Bryan's Weblog of Stuff

Two Zune Family

I’ve been meaning to mention that I bought a Microsoft Zune last week—a black, 8 GB Zune. My previous Mp3 player experience was with a 40 GB Creative Zen Jukebox Plus, or something like that.

This purchase was my materialistic reward for reaching my weight goal of 185. Of course I met that goal two months ago, but I just couldn’t decide what to get—my only requirement was that I be able to run with it.

Within 10 minutes of using my Zune, I knew that I had to get one for Julie. Fortunately, her 30th birthday was just around the corner, and I hadn’t bought her gift yet, so that evening I ordered her a pink, 8GB Zune.

Naturally, we’ve got a Zune Pass, and have both loaded up our Zune's. I’ve also set up a number of podcasts, and have started listening to them on my drive to and from work. Why I wasn’t doing this before, I don’t know.

Anyway, we love them.

By Bryan at 1:53 PM , in Reviews - Permalink
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This week’s Take It And Run Thursday theme over at the Runners’ Lounge is… 13 words or less: “You are a runner…” Finish the thought in 13 words or less. Here goes:

When I started thinking about food as a fuel for my next run.

This realization hit me like a ton of bricks one day while I was at a lunch with my team. And I realized I had been thinking this way for a while.

I love to eat good food. I am not a food snob—I don’t require fancy food, just good, honest food. I am a foodie. But all of a sudden my world was turned upside down. While I still longed for my next great food fix, the pull wasn’t quite as strong, the need not so urgent. Instead of “we’ve got to eat at this place tonight,” it became “yeah, we should try that place sometime.”

I was running. I was losing weight. I needed better fuel to run better, stronger, faster. I was enjoying myself, and for the first time in my life I started eating to live, rather than living to eat.

Okay, I’ve got one more: I’m a runner because when I can’t run, I can’t wait to run.

This has become so clear over the last 2 weeks as I’ve been dealing with an injured hip. The days off are absolutely killing me. All I want to do is run. I hated running. What happened?

By Bryan at 12:18 AM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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One Hundred Push Ups And My Hip

Ok, so I’m finally going to do the challenge—the One Hundred Push Ups challenge that it seems like everyone else is already doing. I’ll admit, in addition to running, I also do at least two strength training sessions per week, and have been doing strength training more or less consistently for 17 years. While I’m not as strong as I have been, especially since taking up running, I figured that I’d do ok in the initial test, which I just took. The result: 50 push ups.

I actually felt very good until I hit about 45, and then I started fading pretty quickly. Since doing the test, I’ve done another 40 push ups (5 x 20), so that’s probably good enough for Day 1, right? Ok, maybe I should follow the program as prescribed.

The other reason that I am going to do this is because I’ve got to do anything and everything I can to fill the void of running right now. I alluded to an injury a couple of posts ago, and it’s still not right. The outside of my right hip has been very sore when running (to the point of painful) since I finished the Run For Dad 5K 10 days ago.

I first noticed it on the 1.5 mile walk back to the car after the race. The next morning I was an idiot and went out for a run (6 miles by myself, and then 5 with Julie) in which it hurt pretty much all the time. I took an ice bath afterward, and it felt pretty good the rest of the evening. I took Monday off, but ran 5 on Tuesday (pain), and 4 on Wednesday (pain). Finally, I took Thursday off, but ran again on Friday, though I scaled back my 6 mile tempo run to 4 miles (pain in the 3rd mile). Saturday and Sunday were forced days off, and on this past Monday, after riding the bike for about 10 miles at the gym, I hopped on the treadmill and did 1 mile in just under 7 minutes (whew, that felt good!).

Yesterday I decided to go test it out on a short run. The first 2 miles felt good, but in the 3rd mile I started feeling discomfort—not pain, just discomfort, so I called it a run after 3 miles. I think I’ve finally come to grips with the fact that I’ll need to take more than just a couple of days off. In the meantime, there will be lots of cycling, swimming, and strength training, plus I’ll start the One Hundred Push Ups challenge.

All I want to do is run!

By Bryan at 10:35 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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My Own Little Triathlon

This morning I did my own little impromptu triathlon—backwards. I was scheduled to do a 6 mile run yesterday, with 4 miles of tempo running, but due to my hip soreness, I postponed it until today (hip willing). Well, this morning, the hip felt pretty good, so I decided to take it a mile at a time, and just see how it did. I could feel it the tiniest little bit during my first mile warm up, and into my first mile at tempo pace, but in the second mile, it was much more noticeable, but not nearly as bad as Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday—yeah, I know I shouldn’t have run on at least two of those days… Needless to say, I called of the tempo run after 2 miles, and finished up with a 1 mile cool down.

