kind of person. I checked. He doesn’t say, “Pray for your friends,” or “Pray for those who like you,” or “Pray for the gentle and kind and generous.” You can do all those things, but your Lord doesn’t order you to do so. He only demands prayer for your enemies, those who mistreat (Luke 6:27) and persecute (Matthew 5:44) you.
He knows us pretty well, doesn’t he? He knows we won’t pray for the nasty folks who hate us unless he directs us to, so he directs us to.
Who do you need to pray for today?
To receive my once or twice weekly message via email, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages are available at freegroups.net/groups/webmessage.
Jesus only commands prayer for one kind of person. I checked. He doesn’t say, “Pray for your friends,” or “Pray for those who like you,” or “Pray for the gentle and kind and generous.” You can do all those things, but your Lord doesn’t order you to do so. He only demands prayer for your enemies, those who mistreat (Luke 6:27) and persecute (Matthew 5:44) you.
He knows us pretty well, doesn’t he? He knows we won’t pray for the nasty folks who hate us unless he directs us to, so he directs us to.
Who do you need to pray for today?
To receive my once or twice weekly message via email, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages are available at freegroups.net/groups/webmessage.
red and squishy
what's the deal? it was 39 degrees this morning for crying out loud! that's too warm! how am i supposed to test my bar mitts under these conditions? grrrrr!
i slept late this morning and didn't get out on the road until after 5:45. yikes! even if my average speed doesn't look like it, i rode hard! there was this ginormous northwest wind that resisted my best efforts. grrrr!
a couple of interesting, out-of-the-ordinary things about this morning's ride: i spotted a mouse crossing the highway and i hit something red and squishy. not sure what the roadkill was, but it was fresh. i've got to pay more attention to the road in the dark. now i've got to clean my tires. (14.02 miles @ 14.3mph)
i slept late this morning and didn't get out on the road until after 5:45. yikes! even if my average speed doesn't look like it, i rode hard! there was this ginormous northwest wind that resisted my best efforts. grrrr!
a couple of interesting, out-of-the-ordinary things about this morning's ride: i spotted a mouse crossing the highway and i hit something red and squishy. not sure what the roadkill was, but it was fresh. i've got to pay more attention to the road in the dark. now i've got to clean my tires. (14.02 miles @ 14.3mph)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
confessions of a 44-year-old newbie
was a skinny, seventeen-year-old kid in June 1984 when I ran my first 10K race on the grounds of Chanute Air Force Base near Rantoul, Illinois. My Lieutenant Colonel uncle and nineteen-year-old cousin, an endurance race junkie, were my running companions, so to speak. The three of us lined up on the starting line together and at the gun, ran as one for about a half mile. At the half-mile point, or maybe a bit before then, my partners left me, a sprinter with no business running more than a mile, to fend for myself on the leftover fitness from my senior year track season. As a just-out-of-high-school sprinter, I felt miserable throughout the 6.2-mile race, but finished it without stopping to walk in just over fifty-four minutes. I stumbled off the course after crossing the line with no desire whatsoever to run another race over 400 meters ever again.
I wonder sometimes what kind of runner I would be by now if instead of loathing the pain of that first event, I had embraced it. When I allow myself to dream a bit, I imagine enduring 26.2 miles at a sub-six minute pace. As the seasoned veteran I see in my mind’s eye, I picture a wall full of first in age group medals hung on the wall beside the treadmill in my basement.
I am nothing like the runner I conjure up. I am a prematurely gray 44-year-old distance running newbie.
In July 2010, I bought my first new pair of running shoes in 26 years. Shortly after I made that purchase, I pulled my gray and red Nikes on and started training for my second 10K race. I was miserable at first. I couldn’t run for more than ten minutes without stopping to walk. During my first run, a three and a half mile walk/run trek around town, I felt nauseous over and over. I didn’t puke, but I thought more than once that I’d surely feel better if I did. My pace at the end was nearly twelve minutes per mile. If I hadn’t already committed money to the shoes and my word to participate in the Run for Missions 10K in October, I might have hung up my shoes then and there.
