And on and on…

The marathon is becoming more and more of a reality with each passing day. My running program ramps up starting on September 15th. I’m still a little behind from being ill in May/June and I need to catch up. Once the schedule ramps up, it will be really hard to catch up. So for the next two weeks, I probably won’t be taking a day off – and I will be doing some double running duty on some days.

Tonight was one of those (few lately) days where I didn’t want to run. Maybe ever again. Just not in the mood, I was ready to run, but then my Sister needed to be driven around a little tonight, and I ended up starting my 5M run at 1:15am. I did it though.

Starting tonight my times are going to be a little skewed because I’m starting to run bigger hills. I also like to run in a loop. It makes me feel comfortable. Tonight I’ve expanded my loop by half a mile. When I get to the end of the loop, I stop for a moment and have a drink. So this will get me used to running longer distances without water – but it will also mess with my time short term because I’ll be running with less water in me.

Even with my more difficult run tonight, I made the 5 miles in my 3rd fastest time so far. And just missed my 2nd fastest time by a couple of seconds. So I’m pretty happy.

One good thing about all this running. I dropped another 2 pounds this week. That seems to be the standard week for me now when I’m going good. One bad thing: I need to buy a bunch of new belts. None of mine fit anymore. The pants aren’t far behind, and that is going to be a pain.

Speed Is Improving

Tonight I ran a faster 3 mile run than any previous 3 mile run I’ve done excluding my 5K race last fall.

Last night I ran my fastest 2 mile run that I’ve run since I started tracking my training.

The night before, I ran a single mile that was only 5 seconds off my best for a single mile run.

None of this was on purpose, I just noticed all of these things now. None of these times are something to get overjoyed about either – things are just getting easier, despite the shin issues. The blisters are pretty much gone though.

I’m just glad I track everything so carefully – it allows me study this information and be encouraged by my progress.

Getting Cold

This summer had been super hot here in Utah. Last night I ran 5 M and was finally able to wear a long sleeve shirt for the first time in forever. Feels pretty good. About five nights in a row now it has gotten very chilly after dark. I like it.

New Kicks

I wasn’t looking for them. I was starting to think about buying new running shoes because I had put a few hundred miles on my previous pair, but I was at the running store to find a reflective arm band for night running because mine* had broken.

While at the store, I saw these shoes for incredibly cheap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nike Air Tri-D Run

Why not? My shins were really starting to hurt and I figured at least some of that pain was due to my shoes wearing down. So I got them.

I ran a ton the first few nights and shin pain reduced considerably. I didn’t really break the shoes in first though, and now I have some BRUTAL blisters. Oh well, I guess things are never perfect.

* The arm band was a gift from my Sister. A shame that it broke, because I can’t find an acceptable replacement around here – let alone the exact same brand.

200

Last night I hit the 200 mile mark since I started my new program on March 2nd.  I wanted to hit this mark on July 16, but with my documentary, moving twice, and a long illness – I’ll live with these results. I was much further off that pace a few weeks ago. I’ve picked up the pace nicely, but my legs are killing me right now.

I Lost

Two more lbs this week. Not bad.

Getting There

Slowly…

I haven’t written much often, but this is not to say I haven’t run much. I’ve been running so much that I really haven’t had the time or energy to write. Well, that could be changing a little right now. I fell a little behind due to moving residences and a sickness. Now I’ve been scrambling to catch back up. I ran way too many days in a row, and I did so outside with more regularity that normal. This was a necessity. I’m enjoying running outside more than I used to, it is less boring – but it hurts more. So now I’ve had to shut it down for a few days and cross train with weights and cycling, etc.

But the progress is coming. I’ve lost 8 pounds in the last little while and a whole lot more before that. This is not accounting for the fact that I’ve put on a lot of muscle, so I’ve lost quite a bit of fat. Hard for me to measure really. I’ve still got a long way to go to reach the goals that I’ve set for myself – but I’m optimistic.

And hey, they finally fixed the treadmill in my gym after months of complaining. It’s an option if I want to use it now. That is good.

100

I went over the 100 mile mark last night for my time in Vermont which started in late February. Not incredibly impressive, but I’ve lowered my average mile time from somewhere in the 13-16 minutes to 10-12 minutes, which is nice. I’m starting to see and feel some physical changes, but I’d like a lot more. Hopefully sustained effort will make that happen.

I’m Not Dead

I was able to get back into the swing of things and run consistently and overcome my back issues. The problem is that I’ve had so many things going on – and so did Danny – that it was going to be impossible to be fully ready for a full marathon in May. We tried to sign up for a relay, but that route is very competitive and your entry is basically put in a lottery and we lost.

And so again another year and another failed attempt at training for a marathon. I’m determined to do it next year. I’m not currently running because of the obligations I alluded to and I need to readjust my schedule to peak next year instead of sometime this spring.

Go Time

Well, I decided I had to get back on track now or give up the fight. So I’ve power past my long stretch of back pain by doing a ton of stretching and a little bit of yoga. I still have good days and bad days but I ran about 20 miles this week. I’m about 2 months behind still but I’m closing in. My shins have held up pretty good considering I went a couple months with minimal running followed by this burst of activity.