Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K pre-race sentiments

In a couple of days the family and I will be traveling to southern Virginia for this race.  It has been several months since our family has gone on a trip.  We typically commute eight hours to Maine for our family trips.  The four hour commute to Virginia should be well received by our kids.

I fully expect the starting corrals should alleviate congestion on the roads containing 40,000 runners. In order to qualify for a corral you had to submit a link to race results from a previous 10K race.  I used my 46:55 at the 2010 Beach to Beacon 10K in order to qualify for the third or "C" corral.  Each corral is comprised of 1500 runners. I will be among the first 2250 runners with some 37,000+ runners behind me.

I feel I am poised to set a personal record for ten kilometers.  I am slightly concerned about the temperatures being cold for race time. It looks like race start temps may be in the low 40's.  This could have an adverse impact on race times.  Another concern is there is a 30 percent chance or rain on Saturday.

I enjoy being among the crowds for big races.  Everyone shares a common bond for running.  And many people have motivational stories behind the running avocation.  This race will be especially interesting because there is an organizer sponsored contest for costumed runners.  I almost forgot to mention there will be many bands playing along the course, diving the whole event a carnival atmosphere.

I've set an ambitious goal of running a sub 45 minute 10K. That would represent a two minute improvement in my time.  I would venture a guess I will finish in 45:40 at the 2011 Ukrops Monument Ave 10K race.

Elizabethtown's Frozen Foot 5K results

UPDATE: May 9th (two months later) and the results are not posted for this race.  You would think college students would be proficient at posting material to the web.  There's a $100 award for breaking the course record.  The organizer's should use the $100 and pay a student to enter the results on the web.

This past Sunday, the last of the annual three part Frozen Foot series 5K races was held at the Elizabethtown college.  This race was held at 2:00 pm.  The weather for this race was sunny and 50 degrees with a very slight wind.

I wanted to use this race as a test for how effective my training has been over the winter. I have to admit I was somewhat reluctant to run this race for fear of a poor performance. I have run about 200 miles of training since my last race.  You want to believe there's a correlation between the quality of your training and the results you achieve in races.

This race was also going to be a barometer for my upcoming 10K race in Richmond, Virginia.  The Ukrops Monument Avenue 10 K is only two weeks away.  Will I have the stamina to turn in a sub 45 minute 10K?

It's a very short commute to Elizabethtown for me - about thirty minutes.  I used my old Garmin automotive GPS to get me to the college.  Unfortunately the GPS took me to one street south of where I needed to be.  Normally this is not an issue, but I had arrived at 1:40pm for this race and only had twenty minutes to prepare for the start. I then parked about 300 yards away from the registration building in order to avoid driving around a parking lot several times searching for an open space.

After paying the walk up or late registration fee of $30 (w/out a shirt) I began my preparations for the race.  I met my fellow Palmyra run-bud Jarrod Kulp at the starting line.  Jarrod is a couple of years younger than I.  I graduated high school with his older brother Robert.

As the race was to begin I was discussing the course layout with Jarrod when another gentleman named Nathan Putt also confirmed the course was a very fair one.  I introduced Jarrod and I to Nathan after the race.  I believe Jarrod and Nathan had played together in church sport leagues of some sort before.  Turns out Nathan is a barn-burner who consistently turns in sub twenty minute five kilometer performances and is from the Middletown area.

There appeared to be nearly 500 hundred participants on hand at the starting line.  I began to become slightly concerned about jockeying for position and/or being tripped in the course of the initial starting free-for-all. Fortunately, the concerns were not merited.

As it turns out, the race was on a very fair course, as advertised.  There was a hill at the end of the first mile which resulted in myself changing to a more conservative race pace for fear of another hill - which I may or may not have been prepared to tackle. The only knock on this course would be their are a fair number of turns required to complete the course.

I finished this 5K race in a time of  22:39.  I felt I had run a good race, i.e., I did not crash and burn at the end of the race. My mile splits were 7:08,7:37, and 7:11.  I believe my training is yielding dividends from an endurance perspective - I could have run another 5K after the race, albeit at a slower speed.  That would have be unheard of last year.

I noticed the race bibs for the series runners were the twenty nine cent, plain jane, number only format.  In today's day and age of computerized graphics printing, there's no excuse for the el-cheapo race bibs.  Many runners save their bibs and proudly display them at work or home.  Race bibs in general are void of artistic merit- I am not sure why.

