The Top 10 of 2008

At this time of year, many people like to look back and do a recap of the year. Well, if I did that, it would mostly be negative since I feel like much of the year has been a disappointment when it comes to running. So instead of looking back, I'd like to do a top 10 list of the good things that have happened this year with running and working out. I think it would be good to close this year out on a positive note and flush the not-so-great '08 out of my mind.

#10

Finishing the Shamrock Half Marathon. So when I first finished this race, I was so mad at being hurt, but in hindsight, it was an accomplishment to finish it despite being hurt.

#9

Finishing the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach. Despite taking more than 2 hours to do this race, I am once again pleased to have finished this race considering how hot it was that weekend.

#8

Taking time off. With such an up and down year, the best thing I did for myself this year was to take off time when I wasn't hurt. I highly recommend it.

#7

The 7-mile Thanksgiving run. This is here mainly because I surprised myself to run that much when I hadn't done much in a while.

#6

Running a 5k again. Oct. 18 was a big day -- I ran a 5k for the first time since the summer of 2007.

#5

Bike riding at the beach. When the Outer Banks trip came along in June, it definitely interrupted training for the Rock 'n' Roll Half, but I managed to putt out nearly 20 miles on the bike that week. Any kind of working out is a plus while on vacation.

#4

PRs. I'm not all that pleased with the results, and I would have rather done this in a half marathon, but I did set PRs in an 8k and a 4-miler this year.

#3

Working out the week that Conner was born. The birth of my son is the #1 non-running event in my life this year, obviously. At the same time, I am pleased with myself to hit the gym a few times the week he was born. So many people have told me how hard it is to keep working out with a newborn, but I was determined to prove them wrong early on.

#2

Raising $1,000 to fight cancer. In the beginning of April, I raised $1,000 for the VCU Massey Cancer Center as part of the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k. While I ran it hurt, I ran it for my late uncle, my grandfather, my dad and everyone else impacted by cancer.

#1

The discovery of cross-training. It started in March with biking, but I didn't really get into cross training until October when I joined a gym. It's put a totally different perspective on things when it comes to being in shape.

Me random? Why not ...

For more than two years now, my running has generally been focused around a longer-distance race down the road. The Virginia 10 Miler, the Shamrock Half (twice), the Richmond Marathon and most recently the Rock 'n' Roll Half. Even when I've been hurt, I've remained committed to these races. So it's no wonder that now that I haven't signed up for a "big" race that I have a lot of random thoughts. With no "what's next" to think of, my posts are just random, and I'm completely fine with that.

Virginia 10 Miler
So on my short walk/jog with my dog and while mowing my yard this morning, I realized that I really don't want to do this race. Yes I'm in shape and to prepare for it over the next couple of weeks all I would really need to do is run more hilly routes. But if I did it, it would make it two weekends in a row of traveling to the Lynchburg area since I'm headed there next weekend and I really don't feel like doing that.

It is a race I want to do again. It was my first double-digit distance race and it's a very challenging event. But my burning desire to redeem myself in a long-distance event isn't there. For anyone within a reasonable driving distance of Lynchburg, I would highly recommend this race. (Click here for the Web site.) It's an event that used to be gigantic -- Bill Rodgers won it several times in the 1970s and it peaked in the 1980s with nearly 2,700 people running it one year. Due to some poor organization it saw a big decline, but as of last year it is now organized locally and things seem to be improving drastically. It's also very hilly -- the highest elevation is 800 feet; the lowest is 593.

Anything but double digits
One reason I'm not doing the 10 miler is because I want to do some shorter races again, at least for a little while. I'm not committing to anything yet -- I'd rather just go unplanned. I'd like to do at least two more races this fall. It's been way too long since I've done a 5k -- I've done 11 since 2004, but the last one I ran was July 2007 when I set a PR. It'll be interesting to see how fast -- or slow -- I am in that distance in a race setting.

Things will be fine in '09
It's hard to think about next year already, but I can't help it since I'm essentially ending any thoughts of another long-distance race this year. Right now, my plan is to do the Rock 'n' Roll Half again, and that's really it for long races. That gives me a chance to adjust to having a baby in my life and it gives me about 10 months off long-distance training. I'll still have "long" runs, but I'm limiting race distances to 10k or less until next September. I need the break both physically and mentally. I am very interested in doing a duathlon in April instead of training for the Shamrock Half again, but I'll save that for another day.

