This has been a bad season for sickness. On Saturday, I ran into Teresa, who is just getting over a long battle with cold and congestion; saw her again Thursday, and she seemed like she has licked it. For me, I feel like the worst is past. I was able to run 4 miles easy on Wednesday and a 4 mile tempo run on Thursday. Then Thursday evening I ran another 4 or so easy with my daughter, Becky, and her friend, Molly. I was blowing my nose the whole way, but I made it.
Today I'm off to Oklahoma City for my daughter, Sarah's, basketball tournament. I won't run today and probably won't have a chance to run Saturday. I'm out of town most of next week, so I probably won't run much before the six hour snake run on March 8. That's okay, I probably need to taper anyway. If I am feeling well that day, I may do 32 miles or more, but we'll see. I think the top spot will be over 40 miles.
Sarah started having a runny nose today. If her cold follows the same course mine did, she should feel okay for the tournament, but it will hit her hard early next week. Hopefully she will be over the worst of it before the national tournament begins on March 10.
If anyone is reading this, your prayers for health will be much appreciated. :)
Friday, February 29, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
I Should Have Listened to My Wife
Yes, I hate to admit it, but Marilyn was right. I should have stayed in bed and not run this morning. I've been fighting a cold since Tuesday, and I really wasn't in any shape to run today. My original plan was to run 16 to 18 miles with a fast finish - marathon pace or faster for the last 6 to 8 miles.
So, I woke up this morning, and my head was totally plugged up. I was exhausted and even sort of a little dizzy before I ran even one step, so I decided to do no more than 12 miles at an easy pace. I started near the back of the pack and ran a comfortable pace for the first mile or so. I ran that bit with Mary. She has only been running since October and is already training for a half marathon. At 56th Street I started having some intestinal problems and stopped at the restroom. For a while I was all alone, but running a 9 minute pace, I caught up with Roman and Carmie and ran with them until 41st. I was still having intestinal problems and stopped at the restroom again. From that point on I was all alone. I kept up a 9 minute pace until 21st Street, where I turned around. Five miles down, and five to go. I tried to pick up the pace a little and did 8:50, 8:40, 8:50, but then I pooped out and walked a lot after that. My last two miles were 9:55 and 13:12. I felt miserable and wished I had stayed in bed.
High points of the run were meeting and visiting with Mary and Curtis early in the run, and seeing my friends, Joe, Toby, Mike, Greg, Paula... (sorry if I didn't name you, I enjoyed seeing you all) At the end of the run I passed Dana, who was just starting out. He had left snacks and drinks at the picnic table. Yay, Dana!!! Also during the run I asked Marvin about his mom. She has stage 4 lung cancer, has been sent home from the hospital, and was given 1 to 6 months to live. I pray that God gives her strength to go through this trial, and that she ends her days trusting in and rejoicing in the Lord.
Monday and Thursday I had good runs. Monday I ran 4 miles with my daughter, Becky. She is really improving in her running. We ran at a pretty even 10 minute pace the whole way. Immediately after that, I ran on Turkey Mountain with the Trail Zombie. I logged it as 6 miles, but it may have been less. It was still a little muddy up there, but we had a good time.
Thursday at noon I did a 4 mile easy run. I ran with the group from RunnersWorld Tulsa on Thursday evening. Toby, Mike, and I did 8 miles at around a 9 minute pace, maybe a tad slower. Our next to last mile was 8:11. Toby was happy to run that pace at that level of effort. He is improving in his running and hopes to break 4 hours in his next marathon. That's a 10 minute improvement over his PR, and I think he will do it. My cold didn't seem to hurt my running on Thursday.
So, my week was: Monday 10 miles, Thursday 12 miles, Saturday 10 miles, for a total of 32. Tuesday and Wednesday I was out of town and was not able to run, and Friday I didn't run because I felt sick. Not a bad week, except for the run on Saturday.