I believe I have a very good chance of breaking 45 minutes for the Ukrops Monument Ave 10K in two weeks.  Hopefully the weather will be slightly warmer and my adrenaline rushing from the runners and crowds of over 50,000 people will propel myself to a new ten kilometer personal record.

Chambersburg Half Marathon results

For the majority of the week preceding this run I was very concerned about the weather for this race.  Being mid-March we could have been running this race in weather spanning from snow to sunshine.  I had not anticipated my own health deteriorating.  After contending with my sons' colds, flus and croup over the last several weeks, I finally succumbed to the flu Friday morning.

I awoke at 5:00 am on Saturday morning with a lingering bout of the sniffles and a cough.  My situation was not acute enough to warrant skipping the race.  I have not run competitively for four months and was very anxious to run a race.  Because I was ill, I had slept the entire evening before and did not pack my gear the night prior.  I did very well packing my gear at 5:00 am for this race.  I packed several potential race time outfits and a complete outfit for after the race.  I packed several race time outfits because I was not sure how windy the morning would be.  I did not want to be drenched in perspiration and have the cold winds blow through my clothing and make the outing fitting for a polar bear. I packed an outfit for after the race because I would be both foul smelling and drenched with perspiration.

The drive to Chambersburg requires little more than an hour for me and most of the commute is on a major highway.  I left my house about 6:00am and stopped at a Giant food store for some pre-race food such as orange juice, bananas, a PowerBar energy bar, etc.  The temperature at 6:00am was 39 degrees, which at the time was promising.  I had anticipated the temperature rising several degrees until the 8:30am race time. Unfortunately, the temperature did not rise due to a very cool breeze which kicked up about a half hour before race time and persisted throughout much of the race.

This race was held at the Chambersburg middle school. Using the condition of the men's room as a barometer, the school is in need of funds for refurbishment.  Similar to our middle school in Palmyra, the building is past its prime. I noticed the walls were plastered with signs to the effect of "Believe in Yourself" and "You Can Do It".  This is in contrast to the "Go Cougars" pep rally centric signs I can remember adorning our high school walls back in my day.

Parking accommodations were very good, or at least for someone who arrived an hour early for the race.  The lot was very full once the race began.

I ran a similar race in a rustic farmland setting in July of 2009 in Ephrata. It was called the Freshburst Five Miler and was sponsored by the local Johnson & Johnson plant.  It was one of the most enjoyable races I have run because of the fresh country air and peaceful rural landscapes.  I was looking forward to this run as the course was located in a very similar rural setting.

The registration for the race was slightly congested.  It appeared a cafeteria or gymnasium was being used for registration.  Instead of locating the registration tables at the rear of the room to allow for a long line to span from the front receiving door to the tables, the tables were placed at the front of the room near the door.  This resulted in a very long line outside of the receiving door well into the hallway.  This was not a major downer in any way.  I met a gentleman named Steve who appeared to be in his 50's while waiting in line.  We swapped  stories regarding how we started running until we arrived at the registration table.

I had about a half hour before the 8:30 am race time to determine what I was going to wear for the race. I am not sure why, but the temperature was not much warmer than two hours earlier and a stiff breeze was present.
I decided to don my shorts, long sleeve technical shirt, and a hat and then jog around the parking lot to get an indication for how well I would be able to withstand the relatively cool temperature.  I was cold with the wind.

I was imagining someone throwing a bucket of water upon on me and then running thirteen miles.  I am drenched with perspiration after a race.  I decided I would have to contend with hypothermia if I ran without a jacket. I decided to opt for long running pants and a jacket for this race.  After all, I was running this race strictly for fun as a long distance workout for my upcoming Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K race in Virginia.

In the time leading up to a race you see runners with all kinds of gear, hair, attitudes, etc.  I had the occasion for this race to be parked next to a gentleman who apparently has issues with nipple chaffing.  As he stood behind his car bare-chested in the 40 degree weather, he proceeded to place square duct-tape adhesive patches over his nipples.  Add one more use for multi-purposed duct tape.

The race went off without a hitch.  I knew I had to conserve energy for very large hills at around miles three and ten.  I had possessed no other strategy. I was merely on a fun run with no predetermined goals, split times or expectations in general.