I’m not sure why, but I believed running would be easier than it was. I’d been cycling seriously for seven years, racking up enough miles to get me around the globe once. I was healthy and strong. How hard could it be to transfer fitness on two wheels to fitness on two feet? I thought. Maybe every newbie thinks the same way. Maybe it’s just me. I don’t know. All I know is this: starting to run is hard. It takes time for the lungs and heart and legs to adjust to the demands placed upon them. The fitness will come, but it won’t come without pain and persistence.
I’m kind of competitive, so when I started running with others I often pushed myself a bit too hard. I would try to keep up with a faster runner or the speedy group rather than hang back with the more sensible runners. This mistake led to many painful finishes as my energy was spent in the first mile and I had to drag myself through the rest of the run. If I’d run my speed instead of fighting to keep up with those who were clearly out of my league, I’d might have finished with a improved overall pace and felt a lot better. As it was, I ended more than my fair share of collective workouts feeling miserable. I’m more careful now about who I run with and how much beyond my regular comfort zone I allow myself to be pushed before I tell my friend to go ahead without me. Taking this tack has reduced my puke quotient and made me a ton happier. Following this plan and ignoring the urge to keep up with the speedy folks passing me at a 5K race on Thanksgiving Day gave me a new personal record at that distance.
I mentioned I’m a bit competitive, right? I laugh now, but I decided early in my running career to check my standing on the leader board on my favorite social network, DailyMile. I kept clicking on the ‘Show More’ link at the bottom of the page. I clicked so many times my pointer finger developed calluses. I’m exaggerating a little, but it was pretty ridiculous. I found myself somewhere around 847th place among my running friends. It was worse when I compared myself to ‘everyone’ on the site. I don’t look at my running leader board very often any more. I’m currently in 102ndamong my friends this week. I’m right behind my friend Patrick G from Wichita. (I peeked.) What good does this information do me? It does me no good, so I just stick with my plan and get in as many miles as I can now. No more comparison. I’m a newbie. I’m not going to be on the top of distance chart for a good long time. What I can do is more than enough for me to worry myself over.
I think you can see that I’m not the perfect runner. I’m not even sure I’m a good newbie. I’m just a guy that’s figuring stuff out. I still find some runs almost unbearably difficult. I occasionally forget and push too hard when I’m running with friends. Every once in awhile I look at the top ten runners on DailyMile and sigh wistfully. Then I turn my back on those experienced runners and do my own thing. I run my own pace which has gotten better. The nearly 12-minute per mile newbie has become a fairly consistent sub-8 newbie.
Now, don’t compare yourself to me. Get out there and run your pace! (originally posted on the DailyMile Community Blog)
I wonder sometimes what kind of runner I would be by now if instead of loathing the pain of that first event, I had embraced it. When I allow myself to dream a bit, I imagine enduring 26.2 miles at a sub-six minute pace. As the seasoned veteran I see in my mind’s eye, I picture a wall full of first in age group medals hung on the wall beside the treadmill in my basement.
I am nothing like the runner I conjure up. I am a prematurely gray 44-year-old distance running newbie.
In July 2010, I bought my first new pair of running shoes in 26 years. Shortly after I made that purchase, I pulled my gray and red Nikes on and started training for my second 10K race. I was miserable at first. I couldn’t run for more than ten minutes without stopping to walk. During my first run, a three and a half mile walk/run trek around town, I felt nauseous over and over. I didn’t puke, but I thought more than once that I’d surely feel better if I did. My pace at the end was nearly twelve minutes per mile. If I hadn’t already committed money to the shoes and my word to participate in the Run for Missions 10K in October, I might have hung up my shoes then and there.