So, I woke up this morning, and my head was totally plugged up. I was exhausted and even sort of a little dizzy before I ran even one step, so I decided to do no more than 12 miles at an easy pace. I started near the back of the pack and ran a comfortable pace for the first mile or so. I ran that bit with Mary. She has only been running since October and is already training for a half marathon. At 56th Street I started having some intestinal problems and stopped at the restroom. For a while I was all alone, but running a 9 minute pace, I caught up with Roman and Carmie and ran with them until 41st. I was still having intestinal problems and stopped at the restroom again. From that point on I was all alone. I kept up a 9 minute pace until 21st Street, where I turned around. Five miles down, and five to go. I tried to pick up the pace a little and did 8:50, 8:40, 8:50, but then I pooped out and walked a lot after that. My last two miles were 9:55 and 13:12. I felt miserable and wished I had stayed in bed.
High points of the run were meeting and visiting with Mary and Curtis early in the run, and seeing my friends, Joe, Toby, Mike, Greg, Paula... (sorry if I didn't name you, I enjoyed seeing you all) At the end of the run I passed Dana, who was just starting out. He had left snacks and drinks at the picnic table. Yay, Dana!!! Also during the run I asked Marvin about his mom. She has stage 4 lung cancer, has been sent home from the hospital, and was given 1 to 6 months to live. I pray that God gives her strength to go through this trial, and that she ends her days trusting in and rejoicing in the Lord.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.After the run I went home, soaked in a hot tub, and went back to bed for a couple of hours. I'm still tired.
(Psa 23:4)
Monday and Thursday I had good runs. Monday I ran 4 miles with my daughter, Becky. She is really improving in her running. We ran at a pretty even 10 minute pace the whole way. Immediately after that, I ran on Turkey Mountain with the Trail Zombie. I logged it as 6 miles, but it may have been less. It was still a little muddy up there, but we had a good time.
Thursday at noon I did a 4 mile easy run. I ran with the group from RunnersWorld Tulsa on Thursday evening. Toby, Mike, and I did 8 miles at around a 9 minute pace, maybe a tad slower. Our next to last mile was 8:11. Toby was happy to run that pace at that level of effort. He is improving in his running and hopes to break 4 hours in his next marathon. That's a 10 minute improvement over his PR, and I think he will do it. My cold didn't seem to hurt my running on Thursday.
So, my week was: Monday 10 miles, Thursday 12 miles, Saturday 10 miles, for a total of 32. Tuesday and Wednesday I was out of town and was not able to run, and Friday I didn't run because I felt sick. Not a bad week, except for the run on Saturday.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Cold and Rainy Day
Saturday was a great day for a run! Too bad most of you chickened out and stayed in bed. I started early and got in seven miles before the rest of the group showed up at about 7 am. I then ran 8 or so with Brian, Kurt, and Randy. The bridges were a little icy to run on, but except for that, it was a great run. After that I ran another 8 by myself. Just as I started out again it started raining. I picked up the pace and ran hard for the next four miles, a little faster than 9 minute miles. The last 3 or 4 miles were tough. I was getting way tired.
Saturday afternoon was pretty dreary, with all the rain. I spent most of the afternoon lying on the couch, listening to my daughter, Melissa, practice piano. She was asked to play for a friend's wedding in June, and she is already is feeling the pressure.
Marilyn and I had a wonderful evening on Saturday. We went to Osaka Japanese Steakhouse for dinner with some friends and afterwards went to the Signature Synphony at TCC. The music was beautiful. I especially liked the Irish Suite, and the Sandpaper Ballet and Typewriter concerto were very entertaining. Two friends of mine had solos, Cherie on flute, and Jim on trumpet. They were good, but not as funny as the percussionists!
Saturday afternoon was pretty dreary, with all the rain. I spent most of the afternoon lying on the couch, listening to my daughter, Melissa, practice piano. She was asked to play for a friend's wedding in June, and she is already is feeling the pressure.