I breezed through the first six miles, began to falter in the seventh mile, and completely bonked in the eight mile.  I would like to attribute my poor performance to both having the flu and a course which was tougher than I had anticipated.  For a newbie half marathoner like myself, this was not a venue for a good first time experience.

The hills were omni-present. I don't mind hills in my training, because they build your muscles and a lot of character.  When you run a half marathon, no one asks you about the difficulty of the course.  This course was not easy.  If you are a seasoned half marathon and want a course (and conditions) to test your mettle, then this is the course for you.  I was eaten alive by this course.

There was a photographer taking pictures at the beginning of the run and at the end of the run.  For all I know, it was the same spot on this out and back course. I was straddling a delirious state at the end of the race.   In any event, I would love to compare my fresh faced early picture at the beginning of the race versus my dogged tired picture at the end of the race. I hope the pictures are affordable.

I finished a couple seconds over 2 hours and 5 minutes.   My post race sentiments were a mixed bag.  I was glad I had the drive to finish this race.  I was disappointed because I am arriving at the realization  long distance running is not a forte of mine. I finished 226th out of 323 runners.  I am most proficient at the shorter distances of one mile and five kilometers (3.1 miles).  I feel as though I am potentially  throwing in the towel with regard to pursuing half marathons and marathons, but I have to look at my historical track record and accept I am not very good at running long.

I admire those who can run long distances and need to learn to not feel deficient in any way because I can't run long.  As the phrase goes, "You gotta use what your mama gave ya."  I don't have long running genes.

Chambersburg Half Marathon preparations

The 32nd annual Chambersburg Half Marathon will be run this Saturday March 12th at 8:30 am.  As race day approaches I am asking myself  "Why did I sign up for this race ?'  This is a very long distance for my current running skill level.  I was exhausted after my recent twelve mile training run on a relatively flat set of roads.

I will be running this race to serve as a baseline fitness test to use as a barometer for measuring my running improvement in the future.  I have to be extremely conservative for this race as this distance is on the upper bounds of my current fitness level.  The course is a tough one as their website makes mention of several challenging hills.

The results from the last eleven years of this race are posted on the website http://www.chambersburghalf.org/results.aspx.

Using the results from 2009 (the race in 2010 was plagued by rain and high winds) over 80% of the field finished in times with a pace faster than ten minutes per mile.  You could make an argument that runners whose pace is slower than ten minutes per mile are recreational runners.  This race field will contain a larger portion of seasoned veteran runners than normal.  This race should have about three hundred entrants - barring inclement race day weather.

The picture above is from the photography company named U.S. Candids and was shot at the 2010 race.  Because the race will most likely begin (at 8:30 am) with temperatures in the mid 30's and potentially end with temps in the low 40's, it will be difficult finding the appropriate level of attire to maintain a manageable comfort level throughout the race.  Notice in the picture above there is a runner wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts and in contrast there are runners wearing long pants, coats, and hats.

A critical factor in determining what I will wear Saturday will be the presence, or lack of, wind.  If there is any wind present I will wear a running windbreaker. As anyone who has run in the cold with a prevailing wind can attest to, the combination of a sweat laden top and a cold wind sends a debilitating (and demoralizing) chill throughout your body.  I am not sure if the weather forecast for this Saturday morning will have any mention of the estimated wind speeds.

I am not at all concerned about my finishing time for this race but would expect to finish between the 2 hour and 2 hour and 5 minute mark.  This race will serve as my long training run for this week.

February 2011 Review

I have cataloged my training runs since May of 2009 using both the Garmin Connect and the Running Ahead web sites. At the end of every month I like to compare my set of training runs for the month to the year's prior training runs.

In February of 2010 I ran eleven times for a total of sixty-four miles.  This year I was only able to run nine times for a total of fifty-five miles in the month of February.  We had a very cold spell during the second week of February this year which resulted in losing nearly a week of training.  One major difference between February 2010 and 2011 is I worked out ten times this February, albeit using a Nintendo Wii fitness game by EA Sports called Active 2. Overall, I am much more fit this year.

It's my hope my training is more focused this year.  By focused I am referring to the types of the running used to train such as interval training, threshold training and long distance running.  I had purchased the Jack Daniels Running Formula book with the hopes of following a prescribed regimen religiously.  I have not been able to following the training workout by workout.

