Forget the Half Marathon Tomorrow’s the Test

I ran four miles this morning at a brisk 9 minute pace. I say brisk because I spent a good chunk of time dodging SUVs. Oh well, it adds excitement to my runs.

The half is only a week away, but my most important run will be tomorrow morning. I’ll be going for 10-12 miles. It’ll be my longest or second longest run ever. And a good test for next weekend. Today I had zero knee pain so I’m hoping it was just to overuse. After all, I’m on the tail end of an eight week training plan condensed into four weeks. No wonder, I was a bit sore.

If all goes well tomorrow, I’ll taper most of next week and prepare for the big day.

In other news, Kevin last night on the Office was pure gold. He deserves awards just for his scene at the vending machine. Genius.

Lost was five kinds of great last night. The threads from the previous dozen episodes are being pulled together. Now just two weeks until the big finale.

Walking The Line

Well, I’m feeling tons better. My knees aren’t hurting, my muscles aren’t sore and the Braves won. I’m glad it’s raining today since I probably thought about running even though I shouldn’t tonight. So instead of running I’ll do some light weights and run tomorrow.

I signed up for my half marathon yesterday. In big letters the site says the payment is non-refundable. That’s it then. I’m doing this. Scary but exciting too.

Tomorrow will be a light run, 2-4 miles. Saturday or Sunday will be my last long run, 10-12 miles. I’ll go easy next week so that I’ll be ready for next Saturday. No going back now. Half marathon…here I come.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugh

I was planning on just four miles yesterday, but when I hit the road, I was feeling good. I ended up running 6.6 miles at around a 9:30 pace overall. That pace varied throughout as I decided how far I was going to run. It felt great and I thought I was on track for a great half marathon in just over a week.

But then the pain set in. The outside lower portion of my knees were killing me after I stopped. They hurt last night and they hurt this morning. It’s been getting better, but I’m definitely worried since this was the same pain I had after Saturday’s long run. Right now, I’m thinking an IT Band injury from too many miles.

I’ll lay off the running until Friday and then only do 2-3 miles. Saturday is supposed to be my final long run before the race on the 24th. I’m hoping a steady diet of ibuprofen and ice packs will help out. That’s all the bad news for now.

Tonight I’ll hit the weights again. I’m planning on adding on some exercises to up my gains and feel better.

I really love Hell’s Kitchen, but this season has been unique since there are so many bad chefs. These are the best the producers could find? However, next week one of the culinary experts lops off a fingertip. Sweet.

Adjustments and Tuesday Addictions

I lifted last night to give my knees one more day of recovery after Saturday’s 10 miler. It felt good, but I don’t think I lifted enough. Next time, I’ll aim higher.

I’m running this evening after work. I’d like to start running before work, but I’m still working on getting my schedule in order, namely how long I’ll need for each run. Today’s plan is 4-6 miles, and tomorrow will be around 8.

I’m getting more and more excited for my first half marathon. It’s one thing to train for it, but another to go out there and hit the ground with a hundred other people. I can’t wait.

Tuesday Addictions

1. Half marathon training - I’ve been reading everything I can and I’m always looking forward to my next run.
2. Boxhead: Zombie Wars - This is the geek in me. I love this online game. Find it at www.onemorelevel.com
3. Hapland - The most engaging and innovative game I’ve played this year. Also find it at www.onemorelevel.com.
4. Lost - Only two episodes left. I’m already getting the shakes just imagining the summer without it.
5. 30 Rock - See above for Lost. You can’t beat Matthew Broderick playing a character named Cooter.

Long Run

I woke up before the sun.
The world was silent except for the thump of my shoes. I ran into the dark and the quiet for a half mile before I heard the first sounds of the morning. A rooster crowed. Birds flew from trees. The wind rustled the grass.
Slowly, as I crested each hill, the light sun woke up from the night’s cool bed. As dawn broke, the white line of the road began to glow with the early morning haze. Front doors opened, horses wandered toward food and the birds began to sing.
I hit the three mile mark and the sweetness of honeysuckle enveloped me. It reached out from both sides of the road until I turned toward the end of the fourth mile. As I started up the hills and back down the valleys of the fifth mile, the world was finally awake and out of bed. Birds sang constantly, rabbits darted between trees and dew of the morning soaked through my shoes.
The route turned back toward home after five miles. Hills came and went one last time. The heat of the sun finally began to cook the grass and the pavement.
After eight miles, the pain became constant. In my knees. In my ankles. I pushed on and made it home after 10 miles and an hour and forty minutes of running.
Not a bad start to the weekend.