What's in a week?
My runs this week have been great. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- I'm enjoying running just to run. I feel like I've had a big weight lifted off my shoulders to say the hell with big races right now and do whatever I feel like doing when the time comes. I'm not worried about the number of miles in a week, I don't care about hitting 1,000 miles right now and I don't feel bad for cutting it short today because it's so hot and humid. I'm in an unusual zone right now and I'm loving every bit of it.

A hodgepodge of post-race thoughts

I could write a lot about a variety of things right now, but instead here's a shorter list of things on my mind right now. Also, I've inserted some of my photos from the weekend to show some of the amazing sights.

Taking a break
I have not had a full, complete two-day break from running in almost three months. Even through my tailbone injury I managed to get in a few tenths at a time. The last time I went more than two days without running at all was June 10-12 when I was in the Outer Banks. You'll have to excuse me this week as I don't even think about having a running motion for a few days. Today I had a great walk with my dog and I MIGHT go for a run after work tomorrow. Otherwise, it's been nice having a break since Sunday morning.

Going Garmin free
On my walk with my dog this evening, I didn't take my Garmin. I've been so obsessed with my miles -- even walking miles -- that I feel like my Garmin is just a growth on my arm. I don't even know what bag it's packed it right now, and I may not bust it out at all this week. I'll estimate my miles based on what I know about my neighborhood or use mapmyrun.com. I need a break from looking down at my watch so much.

Post-race soreness
Despite shutting it down the last half of the Rock 'n' Roll Half on Sunday, I still have sore legs and am tired. It's not nearly as bad as usual, but it's oddly comforting to know that I put enough effort in early on to be sore. Just because things went bad doesn't take away from three months of training, and I'm exhausted both mentally and physically. I think I'm entitled to do whatever the hell I feel like doing this week.

A tale of two races
Despite the fact that I was 17 minutes slower this weekend than the Shamrock Half in March, there is something special about what happened a couple of days ago. A friend of mine called it a character-building race. He's so right too, and right now I probably don't even know how right he is. It was a learning experience in so many ways, and I'm strangely glad that it played out like it did. In March, I was hurt. I was mad as hell and I was determined to get back on my feet this summer. When I did, I turned around and fell on my butt, but I stayed determined to keep training and fight through it. When the humidity hit me like a brick wall on Sunday, it was just part of my story of things trying to prevent me from finishing this race. But I finished dammit. Unhurt and not limping across the finish line.

Rock 'n' Roll 2009
A few hours after finishing on Sunday, I said I highly doubt that I would return for this race. But by that night, when talking with my friend Vicki who ran it last year, I realized that I have to go back to Virginia Beach on Labor Day weekend next year. It's more than a year away and right now that seems like forever and a day away, but that 2:06 is already burning a hole in my feet. It's a course record for me that just can't hang around.

So ... what's next?
Ah, the question runners everywhere are always asking themselves. Well, I'm not 100 percent sure. The Virginia 10 Miler is coming at the end of the month in Lynchburg, and I've been thinking about doing it again for two years now. It's a unique race on an extremely hilly course ... it's the race that got me so hooked on longer distances. I have to get through the next couple of days and recovery runs to see how I feel before I make a decision, but right now it's the only race close by that makes sense. Despite wanting to redeem myself in a half marathon, I don't want to venture too far from home with a baby on the way in November. Plus after two half marathons that didn't go as expected, I want to get that distance out of my head for a while.

I'd like to do some shorter races this fall. I haven't done a 5k since August 2007 and I haven't had a good 10k in a long time, so I'm kind of itching to get back to what got me hooked on running in the first place.

So ... what's next after what's next?
It's kind of weird to think about 2009 already, but looking ahead, the Rock 'n' Roll Half is the only "big" thing on my radar screen (see above for all that). After that, I'm totally open to thinking about doing another marathon next fall. I've already looked at how the calendar plays out and it's ideal to just keep training after Labor Day weekend to perhaps do the Richmond Marathon again. It's just not happening this year with a baby on the way. Plus I haven't forgotten about the nagging injuries despite feeling great right now. There's something itching inside me to have a half marathon that I'm 100 percent happy with before doing another marathon, so mapping out my plans for next year will have to wait ... probably until a year from now.