One major accomplishment during February 2011 was a twelve mile training run.  This was the longest training run I have ever completed.  Although as is so often with my long runs, I had a problems with my kidneys again.

I have about four weeks until I run the Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K.  I have been training diligently for this race, but have not by any means over-trained during this past month.

Chambersburg Half Marathon

The 32nd running of the Chambersburg Pa Half Marathon will be held on Saturday March 12th.  For those of you who are not familiar with running, a half marathon translates into 13.1 miles.  I registered for this race today.  I have decided to use this race as a training session, i.e., a comfortable, easy paced long distance run.  This race is very affordable at $40 per entrant and finisher's medals will be awarded.

I have every intention on going into this race as a personal fun run.  I am not going to push to hit any specific finishing time.  Instead I am going to run based on how well I feel as I progress through the race.  One concern I have is which pair of shoes to wear for this race.  I like to wear lighter shoes for races, but for a race of this distance I may need to don heavier and more supportive training shoes.  I will most likely be running for nearly two consecutive hours to finish this race.

The course contains some formidable hills which should serve to build leg strength.  I'll need to be cognizant of fluid replenishment throughout the run. Hydrating adequately prior to a run is an artful endeavor.  Hydrate too much and you'll need to make a port-a-potty stop during the race. For this race, a bathroom break would not be critical because I am not running for time.

Last year a business named US Candids took pictures at this race.  It appears last year's race was both cold and wet after viewing the pictures on their website. I believe the same business will  be on hand this year again.

I enjoy running within a large group.  There is some type of energy I feed off of during these runs.  It's been several months since I have run a race and I am looking forward to toeing up to the starting line soon in Chambersburg.

Taste of Spring

Last Thursday and Friday we experienced temperatures in the upper 60's. I had an all day training class at work on Friday. I decided to leave work early on Thursday and go for a run.

Since I had a window of several hours available for this run, I decided to do a long run.  My last effort at a long run the weekend prior failed miserably as I had to abort the run after about three miles due to inexplicably premature and excessive fatigue.

Running is not an easy endeavor, but when you are in decent shape and the weather is comfortable, a run can be exhilarating. My Thursday long run was an exhilarating run.   I completed ten miles and still had some energy left in the tank.  I even ran the ten miles at a decent clip.

I keep track of my run pace and distance using my Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS watch.  My winter runs are always much slower than my spring and fall runs.  I believe I have trained fairly hard this winter although you would be hard pressed to tell from the paces and times I have been logging.  My successful ten mile run suggests I am running longer more effectively.

I have intentions of running a marathon again but I feel I am still two years away from being able to run twenty six miles with any level of competitiveness.  Two years from now would place us in the year 2013, which coincidentally would mark my 50th year on God's green earth.

Use It OR Lose It versus Use It AND Lose It

During a family gathering this past holiday season I had someone comment about my fitness regimen.  In typical intra-family fashion (at least for myself) the comment was not an endearing one - it was of a foreboding nature. The gist of the comment was your body was only good for a certain amount of exertion - be it work or exercise.  Instead of climbing toward the mountain top of excellent health I was depleting my fixed supply tank of life.

I have always possessed a concern I do not exceed my fitness bounds to the extent where my transgression results in a hospital stay.  I ran a marathon in the fall of 2009 where I believe I suffered kidney damage due to dehydration and an extreme muscle protein breakdown.  (Rhabdomyolysis)

Last weekend I completed a 4.5 mile interval run on Saturday and then tried to do a long easy run (8 miles) on Sunday.  I had to prematurely end the Sunday run because I simply had no energy.  Nothing in the tank.  I could not attribute my poor performance to being sick..  I was going to attempt to mentally muscle through the eight mile run, but thought better to listen to what my body was telling me.

I believe if you are not careful, you can "Use it AND Lose it."  Like most things in life, moderation is the key. I also believe by the grace of God,  He has allowed me on a couple of occasions to temporarily exceed my limits. Case in point, during my first year of training I attempted a 13 mile run well before I was physically prepared for this level of effort.  Long story short, I nearly fainted along a road having succumbed to dehydration and most likely several more ailments.

