week 5 part 2

Did the Katy Trail again this evening. For the first time I did trail running with a reliable time keeping device. (I found a flash stopwatch for my MP3 player.) 4.5 miles in 35:52, just under 8 min/mile. I did the first mile comfortably in 8 even, but the second mile killed me as I coasted it in 9 minutes. I picked it up after that but don't have the rest of my splits until the last half mile. I smoked it in about 3:30 after seeing I was a little over 32 minutes with a half mile to go. Felt good to run fast to the finish.

Plan is to do another 4.5 mile run on Thursday and a 5.5 mile long run on Saturday or Sunday. We'll see how life intervenes this week.

Things I Can't Say on Facebook: 1

I will never go to another crowded public event with my father. It was like taking a Vietnam vet to the Asian market during Tet. No less than 3 physical confrontations, all with Texas fans. Here's a quote. "Because if you are, I will knock you on your little ass." Here's a tip, dad, if you're going to have roid rage, you probably ought to do the roids. Or your going to end up getting your old ass knocked the fuck out. Very nearly ruined a great time. I am seriously not going to another similar event with him for the rest of my life. And I guarandamntee you none of my children will be going to these types of events with him.

week 5 part 1

Last week got blown up by the viral infection that led to 3 days of diarrhea and nausea. I got my long run in, though. It was supposed to be 5.5 miles but I did 5.75 because I couldn't find the mile markers along the Katy trail at first. I don't know what the time was but it was definitely under 9 min/mile and the last 3 miles was much faster than the first 2.75. In fact, I was kicking ass until about the 5.25 mile mark when I suddenly felt like an AIDS patient on first generation antiretrovirals. I had to shit, and shit quick. I was seriously looking for bushes to hide behind but the traffic on the trail was just too heavy. I finished the run, got to the car, and hauled ass home. The only time I've felt more relief than the moment my bare and still clean ass hit the toilet was when I hit the exit on I35 to escape the lunatic pointing his gun at me.

Anyway I learned a few things on that run:
1. Having mile markers and other runners to pace me makes all the difference. If I'm running in a vacuum my natural pace is probably 9-10 min/mile, but I really pick it up when I can imagine I'm competing with some random fuck who doesn't even know I'm there.
2. Either the Katy trail has been much improved or my frame of reference has shifted considerably in the seven years since I was last on it. There are parts of it that reminded me of Central Park in the ability to completely shut out the God-forsaken city.
3. Clearly the architects of the Katy trail have never been targets of assassination plots because the trail is always along the ridgeline, exposing you to potential snipers the way Greg Davis exposes wide receivers to big hits for negative yards. (Speaking of assassination plots ... )
4. Dallas women believe strongly in the benefits of plastic surgery and in the right to take their yappy little mutts every-fucking-where.
5. Rollerblading is for tools.

fuck this fucking fucked up shit.

Week 4 part 1 (of 1)

Knee pain and swelling, plantar fasciitis, and allergies have limited my training the last couple of weeks. I'm definitely not up to the schedule ol' Hal Higdon has cooked up. I've settled on a regimen of running three days a week and lifting at least two days a week. No post last week because I was getting brutalized at work and only ran twice.

I've changed my running up a little bit. For one I'm trying to run outside more often. When I do have to run on the treadmill, because it's dark or raining or whatever, I set the incline on the treadmill to 1. I read that this should more closely approximate trail running. Outside I tend to run a little slower than 8 min/mile, but I'm never gassed at the end. I seem to have a very poor internal clock, and without a watch or distance markers I settle into a slower pace than I would like. On the treadmill I'm doing 4 miles with the incline up at 1 in around 31 minutes (last night was 30:57, Monday was 31:32). I keep hoping that the treadmill running will train the correct pace into my motor memory, but it doesn't seem to work that way.

Right now my plan is increasing my runs by ~10% per week. This week I'm doing two runs of 4 miles and one run of 5 miles. Next week will be 4.5 miles twice and 5.5 miles once (12% increase). I'm still shooting for 10k at 8 minutes per mile. Once I build up to a long run of about 8 miles I'm going to try and add one day of speed training where I do 4x400m sprints* with 400m walk between each one, eventually building up to 8x400m.

I try to ice my knees for at least 15 minutes after each run. I don't know if it's just the increased rest or the ice or a combination, but my right knee has not been hurting or swelling as much recently. Of course, the arch supports could also be helping.

Yes, arch supports. Why didn't anyone ever tell me I needed arch supports before? I've never known what it's like to run and not have my feet hurt afterward. Turns out my recurrent plantar fasciitis and knee pain might simply be because my feet have the same contour two-by-four.

Studying continues. Nothing much to report there other than the iPad my department gave me seems useless as a board prep tool at this point. Actually, it seems pretty useless for most things.










* Let's not get carried away here. My sprint of a 400m is probably around 100 seconds right now. With training I'd like to get it down to around 70 seconds.

week 2 part 1

Took 3 days off for the trip to POC mainly because my right knee hurt like hell and was swollen. Felt better yesterday but stayed off it just to be sure. Did my 3 mile run today and am now icing it and feeling like a dumbass. Treadmill run in 20:44. No strength today because some kids were over-running the weight room. I'll catch that up tomorrow. I'll probably go back to alternating running and lifting days with one day off until me knee gets better. This week I'll probably do 2 days lifting in a row to get an extra day between runs.

week 1 part 2

Did the tempo run yesterday around Bachman Lake. Morningstar tells me that's a good place to buy drugs and/or get murdered. In retrospect I was the only Caucasoid out there among the dozens of people I saw. Too bad because it's a pretty nice 3 mile loop. I did 3.5 to 4 miles (hard to be sure because of poor distance marking) in the 35 minutes. Not quite on pace but I wasn't pushing it nearly enough. Without a watch or a partner to pace with I wasn't sure how fast to go. Next week I should definitely be able to get 4 to 4.5 miles in that time. I'll probably go to the track at Germany Park or hit the Katy Trail for that run.
By the way, treadmill running does not = trail running. Pushing it on the trail will get me to around an 8 minute mile pace, I think, whereas I can do a 7 minute pace on the treadmill pretty routinely now.
Today was back on the treadmill for 3 miles (21:00) and then strength training for biceps, deltoids, rotator cuff, and legs. Only I skipped the legs. I'll try and work them in tomorrow, which is supposed to be a "rest day" but whatever.

As for studying I'm still slogging through the Education Review Manual. Did a couple chapters this week which keeps me on pace for now.