Since I wasn’t able to get in the full run, and was already in workout mode, I decided to head to the gym and hit the stationary bike for 30 minutes. I used a random hill program at level 8, and hammered out 13.5 miles in the 30 minutes. It was hard, but felt good. I was able to stick pretty close to 100 RPM, and even pushed up to 110-120 on some sections. After finishing up the bike, I headed home.

Of course, I couldn’t just stop and call it a day. Since I was already so sweaty, I figured I should go to the pool and swim some laps. I ended up swimming 650 meters (or yards—there’s a difference of opinion on this) in roughly 25 minutes. I rested approximately 20-30 seconds between each 25 meter length. I also tried breathing on my weak side (right side), in addition to breathing on my left side—every 3rd stroke. Breathing every other stroke seemed too frequent, and every fourth stroke was not quite enough. Every third stroke felt pretty good, though it was a little awkward breathing on my right side every other breath.

In the end, I ran 4 miles in around 37 minutes, biked 13.5 miles in 31:30 minutes, and swam 650 meters in 25 minutes. Not too shabby.

By Bryan at 2:21 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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Then And Now

Since posting the pictures from our anniversary celebration, I've been thinking that this would be a good time for a little game of then and now. Okay, maybe not a game, but at least a couple of pictures from the wedding timeframe to compare with pictures from a year later.

Let's start off with these:

Here we are on our honeymoon (May 29, 2007)...

...and here we are on our first anniversary (May 27, 2008).

Not the best pictures, but you get the idea.

By Bryan at 11:21 PM , in My Weight Loss Journey - Permalink
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I am working from home the rest of this week, and one of the apparent benefits is being able to go for a swim on my lunch break. That's right, I went for a 4-mile run this morning, and then I went for a swim on my lunch break. Crazy, huh?

The swim wasn't much, just 500 meters (20 lengths of a 25 meter pool) with about 30-35 seconds of rest in between each length. My total time was about 20 minutes, including the rest time.

This is the third time that I've swam laps since the end of May, and the second time actually swimming a known distance, in a lane. I still do not feel like I am that strong of a swimmer, but I feel like I am getting stronger. I focus on efficiency—keeping my head down...my gaze at the bottom of the pool, not splashing about with each stroke, making sure I exhale in the water, before I come up for a breath, etc. I am getting there, slowly, but surely.

I am actually thinking of taking some lessons. Does anyone have experience with adult swim lessons? I'd be looking for something that might be an intro into swimming for triathlons, or something.

By Bryan at 2:17 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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Okay, snakes can't run, and there weren't snakes, just a single snake. But boy, did it have me moving quick to the other side of the trail!

Running Notes

6/17/2008:

• 5 miles @ 10:01/mile.
• Average HR 156 bpm.
• Ran this on a local greenbelt.
• The snake incident happened at the beginning of mile 5—it was coiled up on the trail as I can around a blind curve. It jumped. I jumped.
• Ran the final .25 mile at 7:27/mile pace.
• Experiencing some hip pain still on the outside of my right hip.

6/18/2008:

• 4 miles @ 10:04/mile.
• Average HR 152 bpm.
• Still have the hip pain, though not until some downhill sections.
• Added in a couple of striders during mile 4 @ 5K pace.
• Worked on finishing kick for the final .2 mile, first up to 1 mile pace, then beyond.
• Running fast feels good. Running slow doesn't.

The temperature is only 79°F this morning, but with the humidity it feels like 92°F.

In addition to my run yesterday, I also went to the gym in the late afternoon. I got on the bike for 20 minutes, doing the Alpine Pass program on level 7. I tried to maintain 100 rpm throughout (came pretty close). I then did some lower body strength training for the first time in weeks. My plan is to cross-train a little more between now and the end of July, which is when I officially start my half marathon training. If the plan holds, there will be a lot of the bike and strength training between now and then.

By Bryan at 11:24 AM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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2nd Annual Run For Dad Results

Julie and I ran the 2nd Annual Run For Dad 5K this morning in Fort Worth. For some reason, we were both very nervous about today's race. For Julie, I think it was due to some recent tough runs. For me, it was the memory of the Buffalo Boogie, where I blew up about half a mile from the finish and had to walk for a couple of short stretches. Either way, it had our stomachs knotted, and our heart rates elevated.