Lastly, a HUGE thank you
I just wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to my wife, my mom and stepdad, my friends and my fellow bloggers out there for your support in the past few months. I've had so much going on personally and professionally, and I could not have made it without all the support. I could have easily just given up hope on a lot of things, but everybody has played a role in keeping this train from running out of steam. Thank you!! It'll be time to keep it going in a few days.


By the way, I'm in the blue waving my hands in the photo below. It's one of the very few times I've actually done something for a photo during a race. I'm looking forward to seeing the official photos because I actually put my hands up in the air for one.

One day, two events ... no gold

One thing that is remarkable about some of the Olympic athletes, notably the swimmers this week, is how much they'll do in one day. Well, I must be inspired by what's happening in Beijing because yesterday I did two things that left me wiped out at the end of the day.

I'll first start with a tree replacement. In my backyard there was a waste of a tree. I think the previous owners put it up last year to spruce things up a bit to try and sell the house. Well, in the almost year that I've been here, I've seen this thing slowly die. So with the good news this week that I got a job, I've decided to do a few things around the house before I have the excuse of having a job. One of those things is replacing this horrid tree.

Since I couldn't drive to my backyard to try and pull it out with my Escape, I basically had to dig around this tree and slowly work my way underneath it. It was quite an adventure. Once I got it out -- probably a little more than an hour's work -- the rest felt simple. You can see with the before and after pictures that there are a few new flowers around the replacement tree -- a crepe myrtle -- to spruce things up a bit. Now comes the fun part of keeping it all alive.

This was a great cross-training effort and in any normal day, this probably would have been it for me. But since I had decided earlier this week to run a 4-mile evening race, my day was only half done.

After a brief nap in the afternoon, and drinking lots of water, I ventured across Richmond to the Moonlight 4 Miler. This was the first race I have ever done in the evening -- there aren't too many of those out there.

The "Moonlight" name is a bit deceiving, as most everyone actually finishes before the official sunset. Fortunately, though, there was an almost-full moon rising as the race was going on. Plus it was cloudy, so that helped things.

There's really not much to report on this race. My time was 32:49, just over an 8-minute mile pace, putting me 99th out of 235 runners. The course was fairly hilly, but I managed to keep an even pace throughout. I felt like I was pushing myself, but it seemed like I couldn't go any faster than what I was going. I felt like I kept thinking about it too much. In my head I was coming up with some good excuses for why I wasn't going faster: I'm mostly a morning runner; I preformed a tree replacement earlier in the day; I hadn't ran a race in more than four months; my feet were still getting over one too many runs in my old shoes ... you name it, it was probably going through my head.

Despite those thoughts, I'm actually pleased with everything. It'll go down as a PR, but mainly because it's only my third 4 miler ever, and the first in almost three years. I know I can do better than this, but it'll go down as a solid speed workout. This was a good tune-up for the Rock 'n' Roll Half, which is a little more than two weeks away. It felt like it had been way too long since I was in a race, so it was very worthwhile getting that experience of starting with a large group of people, pacing with other runners and trying to finish strong. But never again will I do yard work on race day...


Workouts since last post
Aug. 14: Run - 4.6 overall
Aug. 15: Walk - 1.7

The enjoyment of NOT running

Coming off two injuries, I've completely revamped my training this summer. And so far, I'm feeling much better because of it. Simply put, I've taken the pressure off myself to run. My rules are simple -- run four times a week with only one set of back-to-back running days a week. There is absolutely no running three days in a row either. Lastly, cross training finally means something.

The set up is pretty much this: Monday is for cross training; easy run on Tuesday; speed work on Wednesday; Thursday is for cross training (or rest); moderately paced run on Fridays; rest/very easy workout on Saturday; and Sunday is for my long run. Throughout this summer I will vary things, but this thought process pretty much works for me. I hate running three days in a row. When I have in the past, I always feel pretty worthless by that third day.

Adding in biking and weight lifting in this first month puts my mind at ease. Today I went out for a walk with my dog and it felt nice to know I wasn't going to run at all. In the past I would've been itching to get in an extra mile or so on an "off" day, but that mind frame is gone. And it's very liberating ...