Running Eyewear

I have worn eyeglasses for nearly forty years.  I am nearsighted, i.e. I can only see objects very close to me.  My eyesight is extremely poor without my glasses.  One of the items which was part of the convergence of several factors responsible for my recent discovery of running was improved contact lens technology. For years I had spurned wearing contact lenses because I suffered from my eyes incessantly drying out and consequently blinking profusely throughout the day in an effort to keep them moist.

Two years ago I began wearing contact lenses to facilitate running.  I have never attempted to run while wearing  eye glasses because of the jostling upon the bridge of my nose that I would need to endure. I recently had my eyes examined and was issued a new set of prescription contact lenses. They were the Acuvue OASYS brand of lenses.  They were slightly more expensive than my last prescription.  The additional cost was meritorious as  they are a very breathable and hence a more comfortable lens than my previous pair.  Once they are in I do not know I am wearing them.

In addition to new contact lenses, I purchased a new pair of sunglasses for running.  The gamut of sunglass types vary from the bargain store $9.95 variety to the likes of Rudy Project sunglasses for over $300.  I was able to find a nice value and performance blend with a brand named Tifosi.  One of the features of the Tifosi glasses are interchangeable lenses.  Another nice feature is the frames themselves are bendable.  They will not break or crack if you accidentally sit on them. Of course, these design considerations are immaterial if you lose your sunglasses.

Tifosi offered several different styles of sunglasses for a variety of purposes.  I ordered the Tyrant Carbon sunglasses (model T-VP420) which feature a small hole on the lens itself to facilitate airflow through the lens and reduce fogging during strenuous exercise.  The lenses are photo-chromatic, i.e. they lighten and darken according to the existing conditions.  The lenses are also polarized, which serves to significantly reduce the sun's glare at most all angles. I believe that lenses also protect against UVA and UVB rays.

I have completed a couple of runs with the new sunglasses and I am content with both the optics and fit.  On each of the days I ran with them, the sky was of the overcast and cloudy variety.  I may have a more glowing review after wearing them on a sunny day.  Note that these glasses are designed for persons with a narrow or small face.  They would  fit very tightly on a person with a larger face/head.

http://www.tifosioptics.com/

Fitness training incorporating elastic or stretch bands

 One piece of exercise equipment which has been a pleasant surprise within my EA Sports Active 2 virtual training program has been the stretch band.  I was somewhat incredulous when I first encountered this fitness accessory.  How much resistance could a glorified runner band provide ?

I love the stretch bands for several reasons.  First and foremost the bands are lightweight.  I don't need to lug heavy dumb bells throughout the house.  I also do not have to be concerned about tripping over a dumb bell.

Another elastic band benefit is you can not rock or contort your body to cheat with repetitions as is prevalent with weight training.  I used to train at a gym where it was not uncommon for guys curling eighty pound dumbbells while emphatically rocking their bodies in a pendulum motion.  In effect, they were swinging the weights back and forth instead of lifting them.

Another benefit is a more evenly distributed resistance curve.  When lifting a weight, the most exertion is at the onset of the repetition to set the weight in motion.  Once the weight is in motion, the effort is not as significant. Once you arrive at the apex of a repetition, you can 'park' the weights before you begin the negative or second part of the repetition.   You are exerting the most force at the apex of a repetition with an elastic band.

My only misgiving with the elastic bands is I have not seen a great diversity in the elasticities available for the bands.  I sometimes wish I had a band which was more difficult to stretch.  However, my intent is not to add muscle bulk, but to merely tone my muscles.

Aversion to Treadmill Running

This winter is proving to be one of the harsher winters in recent memory.  I believe we have had snow covering the ground for about a month.  Last night we received precipitation which resulted in a quarter inch sheet of ice which blanketed everything.  My car was completely enveloped in ice.

Ever increasingly I read about professional runners who incorporate treadmill running into their off-season or winter regimen.   I imagine if you are based in a state where the winter climate is too hazardous to venture outside for a run, then a treadmill would fall into the category of a necessity.

I am not sure of this origin of this sentiment, but I currently do not like to run on a treadmill.  Running on a treadmill feels very mechanical and is bereft of the sights and sounds of a run through real streets and neighborhoods.   I guess in a word I regard treadmill running as sterile.

When I began running in February of 2009, I initially opted to run on a treadmill because I did not want to be embarrassed in public due to my lack of confidence in my ability to complete a run without walking.