My goals for today's race were simple:

1. A new PR (sub 26:25)
2. Sub 27:30

I really felt like goal #1 should've been my 2nd goal, but I didn't want to get too greedy, and I didn't have a good sense of what goal #1 would've been in that case. I did look at a pacing chart last night, and again this morning, and I had somewhere between 8:05/mile and 8:15/mile pace in my head.

After getting up at 5:30 AM, taking a quick shower (who else showers before a race?), and taking care of other business, I had half an English muffin with peanut butter, some water, some Gatorade, and then we were off to the race.

This race was a point-to-point race, so our plan was to park somewhere in the middle, and jog/walk to the starting line. We arrived and parked with plenty of time to spare, and took a nice leisurely jog to the start. Once there, we picked up our timing chips, took a GU and some water, and I did some strides while Julie stood in line for the port-a-potty (this is usually my place right before a race). With just a couple of minutes to spare, we headed to the starting line.

Now, the race was being put on by a company that provides timing services for other races, so you'd think they'd pull out all the stops and at least have a timing mat for the start of the race, right? Wrong! Fortunately there were only 160 people entered, and while we weren't in the front few lines, we only lost a couple of seconds at the start. Anyway, back to the race...

The air horn sounded, and we were off! Initially, the course kicked uphill slightly, but not enough to be of any concern, and then we took a nice slight downhill towards the first mile marker. Within the first quarter of a mile I had separated from the crowd a bit, and settled into a nice rhythm—comfortably hard.

After the first mile marker, the road kicked back up a bit, but I was able to maintain my pace, and then cruised a nice downhill stretch. At around 1.25-1.5, I started hearing someone coming up behind me—nice and loud. It was a woman I remember seeing at the starting line who had commented that that this was going to be a fast race. She pulled ahead of me just a bit, and settled into the same pace. Had she not pulled just in front of me and then eased right into my pace, would I have gone faster through mile 2 and early in mile 3? It's hard to say. In the end she probably helped me as much as she slowed me down.

After a little uphill to the mile 2 marker, the course continued its nice downhill trend, and I was able to maintain a little faster pace, but still comfortably hard. Through a couple of flat stretches and a little uphill, we were finally coming into the last half mile. At this point I picked up the pace slightly, and pulled even with the lady who had previously passed me. I'll be honest, at the point, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to pass her or not. I couldn't tell how much she had left, and I didn't want to pass her too early, only to get "chicked" at the end.

As we rounded the turn into the final straight away, there were three of us running together, and another guy slightly up ahead. With just over a quarter of a mile to go I picked up the pace again, and surged ahead of the other two. This time I could tell that they were hurting, but they tried to hang on. Just ahead of the 3 mile mark, we caught the guy ahead of us, as he slowed to a walk. With a couple of words of encouragement for him, I kicked it to the finish.

My official time for the 2nd Annual Run For Dad 5K is 25:12. My splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:19
• Mile 2: 8:16
• Mile 3: 7:55
• Final .1: 0:41

I finished 4th in my age group, nearly 4 minutes out of 3rd place.

Julie had an awesome run, too, finishing with a new PR by a 1:16. Her time was 27:24! She also finished 4th in her age group, 34 seconds out of 3rd place. Way to go!

Official Run For Dad 5K Results

My Motionbased Stats

By Bryan at 12:22 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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The Early Years

I've pretty much always been heavy. Not always fat, but always a little bigger than the other kids—big boned, perhaps. And I've always loved to eat and cook. In fact, maybe I learned to cook at such a young age so that I didn't have to rely on my mom or dad to fix me things...it was a measure of food freedom. Most of the people on my mom's side of the family were also heavy, and some were extremely heavy (I didn't know the word obese at that time). They loved to eat, too.

I don't really remember my weight being much of an issue through elementary school, but it definitely became one in middle school. In the summer between 6th and 7th grade, my parents sent me to one of the coolest camps a kid could've gone to. It was located in Suffield, Connecticut, a short drive outside of Hartford, on the beautiful campus of Suffield Academy. I was there for 4 weeks. It was a Weight Watchers camp.

I don't think I told many of my friends what kind of camp it was. I was embarrassed. But I had a great time. I made a lot of friends, got a lot of exercise, learned about healthy eating, and saw a part of the country I'd never seen before. Oh, I also lost some weight. Not a lot, maybe 10 pounds, but then I wasn't really fat compared to a lot of the kids there. My parents were very excited to see me when I got home, and I was able to keep the weight off for about a year.