Workouts since last post
June 27: Walk - 1.2; Run - 4.5
June 28: Walk - 2; Ab workout - 1:30 total plank; 75 set ups on Bosu ball; 25 crunches with home gym

Consistency

I think most runners agree that it's tough to be consistent. Whether it's things on the job, stuff at home, the weather or even your mood, getting consistent is tough. Well, since the marathon six months ago, I have been doing a great job of being consistent with my inconsistency. In the past two weeks, though, things have turned around.

On my run today, I realized how up and down things have seemed since the marathon milestone. It's like I got caught up in being pleased with finishing the marathon that things stopped mattering so much. Now that it seems like I'm on the right track, I'm ready to plot out things between now and the end of August. My plan for the second half of this month is to just stay consistent -- hit my weekly miles in the teens, ride my bike a few times and lift weights a couple of times of week. Come June 1, I'll be ready to get into details of what I want my long runs and weekly miles to be. I'll be ready to discuss my weight and my goals for the end of August. I'm prepared to make June, July and August be the best running months of my life, and I'm just laying the ground work this month.

Speaking of consistency, things are going well this week. Monday was a weight lifting day; Tuesday was a 1.1-mile walk and 4.2-mile run; Wednesday was a good 2-mile walk and 4.6 miles on the bike; and today was just shy of a mile walk and a 4.1-mile run. Tomorrow I hope to bike and/or lift weights; Saturday will be house-work day; and Sunday I hope to run another 4 miles or so.

4 more miles

I guess it takes the lowest of lows to really appreciate running. I'm not sure what happened today, but halfway through my run I actually liked what I was doing. It's been a while since I felt that way. When I wasn't hurt for that short time this winter, everything felt so ... I don't know ... blah. I was going through the motions.

As you've read, I've struggled to really get into running this year. Even when I have, it's been tough to be positive. Something clicked today, though, and I ran a great 4 miles. That would be two 4-mile runs two days in a row. Excluding the 8k/half marathon weekend, I haven't hit distances like that in consecutive days since March 1 and 2 (5.8 and 8) and March 5 and 6 (3.9 and 4.5) -- a full two months ago.

More important than the distance, though, it how great everything feels, both physically and mentally. I feel I've gotten over that mental hump of being worried about hurting myself. It's also giving me a chance to think about other things going on in my life. Physically, it feels great to not be hurt and to not have my lungs give out on me. It's nice that some of my conditioning has stuck with me. There's still a lot of work to do, but if you would've told me a month ago that I'd be feeling like this today, I would've told you that you're crazy.

Take It and Run Thursday: 13 words, or less

This week's "Take It and Run Thursday" theme over at Runners Lounge is to give advice in 13 words or less. Well, the best advice I've ever received and the best advice I can really give is this:

Be smart. Listen to your body. It's always right.

Take it and run Thursday: Injuries

On a day that I ran a half mile for the first time in two weeks, I find it a bit ironic that today's theme for Take It and Run Thursday over at the Runners' Lounge is on injuries.

In four-plus years of running, I consider myself lucky that I haven't had too many injuries. The only problems I've ever had is when I increased my mileage - first in 2006 in training for a 10 miler, at the end of last year after my first marathon and less than two weeks ago in the Shamrock Half. Without really haven't to go into too much detail, the biggest lesson I've learned is to rest, rest, rest and rest. If you have a problem that impacts your running form, you have to stop. In '06 when I had knee problems, I treated it with ice and Advil, which helped get me through the race, but after a hilly 10 miler, I couldn't hardly walk for a week.

I used my first injury, though, to motivate me. I wanted to be a distance runner. Instead of sitting around that winter, I trained for a half marathon. After basically not running for two weeks after that race and then taking it really easy for a couple of more weeks, I came back feeling great. Resting was key.

At the end of last year with my heel issues, I just stopped running altogether and didn't run again until I felt no pain. With the gradual increase in miles, I came back pretty strong, only to have the other foot hurt. Today, actually, is the first day that my foot hasn't hurt at all, but I'm in the "one more day" frame of mind before attempting a few miles.

In the past two days though, I've realized how awesome it is to have a bike. In two days, I've rode about 9 miles and I've worked muscles that I forgot existed. In a short time, I already realize how important cross training needs to be and how a bike can prevent losing endurance.