I’m not sure why, but I believed running would be easier than it was. I’d been cycling seriously for seven years, racking up enough miles to get me around the globe once. I was healthy and strong. How hard could it be to transfer fitness on two wheels to fitness on two feet? I thought. Maybe every newbie thinks the same way. Maybe it’s just me. I don’t know. All I know is this: starting to run is hard. It takes time for the lungs and heart and legs to adjust to the demands placed upon them. The fitness will come, but it won’t come without pain and persistence.
I’m kind of competitive, so when I started running with others I often pushed myself a bit too hard. I would try to keep up with a faster runner or the speedy group rather than hang back with the more sensible runners. This mistake led to many painful finishes as my energy was spent in the first mile and I had to drag myself through the rest of the run. If I’d run my speed instead of fighting to keep up with those who were clearly out of my league, I’d might have finished with a improved overall pace and felt a lot better. As it was, I ended more than my fair share of collective workouts feeling miserable. I’m more careful now about who I run with and how much beyond my regular comfort zone I allow myself to be pushed before I tell my friend to go ahead without me. Taking this tack has reduced my puke quotient and made me a ton happier. Following this plan and ignoring the urge to keep up with the speedy folks passing me at a 5K race on Thanksgiving Day gave me a new personal record at that distance.
I mentioned I’m a bit competitive, right? I laugh now, but I decided early in my running career to check my standing on the leader board on my favorite social network, DailyMile. I kept clicking on the ‘Show More’ link at the bottom of the page. I clicked so many times my pointer finger developed calluses. I’m exaggerating a little, but it was pretty ridiculous. I found myself somewhere around 847th place among my running friends. It was worse when I compared myself to ‘everyone’ on the site. I don’t look at my running leader board very often any more. I’m currently in 102ndamong my friends this week. I’m right behind my friend Patrick G from Wichita. (I peeked.) What good does this information do me? It does me no good, so I just stick with my plan and get in as many miles as I can now. No more comparison. I’m a newbie. I’m not going to be on the top of distance chart for a good long time. What I can do is more than enough for me to worry myself over.
I think you can see that I’m not the perfect runner. I’m not even sure I’m a good newbie. I’m just a guy that’s figuring stuff out. I still find some runs almost unbearably difficult. I occasionally forget and push too hard when I’m running with friends. Every once in awhile I look at the top ten runners on DailyMile and sigh wistfully. Then I turn my back on those experienced runners and do my own thing. I run my own pace which has gotten better. The nearly 12-minute per mile newbie has become a fairly consistent sub-8 newbie.
Now, don’t compare yourself to me. Get out there and run your pace! (originally posted on the DailyMile Community Blog)
testing the bar mitts
i took my bar mitts - www.barmitts.com - out for a test ride this morning. they performed marvelously. i was disappointed that it was 31 degrees. temps in the teens is why i bought these things. why'd it have to warm up?
i left on my first out and back of the morning around 6:45 after running with my new partner, Andrew K. i pulled on my thermal gloves for this (almost) 14-miler. inside the bar mitts, my fingers and, more importantly, my thumbs stayed warm. it took some time to get used to the positioning options which were greatly reduced by the tight quarters, but all in all, i was well pleased.
after breakfast, i went out again. this time i intentionally took a step down in the glove department. i opted for my cotton liners under fingerless gloves. i kept my hands in the bar mitts for most of this (almost) 10-miler and, though my fingers and thumbs got a bit colder than they did in thermal gloves, they never got to the painful stage.
not much to report as far as the ride in general. same old, same old. it was dark and cold. i rode out and back to the west because the wind was blowing from that direction. what else can i say? (23.84 miles @ 15.0mph)
i left on my first out and back of the morning around 6:45 after running with my new partner, Andrew K. i pulled on my thermal gloves for this (almost) 14-miler. inside the bar mitts, my fingers and, more importantly, my thumbs stayed warm. it took some time to get used to the positioning options which were greatly reduced by the tight quarters, but all in all, i was well pleased.
