23 Feb 09

Another stellar run. It was 4.16 miles and it took me 31 minutes! The legs were a little tired, probably from Saturday's long run. Beautiful sunny day about 25F with a 5mph breeze!

21 Feb 09 Run

Today I did a long-slow distance (LSD) run. I went 5.98 miles in 45:43. I even beat the snow storm. It was a nice run, especially now that I see snow coming down sideways and it has got colder outside. There's nothing quite like an early Saturday morning long run. Then you're glad all day that you did your long run for the week.

Até logo!

17 Feb 2009

Another successful run. It took me 28:13 for this dandy. It is nice to be running again.

16 Feb 2009

I did this little 4.02 mile run today. It felt great. I enjoyed the 32F weather. Pace: 7:35 / mile.

Thursday's workout

I ran 2.42 miles today in 17:40. I ran a little quicker than I normally do because it was cold and I wanted to warm up. See my route below.

Zionsville Anti-Mini Marathon

We found this sweet race, the Zionsville Anti-Mini. It's run at the same time as the Indy Mini Marathon, but here's the breakdown:

	Indianapolis Mini Marathon	Zionsville Anti-Mini Marathon
Similarities
Distance	13.1 Miles (or less if you drop out)	13.1 Miles (or less if you choose)
Date/Time	Saturday, May 2, 2009 7:30 AM	Saturday, May 2, 2009 7:25 AM
Differences
Surface	100% run on paved surfaces	Not one step on pavement. All on trails of dirt and crushed stone.
Awards	Finisher medals	Generous cash awards to all who finish the 13.1 miles.
Tee-shirts	Long sleeve commemorative T’s	Nothing
Aid Stations	Several equipped with water, Gatorade, and some power gel	Nothing
Medical Assistance	Doctors and nurses on hand as well as first aid equipment	Nothing
Participants	35,000+	Approximately 200
Entry Fee	$50	$0
Volunteers	Hundreds	None
Timing Device	Computer Chip Timing	Big Clock, note your own time
Race Number/ Chip	Computer chip part of your running number (Throw-aways for a Greener environment...NOT!)	No number, unless you make one up and bring it yourself
Starting Line (Average time to cross)	About 10 minutes.	About 10 seconds.
Exclusivity	The field is full. You already missed out unless you buy a transfer from someone. No additional runners may register at this point.	No worries, no hurries, come one, come all. No one will be turned away.
Conditions	Exposed to the elements. Not a lick of shade.	Shielded from wind and sun while running through the woods.

You Are Great, Amazing, and Awesome!

5 Great Ways to Lace Up

I found a sweet page on New Balance showing better ways lace up your shoes. So if you have problems with heel slip, toes being too tight, high arches, wide forefoot and narrow heel, or top-of-foot pain try these lacing methods. Every shoe fits differently, so lacing your shoe can improve comfort on your runs. I have a small heel and I have used the heel slip method of lacing up my shoe for more than 10 years. It works great! I highly recommend trying to change your lacing if you are feeling some discomfort while running. See the New Balance website for animated lacing: http://www.newbalance.com/techcenter/#/lacing/

Start up training program

So your training plan for this week is:

Mon (29 Dec. 08): walk 2-3 minutes, jog 5-7 minutes, walk 2-5 minutes, jog 5-7 minutes, walk 2-5 minutes,  jog 5-7 minutes, walk 5 minutes

Tues: bike, swim, or something else for 15-30 minutes

Wed: walk 2-3 minutes, jog 5-7 minutes, walk 2-5 minutes, jog 5-7 minutes, walk 2-5 minutes,  jog 5-7 minutes, walk 5 minutes

Thurs (1 Jan. 09): bike, swim, or cross train for 15-30 minutes

Fri: walk 2-3 minutes, jog 5-8 minutes, walk 2-4 minutes, jog 5-8 minutes, walk 2-4 minutes,  jog 5-8 minutes, walk 5 minutes

Sat: walk 2 minutes, jog 5-8 minutes, walk 3-4 minutes, jog 5-8 minutes, walk 5 minutes, 3 x 20 situps, 3 x 10 pushups (optional rest day if your body feels tired and sore, but do the situps and pushups they help alot with running)

The key is to not get too excited and do so much that you get an injury (because you don't want to get discouraged). I like to take a slow and steady approach. You shouldn't be straining your body too much, yes your muscles will be sore but that always happens when starting to use muscles like you haven't used them before. But my point is be smart, listen to your body. That's why I gave you a range to run/walk. If you're running and you feel pain that is moderately high, I'd recommend that you start to walk. The purpose of the walk/run is to build you up to where you can run for 20 minutes nonstop, then 30, etc. without hurting yourself. The cross training days are to keep you exercising, but put little stress on running muscles. The other thing is you need to start or continue eating well. Eat your vegetables, fruits, grains, meats, and milk! Don't indulge in sweets, soda, or pastries. Your body will feel much better and you'll have more strength to run.

Back at it

It has been a while since I have run. Actually it feels like a long while (three months). This is because I broke my ankle playing basketball. My ankle is just about back to normal. 

I've been talking with my buddy and we want to run a half marathon. The Indy mini marathon was our first choice, but I decided that it was too soon. So we are planning on to run the Indianapolis half marathon on Oct. 17th, 2009. We are both excited about this new adventure. I think I'm done playing basketball, racketball, and all other contact sports. I'm going to return to my focus on running and see what I can do. 

My tentative goal is to run the half marathon in 1 hour and 20 minutes (6:06 per mile).