The hardest thing I've encountered is how to deal with everything mentally. This recent injury hasn't been so bad, since I know that I need rest. But with nice weather, it's tough to sit still. Thankfully, I now have a bike, but I'd rather run. There's no cure for that itch to run. When you're hurt, you don't want to see other people running, you don't want to talk about it and you don't to read about it. Just know that if you're hurt, there is an end. The more patient you are, the quicker than end will get here.

The search for a bike

Note to self: Never buy an $80 bike. It only causes issues 5 minutes after riding it. And never buy a bike from Target. Despite loving everything else in this store, including buying 99 percent of my running gear from there, when it comes to bikes, the staff isn't so helpful. Perhaps Target's PR department has Google alerts set up and they'll read about this and get back to me.

I'll be headed to another store very soon to complete my cross-training purchases and buy a bike that might have tires that last longer than a half-mile trip down the street and have a staff that might be willing to get another bike for me if I return it ...

The mistake of 3

I've never been one to run three days in a row. Rarely have I done it. And when I do, that third day seems so worthless. Or if I do, one of those days is usually less than three miles and acts as a recovery run rather than a training run.

Well, I tried running three days in a row this past weekend at a higher mileage, but I just ran out of gas on my long run. Two weeks ago it actually worked, but I took a 36-hour break between Wednesday and Thursday. So after this past weekend, you won't see me attempting three days in a row of running again like this. I'm not saying I won't run three days in a row ... I'll just take a much different approach than I did this past weekend.

I felt so tired yesterday, and even this morning I was still struggling. From the waist up I feel great, but the rest of me is exhausted. So today I just walked and did a short jog with my dog, but I'm already looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow. I'm glad that I listened to my body and stopped when I did on Sunday, or else this post might be a completely different story.

If I knew then ....

My friends over at the Runner's Lounge often post some interesting subjects. They also have an awesome Web site connecting runners with runners, but time just isn't on my side to get involved as I would like. That all being said, this week's "Take-It-and-Run Thursday" topic is very interesting, and like many things with running, it is very challenging. So here's my take on "If I knew then what I know now."

What have you stubbornly resisted learning or trying? Speed work. I've always been scared to push my body to its limits. I always impressed myself with races, but never did interval training at all until I ran with a group. I definitely suggest doing it with a group first, then your confidence will come around to trying it by yourself.

What has led to breakthroughs in your running? Lots of little things. Finishing my first race made me realize that I can do anything I set my mind to.

What lesson about running has taken you too long to figure out? Injuries. I wouldn't say it's taken too long to figure out ... it's just frustrating to figure out.

What 1 or 2 factors have made your running most successful and enjoyable? Finishing my first race ... and four years later finishing my first marathon.

What training or racing blunders have set you back? In training for my first "long" race - a 10 miler - I increased my mileage too quick and suffered from knee problems. I know now to stop when something hurts.

What 1 or 2 pieces advice would you pass along to a beginning runner? It gets easier each day ... then it gets hard all over again. I also suggest to push yourself a little farther every day. Start at a mile ... then 1.25 miles, then 1.5 miles, then 1.75 miles. A little bit goes a long way.

What advice would you pass along to a veteran runner who is stuck in a rut? Try a different route. I know too many people who have the same route, or same neighborhood. You need different scenery at least once a week.

What has kept you from achieving your running goals? Injuries, but I've been lucky to only have two and neither have been major. But they're frustrating.

What is one mistake that has made a significant difference in your running that would you like to reverse? Instead of using the work mistake, I like to say lessons learned. And, I think the biggest lesson learned came 10 years ago when I stopped running. I missed out on a lot by stopping and gaining weight.

A look back at '07

While December has been frustrating with being sick and then an injury, I'm not about to let that take away from an awesome 2007. The obvious accomplishment comes from finishing my first marathon in November, which is the whole reason for actually having a blog.

Before my blogging days began in April, I set a PR in a half marathon at the Shamrock Half Marathon in March. My chip time was 1:44:23, just under my goal of 1:45. That race made me really like half marathons a lot. With my foot issues now, it's tough to set a goal for the 2008 race, but I'd really like to beat that time. I set the bar high for myself with that race last year, but I know I can be faster.