I may be guilty of a manifestation of excess testosterone with my treadmill running aversion.  I no longer have the fear of physically breaking down miles from my house.  In some regards, I feel like a modern day frontiersman navigating through God's wilderness when I run outdoors.  However, if this poor weather persists I may be forced to adjust my attitude regarding treadmill training.

January 2011 Month End Review

In terms of running, this month was a difficult one. We had a fair amount of inclement weather, i.e. snowfall. However in terms of physical conditioning, January 2011 marked a milestone in my adult life. I have finally begun an exercise regimen which incorporates both aerobic and strength training components. The irony is it required a Nintendo Wii game console and an EA Sports Active version 2 exercise game to provide the motivation for initiating this regimen.

Last year during the month of January I ran sixteen times for a total of about 63 miles. This equates to an average run length of about four miles. This January I only ran ten times for a total of 61 miles. This equates to a average run length of a little over six miles. Since my next race will be a 6.2 miler (10K), I have become well acclimated to running that distance - albeit at a pace slower than race day pace.

Last January it appears I favored more of a 5K tempo run approach to my training. Of my sixteen runs, only two of them exceeded five miles. In contrast, seven of my ten runs exceeded five miles this January. One of the things I have read recently is that you need to have a solid base of long distance running (Lydiard?) before moving up the running training pyramid.

My long run for this past week was eight miles. I broke up the run into 4.5 mile and 3.5 mile segments. I stopped at my house for a minute between segments for fluid replenishment. I typically drink Gatorade but was out of stock. I drank orange juice. I don't believe the OJ was a hindrance on the second segment, but I did not get the energy boost I had anticipated.

Motivational Ebbs and Flows

There are many occasions where I am readying myself to embark on another training run and I ask myself "What am I doing ?" It would be much easier to lay on the couch and watch one more episode of ABC's Lost series I am catching up on. Why am I leaving the warm confines of my house to expose myself to temperatures below freezing ?

At this juncture, I am mentally and physiologically hard wired to run. Due to the extremely cold we have been experiencing recently, I have only been able to run four times in the last two weeks. These runs have been very enjoyable because I have had ample to time to recover between runs. I feel as though I am not in any way depleted from a prior run.

As best as I can describe, there's something inside which is driving me each week to climb higher up the mountain - currently my mountain is a sub 45 minute finish at the Ukrops Monument Ave 10K in Richmond Va. I believe most people have a desire to be good at something - whether it is making crafts, cooking, fixing things, etc. I really would like to be good at running. It hasn't been an easy trek to date, but I am making progress.

It's important to internalize a motivational force. If you rely solely on an external source for your motivation, your heart will not be into your efforts in the absence of this source.

I had the opportunity to meet the late Jack Lalane at a motivational speaking engagement at the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania some thirty years ago. He preached the three P's at that time ; pride, persistence, and passion. These elements provide a solid motivational foundation for everyone.

Nike Sneakers - Kudos

I am not very fond of mainstream brands. Our family does not eat at McDonald's or at fast food restaurants in general. I do not care for either the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Yankees. My wife and I do not currently own any Ford or Chevy vehicles. By the same token, in the past I have not been very fond of Nike footwear because of it's identity as the preeminent manufacturer of mainstream athletic footwear and their pervasive marketing campaigns.

I own three pairs of Nike sneakers ; Nike Vomero 4, LunarFly+, and LunaRacer +2. I love each pair of these shoes.

I use the Vomeros as durable everyday trainers. Why do I like the Vomeros ? I am not a heel strike runner - I place a premium on forefoot cushioning when evaluating my comfort with a prospective sneaker. The Vomeros have a level of forefront cushioning that I have not found equaled on any other shoe I have trained with to date. For whatever reason, it appears the majority of sneakers made today have a large part of their design centered upon heel cushioning.

I use the LunaryFly+'s primarily for tempo and interval work. These shoes are lighter than the Vomeros and have a tighter fabric-like weave than the open mesh of the Vomeros. My LunarFly+'s are black - this is fine for the winter, but the jury is still out for the summer in terms of overheating my feet. I ran seven miles in these yesterday and I felt like I was floating on air during the entire run. Again, these sneakers have excellent forefoot cushioning.