At the end of 7th grade, I got to take a trip to Europe with my grandfather. We were taking part in a reunion tour with the 10th Mountain Division, with whom he served during World War II. The trip took us from Munich, Germany down to Rome, and lasted nearly a month. Along the way, we retraced the steps of the 10th Mountain Division (backwards) as they fought to liberate Italy. At every step along the way, we were honored guests, with parties and banquet dinners. In the mountains of northern Italy, entire towns would shut down for a day, as the whole town came together to celebrate the return of their liberators. You can't imagine the amount of food I ate on this trip. I gained all of the weight back that I had lost the previous summer, and then some.

I held steady through the rest of that summer, and then slowly started inching up through 8th grade and into 9th grade. Along the way, my parents tried different things—we joined a gym, they had me participate in an exercise/healthy eating program at a local hospital, but the trend was always up. By the time I finished my junior year of high school I was pushing 250.

By Bryan at 12:25 PM , in My Weight Loss Journey - Permalink
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Wednesday ended up being an unscheduled complete rest day for me. The first such day in the previous 11 days, and only the second in the previous 24. Granted, I hadn't been running every day—I only run 4/5 times per week, mixing in strength training, yoga, swimming, or biking on the other days (mostly strength training)—but I was starting to feel a little sluggish.

Now, I am not the biggest fan of complete rest, but with the race coming up, and having had so little rest over the past 3 plus weeks, I figured it would be good for me. In addition to the rest, I suggested to Julie that we go out for some Tex-Mex and margaritas for dinner. (That is the one sure-fire way to ensure that I rest.) Of course I didn't have to twist Julie's arm for this!

So of we get home from work, change into some comfortable clothes, and head out to a local Tex-Mex joint for some good food and margaritas. Less than two hours later, I am completely miserable, stuffed, and wishing I'd had another margarita, instead of eating all of the refried beans and rice on my plate (for the record, I got grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas). After we got home, I stretched out on the couch and didn't move until it was time for bed.

The next morning, I knew I should stay off of the scale. There was simply no need to go anywhere near it, as it could only be bad news. But I couldn't resist. In a span of 24 hours, I went from 179 to 182. Mind you, I ate healthy the rest of Wednesday. Obviously there was some fluid retention, and I really try not to pay attention to the day to day fluctuations, but sometimes that's easier said than done. In the end, I think I've learned a valuable lesson: complete rest days are good, and so is Tex-Mex and margaritas, just don't do both on the same day. Next time, we'll save the Tex-Mex and margaritas for my long run day.

By Bryan at 10:55 AM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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Where's My Speed?

Okay, I've got to know—how long were you guys running before you started getting some decent speed? Or were you already fast? I realize we're all built differently, but come on, I've got to have more speed in me by now, right?

Sure, I am getting faster. After all, I've set a new 5K PR every time I've attempted to set a new PR. And in the one race I didn't attempt it for myself, I paced Julie to a new PR, beating her week old PR by 8 seconds, on a hellacious course. And honestly, that meant more to me than any PR of my own. But I want to be faster!

On December 1st, 2007, I ran my first timed 5K in 31:15. On February 23rd, 2008, I ran my 2nd, with a PR of 28:45. On March 22nd, 2008, I ran my 3rd, with a PR  of 27:45. On April 19th, I ran my 4th 5K, setting another PR of 26:31. And finally, on May 10th, I set my current PR of 26:25. As you can see, I am faster, but I've also dropped 45 pounds since that first race on December 1st. I should be faster!

This Saturday Julie and I are racing the 2nd Annual Run For Dad 5K and Pancake Feed (for the exercise, of course), and I want another PR. But I am nervous. I am anxious. My last 5K hurt so bad. And I've had some tough runs over the last month. But my training has been consistent. I think I am prepared. I know I can't get a PR every time out, but I am not ready to not get one.

As a little test, I went out for an easy 5 this evening with Julie. With the route we chose, the first 3 miles were mostly uphill, and mile 4 was mostly downhill, after an initial uphill start. This would be a perfect test for this weekend's race, which starts off flat, with perhaps a little uphill, and is downhill to the finish. So the plan was to go out easy for the first 3 miles, getting nice and warmed up, and then do the 4th mile as a 1 mile time trial, finishing up with the 5th mile as a cool down. Here are my mile splits:

1. 10:52
2. 10:45
3. 10:35
4. 7:15
5. 11:11

I am happy with that 7:15, especially after already running 3 miles. I wonder how that will translate to 5K on Saturday morning? According to the McMillan Running Calculator I could be looking at 25:07, if all of the stars are aligned.