after breakfast, i went out again. this time i intentionally took a step down in the glove department. i opted for my cotton liners under fingerless gloves. i kept my hands in the bar mitts for most of this (almost) 10-miler and, though my fingers and thumbs got a bit colder than they did in thermal gloves, they never got to the painful stage.
not much to report as far as the ride in general. same old, same old. it was dark and cold. i rode out and back to the west because the wind was blowing from that direction. what else can i say? (23.84 miles @ 15.0mph)
2.40 miles in 22:21
enjoyed another 2-miler with andrew this morning. we started off a little after 5:00 at a pretty good clip. it seemed a bit faster than our start on tuesday, but i can't be sure. no garmin and i didn't look at my watch. we ran around the same loop - 2.12 miles - in 17 seconds less than the first time. that gave us a 9:33 minute/mile pace. i ran the quarter mile or so home and brought my total to 2.4 miles for the day. my ending pace was 9:18 minutes per mile. a good day on the streets of argonia.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
my bar mitts arrived!
looking forward to trying these babies out. hope they keep my fingers warmer. thanks to eric mason for introducing me to www.barmitts.com!
3.10 miles in 22:54
i ran hard today...as hard as i could. i flew through the first mile. i flew through the second. i crashed and burned on the third. still, i hung on to the end and missed a new 5K PR by 8 seconds and didn't puke until 5 or 10 seconds after i stopped the clock. i'm getting better at controlling my nausea.
fear and smiles
this morning's ride started with fear (because of stupidity) and ended with (unexpected) smile.
i left my driveway just before 5:30 and headed up pine street toward the highway. as i neared the intersection of the two, i heard the deep rumble of a semi coming into town from the east. i spotted the trucks headlights as i rolled past the north end of the high school. he was still a little way off, but not far enough away that i felt comfortable shooting across the road before he got there. i should have stopped completely. instead, i slowed, looked left saw no cars coming and proceeded onto the left side of the road. seconds later a pickup pulled up to the highway on main street and turned east toward me. a glance over my shoulder told me i was in trouble. the truck i was still there and bearing down on my position. the smaller vehicle coming toward me was picking up speed. i did the only reasonable thing i could. i took my 700x23 tires, skinny as they are, into the ditch. i rode there until both vehicles had passed and then struggled back up onto the highway. tell your children not to do what i did. it was stupid! i am the bad example you've been looking for.
the middle part of the ride was your everyday, garden variety roll through the countryside. nothing terribly exciting happened. i didn't save any possums from death by semi. i didn't climb any giant hills. i just rode out to danville and turned around.
close to the end of my ride, though, a rather unusual thing happened. i had just looked up and figured out where i was (i sometimes space out while i'm riding in the dark and have to orient myself to my surroundings) when a car pulled up next to me driving slowly. the woman driving the VW bug rolled down her window and asked, "are you training or just exercising?" not sure how to answer that, i said, "yes." she didn't quite hear me, maybe because my balaclava muffled my voice, so i pulled the face mask down and repeated my answer.
"oh, it's you, mike," she said. "i didn't recognize you." it was michelle, my neighbor who's planning to compete in a local triathlon this year. i hadn't recognized her either.
"hi, michelle," i said. "have a great day!" with that she drove off and i finished out my last two miles with a smile on my face. (15.99 miles @ 14.8mph)
i left my driveway just before 5:30 and headed up pine street toward the highway. as i neared the intersection of the two, i heard the deep rumble of a semi coming into town from the east. i spotted the trucks headlights as i rolled past the north end of the high school. he was still a little way off, but not far enough away that i felt comfortable shooting across the road before he got there. i should have stopped completely. instead, i slowed, looked left saw no cars coming and proceeded onto the left side of the road. seconds later a pickup pulled up to the highway on main street and turned east toward me. a glance over my shoulder told me i was in trouble. the truck i was still there and bearing down on my position. the smaller vehicle coming toward me was picking up speed. i did the only reasonable thing i could. i took my 700x23 tires, skinny as they are, into the ditch. i rode there until both vehicles had passed and then struggled back up onto the highway. tell your children not to do what i did. it was stupid! i am the bad example you've been looking for.