I have not run in the LunaRacer+2's to date. As the name implies these sneakers are very lightweight road racing sneakers. My initial impression of the sneakers from walking around in the house with them is they also have excellent forefront cushioning. I will run 10-15 miles in these shoes before I break them out for my next race at the Ukrops Monument Ave 10K race in April.

I have to give Nike credit for the excellent product line I have been exposed to so far. While I am sometimes overwhelmed by Nike's presence on athletic equipment in general, I am grateful for their contributions toward running footwear.

I should mention I am regarded a Clydesdale runner, weighing in at 195 pounds.

Personal Fitness - Nintendo Wii Style.

Nintendo Wii - EA Sport Active 2

Over the last two years I have had a singular focus on my efforts to resurrect a healthy and fit lifestyle. I have run and run and run. While I knew I needed to begin a strength training regimen to complement my running, I never found a suitable outlet until recently.

I recently purchased a Nintendo Wii gaming system for my oldest son. It will serve to promote hand and eye coordination while also teaching him a bit about sportsmanship. In the course of searching for games I noticed their was a fair complement of workout games for the Wii console.

One game in particular which stood out was EA Sports Active 2. This game uses a heart rate monitor and leg activity/motion band to record your movements as you exercise with your trainer.

I purchased this game and began a three week beginner cardiovascular workout. The training sessions last about 30 minutes and incorporate a variety of exercises. Every workout begins with three of four warm up exercises and ends with a cool down of about the same number of exercises. The schedule is set up for four workouts per week, which you can modify to complete them any days of the week which are suitable for your schedule.

I have worked muscles this week I haven't used for years. What makes this tolerable is you are pushing a beginner's envelope - you are not working as hard as you would in a Marine basic training camp.

You enter your age at the beginning of the program and it then uses this information to set up your heart rate zones based upon your calculated max heart rate (220 - your age is your max heart rate). As you work out you can see your heart rate accelerate and decline on the screen in addition to the heart rate zone you are currently training within.

My major physical weakness to date has been a very flimsy, marshmellow-esque core. This training program is addressing my weak core and should translate into faster times in the spring. My legs have become stronger from running; this program will tone the rest of my body. I am very anxious to complete the program - although informing friends I was trained by Nintendo doesn't have a lot of cachet value.

Winter Blues

It has been four days since I have run outdoors. The weather had been extremely cold as of late. My last run was a very taxing seven mile run. I have rationalized not running this long by focusing on the benefits of my body recovering fully before my next run.

There are seventy-nine days until my next race, the Ukrops Monument Ave 10K in Virginia. I have to constantly remind myself this race is not an Olympic trials qualifier. I tend to take my races more seriously than necessary. I am enjoying the journey to improve my running, but I am not a single professional runner with hours upon hours to dedicate to this endeavor.

I am scheduled to do an interval run as my next workout. In essence, I will run at about 98% of my maximum heart rate for a quarter of a mile and then jog for a quarter of a mile. I'll complete five sets of this run - jog combination. Factor in a warm-up run and cool down run and I should complete about four miles for this training session.

We'll see how well my Jack Daniels' training program works in about eleven weeks.

Dehydration Strikes Again

After a two day rest I decided to do a long easy run last night, specifically Sunday evening. The sun sets now at 5:00 pm so I had to bring my orange light baton for the run.  The temperature was a bearable 29 degrees with a slight wind chill - somewhere on the order of 17 degrees accounting for the wind chill.

I had a most difficult time motivating myself for this run.  It's tough running six or seven miles for me in optimal conditions.  Factor in oppressively cold temperatures and winds and  an easy run is no longer easy. Part of me questions how effective a training session will be when you are running at a sub-par rate due to the elements.

I felt very strong for the first two or three miles of this workout.  Running was relatively easy.  However around the four mile mark I began to lose steam.  The last two miles of this seven mile run were very labored.  I pushed myself through it, in spite of feeling slightly light headed.  This run was designated an easy run, so I simply backed off the pace at the end of the run.

Much to my chagrin, after replenishing my fluid level with chocolate milk and Gatorade, I still had a hydration issue. My urine was a deep brown color again. It had been weeks since my last occurrence of this issue.  I will need to load up on fluids before my next long run because I do not want to carry a bottle of Gatorade in below freezing weather.