Big Day Ahead

I’ve been a little lax in my training of late, but it’s picking back up. I ran a nice easy four miles this morning in just under 35 minutes. Tomorrow is my big run. My longest ever. I’m running 10 miles. If I complete it, I’ll be very happy. If I complete feeling fine, I’ll be extremely happy.

As my half marathon draws closer, I’m equal parts excited and nervous. I’ve never run trails. Ever. I’ve never run nine miles(changing that tomorrow). I’ve trained for this race in half the time suggested by all running plans.

Only thing to do is to grab my shoes, lace up and hit the pavement.

Elsewhere, are there any shows on television more brilliant than The Office and Lost? The answer is no. Not even close. Both outdid themselves last night and I’m starting to dread the end of both seasons.

So here’s to Locke, Sawyer, Kate, Andy, Dwight and the rest…come back soon.

Quick Notes

I’ll be running tonight when I get home. Was up early this morning and didn’t get to hit the road. Yesterday was a bit of a waste since I was supposed to lift after I got home. but that didn’t happen. I’m planning on six miles tonight, four tomorrow and 10 on Sunday.

The Braves have been dominant. Five straight wins and Chipper’s on fire. I’m going to start posting more and hopefully be a little more exciting.

Oh and wish Adam luck on his half marathon this weekend. He’s the first link to the right. I’d link here, but I’m a bit lazy at the moment. Sorry Adam. Good luck. You’ll do great.

What a Week!

I’ve been busy at my new job, so I apologize for not posting as often. That’s changing now though. I had a nice run this morning, about 3 miles. My pace was definitely up, and I’m pretty hopeful on May 24 I’ll be right around the two hour mark.

Now… time for the addictions!

1. The Corrections - This book by Jonathan Franzen came out a little while ago and I’d been meaning to pick it up. It’s one of the better written books I’ve read in the past year.

2. The Braves winning four straight - About time.

3. My half marathon - every day it gets closer I get a little more excited/worried.

4. Good Movies - Just watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. How I love that movie. If you want to see Robert Downey Jr.’s best performance, rent this indie movie that has nearly as many quotable lines as The Big Lebowski.

Busy Weekend

I was going to have a very long post this morning, but I’m getting ready for my new job, so this will have to do for now.

The big news is that I ran 8.65 miles on Sunday. It’s my longest run ever. It felt good at the time, and my 9:15 pace was close to my goal speed. I was pretty sore afterward, and my quads are tight today. But that’s to be expected.

Tonight will be a light weight workout. I’ll be running Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and have a long run on Sunday again.

This was such a busy weekend. We were out Saturday with the Arthritis Walk, which was rained out a quarter mile into it, but we ended up having lunch with family and friends, so I can’t complain. Sunday was my brother-in-law’s graduation and we spent the majority of the day in Chattanooga. By the time we got home after 9 p.m., it felt like the weekend has slipped by without us noticing.

Time to head for the new job!

One Last Day

It’s my last day at my old job. It’s been great and wonderful and every other positive adjective. But I’m also excited about my new career that begins Monday.

I took last night off from working out and I’m glad I did. Today I’m planning a creative workout to switch things up a bit. 300 pushups, 100 curls of 20 pound dumbbells and 175 total dips. I’ll do as many sets as needed to get the full reps. I do these workouts about once a month. It’s a nice change and is very challenging.

I’ll do a light run tomorrow since we’re doing the Georgia Arthritis Walk in the morning.

Lost last night…was a typically good episode. Plenty of questions, few answers, but enough character development and story advancement to make me look forward to next week.

The Office last night was pretty grand as well. Plenty of serious situations mixed in with plenty of humor. Kevin stole the show with his trademark Kool-Aid Man smiles. It’s tough for a show to delve into both reality and absurd humor and do it well. But The Office pulls it off.