the middle part of the ride was your everyday, garden variety roll through the countryside. nothing terribly exciting happened. i didn't save any possums from death by semi. i didn't climb any giant hills. i just rode out to danville and turned around.
close to the end of my ride, though, a rather unusual thing happened. i had just looked up and figured out where i was (i sometimes space out while i'm riding in the dark and have to orient myself to my surroundings) when a car pulled up next to me driving slowly. the woman driving the VW bug rolled down her window and asked, "are you training or just exercising?" not sure how to answer that, i said, "yes." she didn't quite hear me, maybe because my balaclava muffled my voice, so i pulled the face mask down and repeated my answer.
"oh, it's you, mike," she said. "i didn't recognize you." it was michelle, my neighbor who's planning to compete in a local triathlon this year. i hadn't recognized her either.
"hi, michelle," i said. "have a great day!" with that she drove off and i finished out my last two miles with a smile on my face. (15.99 miles @ 14.8mph)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
rocket ride!
i went to work a half hour early this morning so i'd have time for this quick ride at noon. it was 34 degrees when i checked the weather just before heading out. couldn't believe it was that warm. i didn't even wear a jacket! instead i pulled on my new project rwanda jersey for the first time. it looked awesome and made me feel great as i rocketed down the road into a slight southeast wind. wow! this was a fun one! (12.21 miles @ 18.8mph)
Crazy schedules...
I looked at my calendar this morning and nearly screamed! There's something happening almost every night and my weekends are jam packed. Just this week I have two high school basketball nights (one at home the other over 100 miles away), a junior high basketball night (60 miles to this one) and a Bible quiz bowl (over 150 miles away) in Chandler, Oklahoma.
I know I'm not alone. My friend Shane tweeted this just minutes ago: "Crazy looking week ahead. Dear Lord, help me to remember to give it all to you."
Great prayer! Fits really well with the words I read this morning in Matthew.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt 6:33-34)
I'm giving God the rest of this day and the rest of my week. How about you? Will you seek God and let him take care of your crazy schedule?
To receive my once or twice weekly message via email, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages are available at freegroups.net/groups/webmessage.
I know I'm not alone. My friend Shane tweeted this just minutes ago: "Crazy looking week ahead. Dear Lord, help me to remember to give it all to you."
Great prayer! Fits really well with the words I read this morning in Matthew.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt 6:33-34)
I'm giving God the rest of this day and the rest of my week. How about you? Will you seek God and let him take care of your crazy schedule?
To receive my once or twice weekly message via email, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages are available at freegroups.net/groups/webmessage.
2.71 miles in 21:49
after leaving andrew at his house, i wanted to run a bit more on my own. i walked back to the place where the two of us had stopped and took off from there. i was just going to run a second northside loop, but when i got to the railroad tracks, i decided to take in the south side of town too. my new headlamp was especially helpful on the river walk and on 20th avenue where the streetlights are further apart.
heading north, my face finally froze over. i didn't wear my balaclava today, just a skull cap, and paid for it in the last mile or so. still, everything else felt great and he was awesome to have a running partner for part of my workout time today!
heading north, my face finally froze over. i didn't wear my balaclava today, just a skull cap, and paid for it in the last mile or so. still, everything else felt great and he was awesome to have a running partner for part of my workout time today!