This year has also been a great year with my 5ks. Coming into the year, my fastest 5k was 23:49, which was also my only time under 24 minutes. I broke that time twice -- in June I did a 5k in 23:03 and in July I broke the 23-minute barrier with a 5k in 22:42, "winning" my age group. (I was the only one in my age group that race.)

I saw set a PR in the mile (6:26) and 5 miler (36:59), although those two distances are very hard to find in races. I struggled though the extremely cross-country style James River Xterra 10k in May, and then had serious doubts about long distances by running a 30k in October.

I finished the year with 960 miles, well short of 1,000 miles, but much farther than I've ever gone before. I didn't start logging miles until the end of last year -- it was always time ran before that, but I know I haven't ran this much in a year. Despite a bad December, I'll take an average of 80 miles a month.

I've accomplished more this year in running since I started running again in 2004. It'll be a year I'll never forget, mostly thanks to the marathon.

As for 2008, I'm starting the year by giving my heel some rest. After I de-Christmas my house and get the boxes out of my way, I'll be doing some weight-training beginning this week. I'll probably hold off on running for just a few more days so I can heal my heel. The end of this year has become a lot like last year -- I think I want to get through the winter/early spring before making decisions on another "big" race. I definitely have the urge to do another marathon, but I don't want to stay hurt either.

Happy New Year everybody!!

Good news, bad news

After completing the Richmond Marathon, running wasn't high on my priority list. All I felt like doing was getting some rest. When I did run, I felt unmotivated despite having one more goal this year. Then I got sick. Talk about being unmotivated.

Then came this week. I have finally felt healthy and rested, so this week was about getting back on my feet and feeling normal again. At week's end, I find myself just shy of 20 miles (19.6 to be exact), including a "long" run today of 6.1 miles that made me like running again. Today was the first time since the marathon that I can say I felt like running for a reason. I felt comfortable and once again I felt focused. I think all I needed was downtime to get back to this feeling, but in the past month I have been frustrated instead of being patient.

Today is a relief. With 90 days to go until the Shamrock Half Marathon, it felt like a kickoff training run. Finally, I can run with confidence again.

Now, about that 1,000-mile goal. I should have done this a while ago, but today I went back and recalculated my mileage from the year. Since hitting 1,000 miles was never a goal until I realized how close I was to it, my mileage-keeping wasn't the best. While my weekly mileage was accurate, I had a few miscalculations for monthly totals including being off a few miles in January, June and 10 miles in September. All total I have 13 fewer miles as of today for the year than I thought I had. I'm at 944.7. While hitting 1,000 miles is still a possibility, it's a little more out of reach than I first thought, especially with a trip coming up. I blame my usually good math skills on this one, but getting sick and having two weeks with just 7 miles certainly didn't help.

I'm a little mad at myself, but like I've already said, hitting quadruple digits just wasn't something I thought about until recently. With time running out in 2007, I need two 28-mile weeks. While I want to be in the 25-30 mile range for my half marathon training, I don't want to overdo it just to hit 1,000 miles. Coming off a rest period and an illness, I don't think it's the smart thing to do. Between now and the end of the year, I want to run smart before I get heavy into training again and higher mileage.

This all being said, I'll lay out my 2008 goals sometime soon. And you better believe running 1,000 miles will be on the list.

Post #101

This blog started as something to hold me accountable for the Richmond Marathon. What started as a journey to just another race turned into a story of so much more. Just two days after running 26.2 miles, I feel like I can really do anything I set my mind to ... except walking down stairs!

This is my 101st post. I couldn't have timed it better by having 100 posts ending with the marathon report. Number 101 is like a starting over number ... a what's next type of thing. Back in April when I started this blog, I thought I knew so much about running and was treating the marathon the same way I had approached all other races. But a marathon the first time around is about pushing your limits and taking your body to the edge. It tests you just as much mentally as it does physically. It makes you think about everything you've ever done in your life -- if you're a person who has regretted things along the way, it turns you into a no regrets type of person. It puts the "life's too short" cliche into reality. Life is too short to waste time on a lot of things. Life is too short to have regrets.

Who knows why it takes training and running a marathon for the first time to realize these things, but it just does. Life is like a marathon -- there are ups and downs, fast times and slow times, times where you feel the best you've ever felt and times you question your own sanity. And it all works out in the end.