Marilyn and I had a wonderful evening on Saturday. We went to Osaka Japanese Steakhouse for dinner with some friends and afterwards went to the Signature Synphony at TCC. The music was beautiful. I especially liked the Irish Suite, and the Sandpaper Ballet and Typewriter concerto were very entertaining. Two friends of mine had solos, Cherie on flute, and Jim on trumpet. They were good, but not as funny as the percussionists!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Valentine's Day
I missed the group run on Thursday, even though I got the email from coach Kathy about the pizza afterwards. It was Valentine's Day, and a candlelight dinner with my darling wife trumped pizza. I did miss the running, though.
I haven't run many miles in the past week, but I've gotten in a couple of good hard runs. I enjoyed Saturday's run, which was pretty easy - about 7.5 miles with Jana, Sloan, Kathy, and Roman. It was the same as the "Mystery Run" that the RW group did, but I couldn't be a part of that run because of a deacon meeting at church.
Sunday I helped a guy finish roofing his house. I think I pinched a nerve in my neck, and I didn't sleep well Sunday night, so I took the day off from running Monday.
Tuesday I did a little over 6 miles at a little faster than an 8 minute/mile pace over a hilly route. I felt really good. Missed the group run because of another deacon meeting.
Wednesday I did 5.4 miles at just over an 8 minute pace. I felt like I was putting in more effort than on Tuesday's run, but I started out with tired legs. I felt really good at the end, though, and felt like I finished powerful and fast.
Thursday I did an easy run, about 4 miles at about a 9 minute pace. The wind was outrageous, over 28 mph and very gusty.
I'm going to just do a short easy run today. I go to OK City this afternoon to see my daughter play basketball. I'm looking forward to running with the group tomorrow. I'm planning on starting early and running 20+ miles.
I haven't run many miles in the past week, but I've gotten in a couple of good hard runs. I enjoyed Saturday's run, which was pretty easy - about 7.5 miles with Jana, Sloan, Kathy, and Roman. It was the same as the "Mystery Run" that the RW group did, but I couldn't be a part of that run because of a deacon meeting at church.
Sunday I helped a guy finish roofing his house. I think I pinched a nerve in my neck, and I didn't sleep well Sunday night, so I took the day off from running Monday.
Tuesday I did a little over 6 miles at a little faster than an 8 minute/mile pace over a hilly route. I felt really good. Missed the group run because of another deacon meeting.
Wednesday I did 5.4 miles at just over an 8 minute pace. I felt like I was putting in more effort than on Tuesday's run, but I started out with tired legs. I felt really good at the end, though, and felt like I finished powerful and fast.
Thursday I did an easy run, about 4 miles at about a 9 minute pace. The wind was outrageous, over 28 mph and very gusty.
I'm going to just do a short easy run today. I go to OK City this afternoon to see my daughter play basketball. I'm looking forward to running with the group tomorrow. I'm planning on starting early and running 20+ miles.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
March of the Ducks
Had a great run Saturday. I started out with Caroline and Jana. My last two miles, which were with Jana, were done at about an 8:40 pace. It was fun running with her. I hope she keeps coming out to run. We got back to 9th & Riverside just as the RunnersWorld group was heading out. I paired up with Joe and did another 14 miles at a moderate pace, with the last two miles fast. Total miles for the morning = 21. I felt good the whole way.
I ran 5.5 miles Monday before I left for Little Rock.
I got out of my meeting Tuesday a little early. I got to see the March of the Ducks in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel. At 5 o'clock, the Duckmaster came out and told us the story of the ducks. He rolled out the red carpet, and the ducks climbed out of the fountain, and marched down the red carpet into the elevator.
While I was waiting for the ducks, I got to thinking about Charlotte, one of my best running partners until she broke her neck in December. So, I called her on my cell phone. She was telling me she was sort of depressed, and right at that time my cell phone battery died. What a horrible friend I must have seemed. Oh well, I was able to call her back an hour or so later.