2.12 miles in 20:32
my alarm clock woke me up at 4:40 this morning. i usually wake up around then anyway, but i set it to make sure i was up and ready before andrew, my new running partner, showed up. he said he'd be at my house at 5:00 or 5:15 and he was. i waved at me through the fogged over storm door window. i waved him in and we stretched and talked quietly. i told him about dailymile and even showed him some of the features. he thought it was pretty cool and sounded like he'd give it a try. hope so.
after we were limbered up a bit, we went out and started running. he wanted to run around two miles, so we ran a loop around the northside of town. the best thing about this route is that it passes by both of our houses, making it easy for meet ups.
andrew was awesome! he ran a fairly steady pace for most of the loop. he asked good questions and put what little advice i had to offer into practice immediately. he was hitting his heels at the beginning of the run and i mentioned it. it was fixed immediately. no sense in starting out wrong and having to unlearn a bad habit.
i ran for the first time with my new headlamp. my father- and mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas and it was awesome. kept us from twisting our ankles on the dark westside of town.
after we crossed main street on the south side, andrew started feeling a bit of a cramp or something - not sure exactly what he said - so we slowed down a bit. we zigzagged back past my house and ran up to a block south of his. we stopped there and walked to his house talking the whole way.
"thursday morning same time, same place?" i asked. "yeah, see ya thursday," he said. woohoo!
after we were limbered up a bit, we went out and started running. he wanted to run around two miles, so we ran a loop around the northside of town. the best thing about this route is that it passes by both of our houses, making it easy for meet ups.
andrew was awesome! he ran a fairly steady pace for most of the loop. he asked good questions and put what little advice i had to offer into practice immediately. he was hitting his heels at the beginning of the run and i mentioned it. it was fixed immediately. no sense in starting out wrong and having to unlearn a bad habit.
i ran for the first time with my new headlamp. my father- and mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas and it was awesome. kept us from twisting our ankles on the dark westside of town.
after we crossed main street on the south side, andrew started feeling a bit of a cramp or something - not sure exactly what he said - so we slowed down a bit. we zigzagged back past my house and ran up to a block south of his. we stopped there and walked to his house talking the whole way.
"thursday morning same time, same place?" i asked. "yeah, see ya thursday," he said. woohoo!
Monday, January 3, 2011
1.86 miles in 14:16
didn't have a lot of time to run since i get to go back to work after a week's vacation this morning. (yes, i love my job, so i meant to say "get" in that last sentence.) i went up to the school with my wife, dropped her off and then started running from where i was.
i started out running at a decent pace with intentions to run around the outside edges of town. when i decided i didn't have the time, i suddenly felt the urge to sprint. so i did. i sprinted a block and then ran two. then i sprinted a block again. i ran two more blocks and then sprinted to main street. two more blocks and another sprint hit me. then it was run a block, sprint a block, run a block, sprint a block back to where i began. i finished out my run with at a slightly slower paced run back home.
i don't know if that's what you call speed work or fartlek or what, but it was fun. tiring, yes, but definitely fun!
i started out running at a decent pace with intentions to run around the outside edges of town. when i decided i didn't have the time, i suddenly felt the urge to sprint. so i did. i sprinted a block and then ran two. then i sprinted a block again. i ran two more blocks and then sprinted to main street. two more blocks and another sprint hit me. then it was run a block, sprint a block, run a block, sprint a block back to where i began. i finished out my run with at a slightly slower paced run back home.
i don't know if that's what you call speed work or fartlek or what, but it was fun. tiring, yes, but definitely fun!
no more hazing!
i had a conversation with a friend on dailymile about cold weather workouts which included a discussion about foggy sunglasses. for some reason i suddenly remembered an old trick someone had told me about sometime last year. a friend suggested putting dishsoap on the lenses. i mentioned it to my training partner and promised a report after i'd tried it out. yesterday afternoon i rubbed a dab of dishsoap on my glasses lenses, just a thin layer, and then left them to dry.
today was the perfect day to test this solution to the fogging problem. it was 18 degrees out when i got up at 4:45. the wind was fairly calm. i checked in on DM while i dressed and then headed out the door.