By Bryan at 11:01 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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Yesterday evening I was in need of some cross training, but I couldn't decide between a yoga class or a bike ride. A cool front had come through during the day, so instead of the typical mid-90s temperature, it was 70°F—perfect for a nice, leisurely bike ride. Of course, with this front came rain, or so the weathermen predicted. However, the radar told a different story, and it was decided—I was going for a bike ride.

I've been meaning to get out and ride my bike for quite some time, but for whatever reason, it keeps getting put off. I know riding the bike is great for cross training. I know it's perfect for running errands closer to the house. And we've been talking about getting our bikes tuned up forever, yet they continue to just sit there. Well, no more. I aired up the tires, found my helmet and gloves (definitely need some new gloves), strapped on my Garmin Forerunner 305, grabbed my camera (just in case), and headed out.

My first thought was to go ride all of the various hike and bike trails that run through our neighborhood. After all, I promised some folks in the neighborhood that I'd do that, and then provide maps of them all, so that they'd have accurate distance information. Then, at the last minute, I decided to ride my 11 mile running route from Sunday.

The ride itself was mostly easy, though there were a few hills, but those hills were much easier on the bike than on foot. I was simply enjoying being outside in the cooler weather, moving at a higher rate of speed than I was used to, and getting used to being on the bike again after such a long time away from it.

Traffic wasn't too bad, either. Sure, there were the cars that insisted on passing me half in my lane and half in the other lane, when they could've just taken all of the other lane (same direction). And there was the one car that came back into my lane a little too soon. I even made sure to follow the rules of the road, as if I was a car, and just like cyclists are supposed to do, which must've surprised one lady who was already stopped at a stop sign as I approached it. She just sat there, as if she expected me to fly right on through. I stopped, but had to wave her on before she moved. It's pretty sad that that is what motorists expect from cyclists.

All in all, the ride was 11 miles in 50:53. You can bet that I'll be getting out on the bike again, and soon.

By Bryan at 4:22 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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New Running Gear

On Saturday afternoon I ventured out to our local Luke's Locker for some new gear. I'm really not sure what I went there for, but I ended up with a pair of shorts, socks, hydration belt, and a bra—for Julie. I also picked up some Hammer Gels, which I'd never tried before.

The picture to the left is of my new pair of socks, Balega Hidden Comfort socks—they are awesome. I was a little nervous about using a new brand of socks on a long run, but I didn't even notice my feet on this run, which is a very good thing. I will definitely be picking up a few more pairs of these socks!

The next picture is of my new shorts, Nike Dri-FIT Distance 2-in-1. They're actually a light gray color, but the picture was taken after my run, and they are absolutely soaking wet (as in "just got out of the pool" wet). These shorts have a built-in boxer brief, which worked flawlessly in preventing chafing. And I've got to say, it was nice just running in shorts...no compressions shorts, no other garments.

The final picture shows the new hydration belt, Elite 1 Plus from Nathan Human Propulsion Laboratories. Unlike the handheld bottle that we have, this bottle does not leak, and it also comes with a small 5 oz. bottle that can hold gels. It also features an insulated holster, zippered pocket, and a shock cord with one-pull tension lock for securing a jacket or gloves.

By Bryan at 11:58 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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My alarm went off at 5:15 AM this morning, and by 6:15, I was out on my 11 mile run. It was only 81.2°F, 64.3% humidity, with a 14.2 mph wind. The run was pretty good—it certainly felt better than my first attempt at 11 miles, and even better than last week's 11 mile run, which wasn't too bad.

I didn't eat prior to my run, except for 1 Hammer Gel, right as I was heading out the door. I carried 20 oz. of Gatorade G2 with me, along with 2 Hammer Gel packets. I started sipping the G2 after 4 miles, consumed the first Hammer Gel at 5 miles, continued sipping G2 every couple of miles, as needed, and had the final Hammer Gel at 9 miles.

My run took 1:57:03, with an average heart rate of 158 bpm, with an average pace of 10:39/mile. For comparison, last week's 11 mile run took 1:56:53, with an average heart rate of 163 bpm, and an average pace of 10:38/mile. I also lost 5.5 lbs. of sweat.