By sitting at home today and getting rest, and unable to do much since I can't walk normal, I keep asking myself, "What's next?" I don't like the term "off season" -- once you're hooked, there's downtime, where training continues in a lesser way. My approach to 2007 was: run the Shamrock Half Marathon and see how I feel. Well, I ran it, then was marathon bound. All races in between were for training. And that's the biggest thing that's changed about me this year -- focus on the big event, but keep running races for speed training and running with large groups of people.

Before I worry about 2008 besides the Shamrock again, I have a goal to meet before Dec. 31 this year -- hitting 1,000 miles for the year. It wasn't a goal I had until recently, but it'll be a great way to close out the year. I'm at 924.3 now and will resume that journey (slowly) on Saturday or Sunday. After I hit 1,000 miles, I'll fill you in on the rest of 2008.

Marathon training = lots of progress

I've been too hard on myself lately. In my last post, I think I left the impression that I haven't accomplished anything until I cross the finish line of the Richmond Marathon. On my run this morning, though, I realized that I have accomplished a lot in the past few months in my running life. Instead of using the word "accomplished," I'd like to think of it as making progress. Much of it is in thanks to training for a marathon, but I still want to avoid reflecting too much. I'm afraid of giving myself high praise for what's happened these few months in fear of jinxing myself, slipping on a freakin' acorn and busting my ass and not being able to reach the start line in two-plus weeks.

So, without talking about the marathon anymore, here are a few things that have happened in my running career this summer. Reflecting on what I've learned while training for the marathon will come sometime after Nov. 10:

* Some of my training runs have beaten race times since I started doing races in 2004. Just this morning in the heavy humidity of August ... I mean late October ... I included a 2-mile tempo run of 15:54. That's nearly 30 seconds faster than a 2-mile race I did in November 2005 in the Thanksgiving snow in Ohio. And believe me, it's much easier to run while it's snowing than 80 percent humidity in August ... I mean October.

* In addition to beating a 2-mile race time, I've had a few tempo runs while training better than several 5k races, and a 13.1-mile run was the same time as my very first half marathon. To me, no matter what I'm training for, that is my best sign of progress in the past few months.


* My 5k race times have dramatically improved since training for the Virginia Ten Miler last summer. From 24:37 at a cross-country style race in Bedford in November (which was nearly 3 minutes faster than my previous PR at that race) to a 22:42 this summer with a ton of hills, I have figured out how to push myself in a 3.1 mile event. Now that I've gotten below 23 minutes in a 5k comes the challenge of continuing to be able to do that, if 5ks are what I want to keep doing. Train faster, race faster. It's actually a simple technique that works really well!


* I now have a new standard for a "short run." It used to be three miles. Now it's four. And I really like five.

The power of 10 ... hours of sleep that is

I think in yesterday's post I was blaming myself for things beyond my control. I was mad for yesterday's run not feeling like the majority of my runs have in the past few months. Plus I was tired ... and I think that was my biggest issue of all. Yesterday evening, I took a nap for about an hour. Then last night I slept for about 10 hours. Mark this down as a lesson learned without having to hurt myself -- had I kept going yesterday, who knows what would have happened.

So today around 5 p.m., my wife and I headed to a nearby park with our dog (that's him in the photo!). Instead of the short walk before my run, I took a longer walk to get warmed up -- probably a little more than a mile. Then, the run. I started slow just to make sure my knees weren't turning old on me. Two miles in, things were fine. I kept the first four miles or so off road on the relatively flat trails. Half way through I was feeling great. No pains, no issues with the late-day still-too-hot-for-October weather ... my only complaint would be that my iPod was enjoying playing Bush songs I've already heard this week. I ended up running 10 miles in 10 seconds less than 1:30. Compare that to yesterday's first 10 that I did in 1:37, plus another 9:30 pace mile. For the weekend, I did 21 miles. Although my 20 miler didn't come in one attempt, I did accomplish a first in my running career -- two double digit runs in consecutive days. Also this weekend, I passed 100 miles for the month, which is about 20 more than where I was at this point last month. While I was feeling down yesterday, I'm feeling much better tonight. It's funny what a good night's sleep can do for the body.

So, now what? It's time for the taper. A lot of people have a lot to say about tapering -- when doing a Google search for tapering and running, 2 million items come up. Nobody is right; nobody is wrong, either. For people like me, running in that 30-40 miles per week range, it seems there's not much of a need to drastically cut back until the week of, but some cutting back needs to happen. Then there's the ton of people who run 40-60 miles a week ... then you have the 100-plus miles a week runner.