the results were amazing! for the first time in weeks, i could actually see clearly! i rode for almost an hour and a half and never even saw the hint of haziness. i'm going to mark my log every day now to see how long an application lasts. that way i'll be able to preemptively strike at the fog in the future. hope this tip helps some other cold weather riders and runners. (20.04 miles @ 14.1mph)
today was the perfect day to test this solution to the fogging problem. it was 18 degrees out when i got up at 4:45. the wind was fairly calm. i checked in on DM while i dressed and then headed out the door.
the results were amazing! for the first time in weeks, i could actually see clearly! i rode for almost an hour and a half and never even saw the hint of haziness. i'm going to mark my log every day now to see how long an application lasts. that way i'll be able to preemptively strike at the fog in the future. hope this tip helps some other cold weather riders and runners. (20.04 miles @ 14.1mph)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
3.12 miles in 25:27
no more zeros! i warmed up a bit inside after completing my "coldest temp" PR ride this morning and then headed out for a run around town. i had to make sure everything was okay in the new year. i'm happy to report that all of argonia looked just like it did yesterday. no changes in the town so far in 2011.
there are a few changes in me, though. i've not run more miles this year than i did in the first seven months of 2011! more than three times as many! next year on january 1, i will not (i hope) be able to say the same thing after my first run! can't wait to see what improvements and PRs this year brings. i'm starting my half marathon training soon. see you monday!
there are a few changes in me, though. i've not run more miles this year than i did in the first seven months of 2011! more than three times as many! next year on january 1, i will not (i hope) be able to say the same thing after my first run! can't wait to see what improvements and PRs this year brings. i'm starting my half marathon training soon. see you monday!
one for the record books
i hate zeros, so i had to get out and zap this year's place holder before it got too comfy. i woke up at 6:15 and headed to the computer to see what the weather was like. i saw the 7 at the bottom of the screen before i sat down. that was 5 degrees cooler than the predicted low! i brought up the weatherlab and confirmed the temp: 7 degrees. with even a slight breeze, that's cold! i almost went back to bed. i couldn't do it. the zero was there. it had to go.i was so distracted by the 7 that remained on the screen the entire time i was dressing that i had to take off my shoes more than once to put on a layer i'd forgotten to pull on. first i put on my shoes without my second pair of socks. then i had to pull them off again to put on the second sock on my left foot. then i had to pull them and my shoe covers off to put on my wind pants. i finally got it right and got everything else in place. i was ready...sort of.
i felt great for the first block or two of this ride. the houses blocked the wind. my body was still enjoying the residual warmth of the 39 degree garage air. harsh reality had not yet burst the "this is going to be epic" bubble yet. i was happy! "happy new year, tree! happy new year, squirrel! watch out for cars! happy new year, wind!" i take that last one back.
the wind wasn't much to speak of, but it doesn't have to be gale force to cause problems when it's stupid cold out. it just has to puff and the wind chill drops four degrees.
last year i rode 20.10 miles to start out 2010, so i wanted to ride 20.11 miles to start out 2011 thus creating a tradition. i'm not a very traditional guy, but i like rites of passage like this. what could it hurt? i thought. turns out it could hurt nearly everything south of the hypothalamus. my fingers paid the highest price. i had to pull them out of their glove slots into the palm of the glove every other mile so they could snuggle with one another for warmth. that's not as easy to manage while rolling down the highway as it sounds.
i rode out to 10.05 miles and turned around. my average speed at that point was somewhere around 13.1mph. with the wind at my back, i actually gained a bit and ended my ride with an average a mile per hour faster than that. plunging down l'alpe d'anville i actually hit 28.3mph! pretty fast for a frigid day.
my 20.11 miles are logged now along with the 8 degree average temp. it was 9 when i got back. easy math! i had to create a new color code for the first time in years. since i'd never averaged in the single digits, a bold dark blue was all i needed. today i added a lighter, icy blue highlight to the temp cell. i hope i don't have to use that color code again for a good long time. i don't really want to set "coldest ride ever" PRs every day. monday's low is supposed to be in the 20s, so the future's looking good! (20.11 miles @ 14.1mph)
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