I went back to my hotel and swam 20 minutes in the pool. It was pretty awful. It was an indoor/outdoor pool, so I would do a few breaststrokes and duck to miss the divider, then I would do a few strokes of freestyle till I got to the end. Turn and repeat. It wouldn't have been so bad except the water was way too hot. I have been in hot tubs that have been cold in comparison.
So then I went to eat at PF Changs. A storm came through while I was eating. When I returned to the hotel, a tree had blown over and fallen right onto the space where my truck had been.
After the meal settled, I ran 8 miles on a treadmill. Oh, I hate that. To keep it interesting I kept increasing the pace every half mile. I ended up at about a 6:50 pace and a heart rate of 170, then a one mile cool down.
Wednesday was a rest day.
Today I did a hill workout on the treadmill. After a warmup, I set it on 6.5 mph (9:13 per mile) and incline of 1% for a minute, then adjusted the incline every minute: 2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7-1-8-1-9-1-10-0. Then I slowed down to 6 mph (10:00 per mile) and kept adjusting the incline: 11-0-12-0-13-0-14-0-0-0-15-0. At that point my stomach was pretty upset and I felt kind of lightheaded. My bloomin' onion and sirloin steak from Outback wanted to come back up. I almost quit, but I kept at 6 mph and no incline for a few minutes and began to feel better. Then I cranked up the speed to my BQ pace, 7.3 mph (8:13 per mile). First a couple of minutes at no incline, then changed the incline every minute: 1-0-2-0-3-0-4-0-5-5-0. Then I slowly decreased the speed each minute until the last minute I was at 5 mph. Total time = 60 minutes. Total miles = 6.5. Max heart rate = 170 (at 15% incline). It really was kind of a fun workout. Exhausting, though.
I ran 5.5 miles Monday before I left for Little Rock.
I got out of my meeting Tuesday a little early. I got to see the March of the Ducks in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel. At 5 o'clock, the Duckmaster came out and told us the story of the ducks. He rolled out the red carpet, and the ducks climbed out of the fountain, and marched down the red carpet into the elevator.
While I was waiting for the ducks, I got to thinking about Charlotte, one of my best running partners until she broke her neck in December. So, I called her on my cell phone. She was telling me she was sort of depressed, and right at that time my cell phone battery died. What a horrible friend I must have seemed. Oh well, I was able to call her back an hour or so later.
I went back to my hotel and swam 20 minutes in the pool. It was pretty awful. It was an indoor/outdoor pool, so I would do a few breaststrokes and duck to miss the divider, then I would do a few strokes of freestyle till I got to the end. Turn and repeat. It wouldn't have been so bad except the water was way too hot. I have been in hot tubs that have been cold in comparison.
So then I went to eat at PF Changs. A storm came through while I was eating. When I returned to the hotel, a tree had blown over and fallen right onto the space where my truck had been.
After the meal settled, I ran 8 miles on a treadmill. Oh, I hate that. To keep it interesting I kept increasing the pace every half mile. I ended up at about a 6:50 pace and a heart rate of 170, then a one mile cool down.
Wednesday was a rest day.
Today I did a hill workout on the treadmill. After a warmup, I set it on 6.5 mph (9:13 per mile) and incline of 1% for a minute, then adjusted the incline every minute: 2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-7-1-8-1-9-1-10-0. Then I slowed down to 6 mph (10:00 per mile) and kept adjusting the incline: 11-0-12-0-13-0-14-0-0-0-15-0. At that point my stomach was pretty upset and I felt kind of lightheaded. My bloomin' onion and sirloin steak from Outback wanted to come back up. I almost quit, but I kept at 6 mph and no incline for a few minutes and began to feel better. Then I cranked up the speed to my BQ pace, 7.3 mph (8:13 per mile). First a couple of minutes at no incline, then changed the incline every minute: 1-0-2-0-3-0-4-0-5-5-0. Then I slowly decreased the speed each minute until the last minute I was at 5 mph. Total time = 60 minutes. Total miles = 6.5. Max heart rate = 170 (at 15% incline). It really was kind of a fun workout. Exhausting, though.
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