There are too many different types of runners out there to develop a perfect plan and not enough research for so-called experts to really know what is right. I have now had five consecutive 30-plus mile weeks since my mid-September move. Based on what I've read, what I've been told and what I've done with the two shorter races I've trained for, next week's plan is 29 miles with a long run of 14. I may alter some things during the week and shorten the long run just a bit, but I still plan to be in the double digits. The following week, my target mileage is 24 miles, with my long run being 8 miles. And the week of the marathon? I'll wait and see how I feel, but basically I'm planning 10 miles or less.

I'm excited that taper time is here and I can use some reasonable excuses now to rest up. There have been some mornings that I just don't feel like dragging myself out of bed, but I do it anyway. Now I won't feel so bad if I sleep just a tad longer and run a mile less. There's a lot of reflecting I'd love to do, but now is still not the time. It is not time too look at how far I've come since the spring. There's a marathon to focus on -- I haven't accomplished anything until I cross the finish line.

Heat concerns

Don't like my whining? I realized yesterday after hearing that someone died in Chicago during the marathon and another person died at the Army 10 Miler that my complaining about the heat is legitimate. It's unfortunate that it takes bad news for people to react, but I sure hope that race organizers everywhere in the U.S. take a lesson in yesterday's awful day in running. (Click here for some good reading from the Chicago Tribune about what happened yesterday.)

After my long post yesterday, I found out about these horrible events and it immediately made me think of what could have been different about my event. There were many of us out there that clearly were struggling. Fortunately, there was plenty of water and lots of shade, but no one who was organizing the event provided a word of caution about the heat, but instead were too worried about whether runners had headphones on. I don't mind having the obvious overstated when it comes to health... but not a word of it yesterday. Even though I was hot and was very smart to just stop and walk, I might have just opted out of the last 10k had someone said, "You don't need to kill yourself out there today." Running and dying don't make sense - you run to get healthy, not to die. Unless it's hot.

I've read some very stupid comments on other people's blogs about hydrating and practicing in heat, etc., etc. I say none of that matters when the heat and humidity are up. Sure, you can better prepare yourself for weather like that, but no one is safe when the mercury rises.

14 miles, and in need of a change of tunes

I have mixed feelings about being in that "longest run ever" portion of my marathon training, at least when the weather is like it is. My 14-mile run today was OK ... this heat and humidity on the other hand are tough to deal with. I ran on the shaded, relatively flat Blackwater Creek Trail today, mixing in two miles on two different hilly extensions of it. The first 10 miles were the best; the next three I could feel the heat of the morning kicking in; and the last mile felt nearly worthless, but I was also going beyond anything what my body had ever done before, with a nice layer of humidity on top.

I learned some good lessons today - it's nice to have a route that includes good spots for a pee break; I need to take an energy gel with me; 7 a.m. for a long run is about an hour too late when the heat and humidity are this high; and it's time to reshuffle my iPod shuffle.

It was nice to cross that half marathon barrier despite the weather. Today's run helps put the Richmond Marathon into better perspective and what it may be like. I know there's a long way to go and many more longer runs than 14 miles, but mentally this helps me see the challenges ahead of me. From here on out, it's all about taking my body to places it's never been before, and my mind needs to tag along for the journey.

Morning fog in my head

There are lots of reasons to be tired today - from traveling to and from Ohio to a crazy night at a wedding to packing up for my move to Richmond and the stress that it brings. When I got up for my group run this morning, I just couldn't go. It's hard to describe really - my head felt a bit foggy. My body just said "No." So I slept for a couple more hours, then took my dog out for a long walk and a short jog. It's nowhere near what I planned on doing, but it felt good to at least get outside for 30 minutes.

I'm not too worried about missing the group run since I'll be running with a large group in Saturday's half marathon. And I'm not worried about making up the miles - I'll simply adjust my planned days off. I've realized in the past few hours that I have let myself get a bit dehydrated and that my body needs to catch up before heading out for another run. Traveling has a way of doing that to you, as does doing all these things I'm not used to. Mark it down as a lesson learned fortunately before my mileage gets too much higher.