By Bryan at 6:44 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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Running Intervals In The Wind

First, let me clarify—it sucks. Big time. Last night, while doing my interval workout, I had the pleasure of 26-28 MPH winds, gusting to 40 MPH. 40 MPH! And of course the only time the wind let up even a little was when it was at back, never when it was in my face. So I did what any runner would do and I HTFU, and did my intervals. There was one saving grace—the temperature was only 90°F, with 48% humidity.

We've had this crazy wind for the last couple of days, and I knew ahead of time that it was going to be a challenge, so I googled for "running against the wind" and found a pretty recent blog post by Coach Jenny Hadfield, titled appropriately Running Against The Wind. In this post she addresses the challenges and benefits of running in the wind.

Back to my run...it was 3 x 800m with 400m recovery  jogs in between, plus a warm up and cool down for a grand total of 5 miles. After a 1.5 mile warm up, I proceeded to run my intervals in 3:51, 3:55, and 3:58, and then finished with another 1.5 mile cool down. I'll take it.

Oh, and before I forget...Julie and I registered for the 2nd Annual Run For Dad 5K, the Saturday before Father's Day. Unfortunately for us, the boys won't be able to do this with us (watch us, that is), because their mom is getting remarried on that day. That just means more pancakes for us! That's right, the race ends at a restaurant, where they will be serving pancakes to all of the runners. Sweet! We'll both be looking for one last PR at the 5K distance before taking the summer off from racing (that's the plan anyway).

By Bryan at 4:56 PM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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All-Star Baseball

Our oldest, Jacob, had the privilege of trying out for his baseball league's Summer All-Star Team back in early May. Now, Jacob enjoys playing baseball, but he'd be the first to tell you that it isn't his favorite sport. However, he's pretty good.

The All-Star tryout went well, and he was one of twenty boys invited back for a second day of tryouts. The second day also went well, and we were hopeful that a relative unknown could make the team. Rumor has it as being a tough decision, and that it came down to Jacob and another boy for the final spot, but it was not meant to be.

Jacob had a great time at the tryouts and was disappointed at not making the team. However, he took it in stride and simply took his game to the next level (as all good players do, right?). His team also started winning some games and moving up in the standings, which always helps.

A couple of weeks ago, we found out that the league would be holding two "traditional" All-Star games for the 40+ boys nominated for All-Stars, but who didn't make the summer All-Star team. This was great news, and Jacob was more than a little excited. So what does he do? That's right, he took his game up another notch to close out the season.

Last night (Tuesday night) was the All-Star Game, and what a game it was! The kids had an absolute blast, and Jacob went 3 for 3, with a couple of runs scored, and some nice plays in the field (he played centerfield, 3rd, 2nd, and pitcher--this is coach pitch, by the way). His team rallied from a big early deficit, traded leads late, and ended up losing  a nail-biter, 20-19, in the final at-bat of the game.

We could not be more proud of Jacob for all that he's accomplished on and off the baseball field this year (of course he's a star student, too). He even told me that he has a new favorite sport...

By Bryan at 11:54 PM , in Family & Friends - Permalink
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Catching Up On Running

I was looking through my training log, and realized that I hadn't discussed much of it, other than to say it sucked, or that I did x number of miles. So I thought I'd run through the week:

• Tuesday, May 27: 5 miles in 50:08 (10:01/mile) - Avg HR 149 (relatively cool).
• Thursday, May 29: 5 miles total, including 1 mile warm up, 1 mile cool down, 3 miles Tempo (8:51, 8:45, 8:27).
• Friday, May 30: 4 miles in 40:20 (10:05/mile) - Avg HR 157 (hot, humid, and windy).
• Sunday, June 1: 11 miles in 1:56:53 (10:37/mile) - Avg HR 163 (warm, humid, and windy).

As you can see, my heart rate is not only dependent on effort, but also highly dependent on the weather, especially if I don't slow myself down in hot, humid, windy conditions.

You'll also notice that I attempted another 11 mile run. Unlike last week, I consider this one a success. I was able to run the entire distance, without any walking. I carried 20 oz. of water with me, and it lasted until the end (barely). I should mention that I was out the door and warming up by 6:40 AM Sunday morning. However, before I was even a few miles into the run, I was wishing that I had gotten started even earlier.

One last item to note: some of you may have noticed that I now have Twitter Updates listed on the front page of the web site, and that I've posted some of my running data there. I think that I am going to continue doing this with my runs, as it is a super easy and convenient way to quickly summarize my runs. I might even do a running only twitter feed.

By Bryan at 10:36 AM , in Health and Fitness - Permalink
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