Week 11 - I Run Like I'm Trying to Punish Myself

     So I had an interesting week, My workouts have been going just OK, I say just OK because I don't feel like it is getting any easier even though I've been at it 11 weeks. I'm trying to figure either flaws in my workouts but I'm now thinking to take it to the next level I need to switch up my diet. So week 12 I'm going to spend time trying to figure out the foods to eat or not eat.

     Sunday started like any other day, I woke up went to church with the family, then went to my mother-in-laws to carve the pumpkins we got at the pumpkin patch.

    
     About an hour and a half before my run I ate 2 Spicy Chicken sandwiches and took a Mocha (GU) about 15 minutes before my run. In the car on the way to the gym I came up with the idea that after I ran my 12 mile scheduled workout that if my legs didn't fall off I would go ahead and add on another 1.1 miles and complete a half marathon. The gym was empty and I started off as usual.  I ran a average 5k then started to lose energy. After mile 5 I took a 2nd GU (tri-berry) and was trying to only take a drink of Gatorade about every other mile, since that is how the race will be set up. The middle miles became a blur. Around mile 10 I took a 3rd GU (blueberry Pom) and started to fade I had to slow my pace but I was still moving I forced one leg after another til I reached mile 12. I decided I was leaving nothing in the tank (as seen below) So as my headphones told me I just hit mile 12 I took off and refused to slow down. The next day my legs are paying the price. I stumbled to my car drove home, took a post workout shake put on my full bottom compression and crashed for 5 hours. I ran a 2:25 which is 25 minutes off my goal. I want to break 2 hours which I'm not sure will be possible since I only have 20 days til race day. I guess there is only one way to find out.

Here is a breakdown of each mile, if I can break the code of the last 6 miles and run them the same as the 1st 6 I will be real close to my goal. So I guess that is my mission, I can run the distance now I just have to keep the pace and get faster over all.

Week 10- Maybe Hot Wings Create a Wall ?

     Due to Scheduling issues I spent this week running 5 hours earlier in the day then I usually do which when you enter a full Gym at 4 or 5 in the evening it is (at least mine) packed with the after work crew, which is cool to see. When I show up it is usually empty and I like it that way. I spend most of my work day with people all around me asking for help with different projects/problems and most of my time at home with a 1 and 3 year old that do nothing but try and come up with questions about why stuff is the way it is (as cute as it sounds it is still mentally draining.) So at the gym I'm there to work so i keep my head phones on most of the time even if they are off just so I don't get the random jogger next to me on a treadmill wanting to discuss who I'm voting for or how crazy am I to be running on a treadmill for 2 hours. I also get a few looks because lately I've lived in some form of compression gear due to being in the biggest part of my training schedule and trying to cut down recovery time wherever possible. So during runs I wear 2XU Calf Compression which everyone seems to think are leg warmers. And I sleep in 2XU full bottom compression, But i can almost run everyday so I really don't care what they think if it works.

                                                               My Normal Gym View

     I took an extra days rest before my long run. Then made a grave error in judgment. I ate hot wings a couple of hours before my long (11 miles) run which I can only assume led to the wall I hit right after mile 7.

I started the run as normal a gel during my pre run stretch and warm up. My legs felt tired and it took almost 3 miles to get into a rhythm. By then I already was 3 minutes off my goal and getting worse by the minute at mile 6 I took a 2nd gel and started to feel like I was going to be OK then Mile 7. The wheels fell off. I had to slow my pace to a crawl (slowest mile in the last month) I couldn't keep the sweat out of my eyes my stomach starting bubbling with hot sauce, then it got bad. My legs tightened up and my stride shrunk. So I decided to do something I have never done before. I jumped off the treadmill and used the restroom. I then jumped back on wiped the sweat out of my eyes, took a quick gulp of Gatorade and turned up the treadmill to just under my normal pace and jumped on and fought through the last 3 miles. I kept repeating a line I heard during a Iron man Kona a few years ago from Mirinda Carfrae said during a interview "Everyone feels hurt and pain, NO ONE wants to keep running but the difference between winners and losers is when they feel the pain do the stop or do the keep going"  So I choose to keep going even if I didn't meet my goal time I finished my workout and I always tell myself someday some workout I decided to finish and not quit will be the difference between winning or losing. My run is in the chart below (Notice the wall dip during mile 7.