This was a very unwelcome incident.  I am having difficulty coming to the realization my body is not made for long distance running.  Ten kilometers may be my healthy upper limit for racing.  A half marathon and marathon are not feasible or reasonable race distances given my propensity for dehydrating so easily.

Jack Daniels' Cruise Intervals

     One main takeaway from the Jack Daniels' training book I am reading is the concept of lactic acid accumulation and your body's ability to clear or process the lactic acid.  I had often felt there was a pace during a training run or race that if I exceeded it, my body would soon be overcome by fatigue.  I didn't know the scientific basis for this sentiment, but it was a real phenomenon.

Cruise intervals are runs designed to acclimate your body to running with elevated levels of lactic acid.  The key is to run at a pace where your body can process the lactic acid to the degree the levels do not accumulate to a point where you become debilitated.  This pace is referred to as a threshold pace.

For my cruise interval workout today, I began by running 0.75 miles to warm up. After my muscles were warmed, I ran four sets of one mile intervals with a one minute rest between intervals. My magical threshold pace was on the order of 8 minutes per mile.   The temperature today was 32 degrees with no winds.  In the spring and summer this pace will moist likely be slightly faster.  I completed the workout with a six minute cool down run.

The threshold pace is sometimes described as comfortably hard pace.  In my case, it's a pace where I know I am running fast, but I am not laboring to maintain the pace.  During today's workout my first three mile intervals were run at a pace close to my target eight minute per mile pace.  I had to run the fourth mile interval at a much slower pace in order to not accumulate too great of a lactic acid buildup.

As is this case with much of my training, I ran too many miles of cruise intervals today.  I failed to read Jack Daniels' qualifier for this workout stating the total distance should be limited to 8% of my weekly total mileage.  He states if you are running twenty miles per week (which I am) you should only do one and a half miles of cruise intervals.  This would translate to running three sets of one half mile interval runs.

2011 - My Breakout Year

Using the Jack Daniels running program has given my training the formal structure I have lacked since beginning running some two years ago. I have incorporated tempo runs, intervals, hill climbs, and fartlek running into my training in the past. What was lacking was a cohesive regimented structure to the training.

I have already noticed I have progressed to a new fitness tier. One thing I had skipped in my training was simple and easy long distance runs. By pushing myself too hard too frequently I was dancing on the wrong side of the aerobic / anaerobic fence too frequently.  The whole month of December was dedicated to long easy runs. My average run for that month was nearly six miles.  It wasn't too long ago I couldn't run six miles.

I feel more confident running now than ever.  I am beginning to feel like a bona fide runner.   I have had to rid myself of many years of internal rust via running.  I have accumulated about 1400 miles of running in the last two years. I feel my body is finally responding well to training.  I no longer have chicken legs - they are more muscular - comparable to a turkey's legs now. For so many months I felt like I was 'getting there' fitness-wise.  I didn't feel as fit as I wanted to feel.

 An interesting racing strategy I read recently was to set a split for where you want to be at the 2/3 mark of the race.  Then from there race with your heart or guts.   I think the logic is to run a structured race for the first two thirds of the race and then let everything go from there for the last third. I will most likely use this strategy first during the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K race in April.

I haven't set specific goals for 2011 yet, but I would like to break 21 minutes for a 5K.  Breaking the six minute barrier for the mile was my highlight of 2010.

800 Miles in 2010 - Did It

The last two weeks of 2010 were a little hectic. In the course of planning for Christmas and New Years, I had to make time to run 70 miles in December. Fortunately, the weather was tolerable and I was able to remain injury free.

The toughest day of running was the day after Christmas. The temperature was 24 degrees and factoring in the wind chill, the temperatures was a frigid 10 degrees. Running into a cold wind is tough on two fronts. The first is the air permeates your clothing and sends a chill through you. The second is your coefficient of drag. The wind transforms a level road into a steep incline. The combination of the deep chill and the hill climb effects renders you into a state of wondering why you run.

I am also concerned about having an issue in the cold weather. Because most people stay inside during cold weather, it could be some time until someone could assist myself. I am always a little concerned I could have a heart attack or stroke while running.

Running a little every week has been instrumental in running this personally astronomical amount in 2010. It serves to show how much can be accomplished when you use a divide and conquer approach to tackling large problems.