     I also wanted to send a special shout out to @IronTexasMommy, She is someone everyone should follow on twitter. She is super quick with helpful advice and always has something positive to add. She is also getting ready for a ultra 50, which is awesome !!

Week 9- Double Digits

    I know in last weeks blog I talked about how it was crazy to think that me before 9 weeks ago never run more then a few miles after weight lifting was going to hit DOUBLE digit miles in a single run.... Well I made it through my normal weekly workouts (a 5 mile pace run, a speed training night and a cross between both and showed up on Saturday night ready for my long run (9 miles) I had decided earlier that I would start adding in gels (GU) 15 minutes before my workout and another 1 around mile 4 or 5. So I showed up around 10:30ish and stretched out with a foam roller and had already taken the gel on my way to the gym so I hopped on and begin my run. A strange thing happened around mile 8. I slowed my pace down and went through my mental checklist of how I was feeling. I felt like I needed more air but strangely enough my legs still had some juice so I decided that I was going to push past 9 and end with 10 miles (at this point a crazy conversation went on in my head like this...)

runner me; Lets push it you already have gone this far lets do it
old me; Am I crazy I'm not a runner
runner me; to late you are at 8.5 miles...Your a runner
old me, It would feel good to end at 9
runner me; Not as good as finishing at 10 miles
old me; I can't run 10 miles, I barely made it to 8 last week
Runner me; shut up and run
old me; lets not over do it...9 is a good workout, lets keep it safe.
runner me;  look 9.2 miles too late now turn up the music and run

     So I did just that I turned up my music and ran the rest of my 10 miles (10-13-2012 10 miles in 1:43:16 a pace of 10'18 per mile) as usual I ran with Nike plus.

     Now I'm a month away from my half marathon so I'm trying to drop the extra 3-5 pounds that should help me break the 2 hour mark, so I'm watching what I eat and trying to train my body to use Gels and Gatorade during my run to give me max results. I'm also testing things like power bars other gels (other then GU) and other drinks. If you have any suggestions please comment or email me, I'm also trying to figure out what I'm wearing so i can train in that outfit for my long run. Also if your confused I do my long run during the weekend so the 10 miles was for the end of week 8 and I haven't run my long run for this week yet since it's Tuesday.

Week 8, Not feeling to Hot, Dealing with sickness & old injuries

     I didn't post anything about week 7 because it was a rough week. I only got in 2 workouts about 13 miles (8 of that was my long run)(8 Miles in 1:23 with a pace of 10:26) due in some part to a really bad sinus infection. I tried to do a outside park run (Which by the way I don't enjoy)(I do 90% of all workouts on a treadmill) and my lungs quit before my legs ever got a chance at getting tried. The infection killed my oxygen intake and I couldn't push myself so I just waited it out. I did spend some time researching pools and trying to put together my Tri workouts that will start in late November. I also helped my 2 sons pick out some pumpkins for Halloween and got in a little weight training at the pumpkin patch.

Week 8

     I'm about 90% over being sick, but now I'm dealing with an old injury. I tore my right thigh muscle and so i was away from the gym for about 3 months, when I saw a doctor I was told it healed and I'm good to go but since I didn't rehab it, I lost almost all of my flexibility so now I have to start over. I did by stretching (not nearly enough) and so now that I'm running it is super tight all the time. But I'm back at pushing it to my limit. I've had 3 great runs this week and upped my normal runs to 5 miles a piece and am getting ready to push hard on my 9 mile weekend Long run. It seems crazy to me that I'm a week away from my long run being double digits. I am not a runner, or if I am a runner I'm not sure when I became one. I was asked about my opinion about running 5K's after doing 8 weeks of  training and I love them now and push for a record almost every time I do them which is wild, because running is starting to be less work and more fun which is insane to me because I've always been the fast guy not the endurance runner guy. I guess its never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.