One HOT week

Looking back at this week it has been very HOT. I have been trying to work myself mentally and get ready for the hot summer that is coming upon us now. It is slowing my speed down and killing me mentally. I feel like I am falling behind. I look at my watch and my HR is not changing much but I feel like I am going to die sometimes.

I went to Savannah this weekend to go to one of my best friend's wedding and I had a blast. We celebrated after the wedding by going to Wet Willies and then to Spankys. I think I came to the realization that I am not as young as I use to be but I am still as good as I use to be. But today I am paying the price. I am sick as a dog. I don't want to move. It was hard to drive home this morning but I had to keep telling myself "just hurry but if you have to stop, do it quickly".

I am thinking about trying the Torture Trail 10K this Saturday. I have not run a 10K race since last year. I got caught up in running marathons but now the times have changed. I have been training with our certified track coach and I have been working on my stamina and speed. I think I am going to give it a shot and see how things are progressing.

Have a great week and I hope to have better post later on. Good night.

I think I need a walker

Yesterday I bought a new pair of running shoes from Run Fit. My last pair lasted me about 6 months and went through 2 marathons. I decided this time to try out a pair of NB 1224 ( I think that is the number ). I have been having problems with the toe box not being wide enough for my Fred Flintstone feet. So I decided to break them in last night at the track workout.

It was time to go to the track and BOOM, more lightening and rain still coming down very hard.
I thought about staying home but them I looked at the forecast and it looked like it might be clearing. I made my way to the track and looked to see others waiting to run also. Steve and Bo, our newest member of team POD, were checking to see if our coach was coming. He text back and said he was on the way.

Well the rain finally stopped and now it is time to run. We were doing repeats of 200,200 and 800's. 4 time repeats with a 1 mile warm up and a 1 mile cool down for a total of 5 miles. I was suppose to run my 200's at a pace of 59 seconds and my 800's at a pace of 3:54.

200 times: .51, .56, .54, .57, .57, .54, .41, .52
800 times: 3:44, 3:52, 3:57, 3:55

I hit close to the times most of the time but my 800's were a little off. I have not gotten use to running those speeds for that long of a time. I am used to doing that at about 100m's. I had one 200 run were my craziness kicked in and I ran a 41. I don't know where it came from but RC told me he was changing my nickname to Turbo Tim. I told him that it just felt good and I felt like I needed to go for one time. It was nice being able to keep up with the fast people for a change.

When I got through, RC told us that not everyone would be running the same speed or distance so if anyone wanted to continue to run to go ahead. I did not see anyone including myself offer to keep running. I was spent, tired and hungry. It was off to the house to get some food and ibuprofen.

This morning when I hit the floor, cause my legs almost gave out LOL, my feet and legs were sssscccrrreeeaaaammmmiiinnnggg. They were letting me know that they were still there. I soon had a discussion with them to let them know that I am in control of them not that they are in control of me. So off to work I go with a smile on my face knowing that I am one day closer to my goal thanks to RC Team POD.

A great week

This past week I moved up my training a little more. I moved into Phase II and found out it is harder. My body was a little sore after taking on more training but it will be worth it when it is over.

Sunday-long day of 8 miles
Monday-easy run of 40 min
Tuesday-track workout of 4x800's
Wednesday-OFF
Thursday-40 min of MP in the rain
Friday-OFF
Saturday-easy 30 min in Alabama

This has been my longest week since I started. I had to go back to Alabama this weekend to handle more paperwork dealing with the passing of my uncle. He left me the executor of his will and the estate and it is hard. I have never had to deal with this kind of paperwork before. I have found out that I HATE dealing with the IRS. Those people really need to find some kind of relief point before they just explode.

I got home late last night so I decided to take today off and REST. I have been trying to replant a tomato plant that I brought home from my uncle's house. I have a cactus that we brought back from Texas and I have been working on it also. I should have gotten up this morning and gotten my last run out of the way but I needed the sleep. I slept on and the went back and got a 3 hour nap. It was great.

Tomorrow will be a choice of long run, MP or an easy run. I will decide when I get off from work. I guess if I get off work early I will go ahead and get my long run out of the way. It will be hotter but that is the consequences that I will have to deal with while I was sleeping this morning.


Remember tomorrow is Memorial Day and we need to take time to say Thank You to all of our veterans. Thank You

Hello Phase II

Tonight I showed up at the local track for my normal 30 + min run like I have been doing. I went out and got my warm up laps in before everyone arrived. I was ready to start my run when RC walked up and said "Are you ready to start Phase II?".

I was totally shocked. I just looked at him and said "If you think I am, I am ready". He told me that I still need to keep my weekly mileage in the 25 mile range. I will now run and easy, marathon pace, long run, track workouts and any more in I can get them in.

Tonight we were going to do 800m repeats. RC told me to run only 4 instead of the normal 6 repeats so that I don't get hurt. Well I thought about it for a second and said OK. When everyone else was doing the other laps, I would be doing easy laps. I looked at my charts and I was suppose to run them at around low 4's. I was close to it but about 30 seconds off up and down. I am still learning how to judge short distance speeds.

It was actually fun. I did not have to just run. I got a chance to run and take breaks. Tomorrow is a day of rest and I am going to enjoy it.

Have a great day.

My past 6 weeks

My RC sent me a copy of my running file and broke down my first 6 weeks of training and I liked what I saw. I have been a slacker for the last couple of days with my vacation and getting back to reality. I was told that if I got off schedule that it would be a little hard to get back on track and now I am seeing it.

This morning I went for my longest run since my training started. I was suppose to run 8 miles at my new easy pace in the low 10's. I got out to our local triangle to run with some of the Macon tracksters on a cool Sunday morning with showers on the way.

I started out a little slow in the low 11's cause I knew that today was going to be a test of will power and stamina. I have never run 8 miles non-stop before. Well at least that I can remember. I watched as the rest of the group slowly peeled off into the distance leaving me and my lonely self to battle the elements of the weather and the little man on my shoulder trying to tell me that I could not do it.

When I reached about the 3 mile marker, I started to see some people going back to the cars. They must have hit the 4.5 and now are on the way back. I will still treading along at my own pace determined to finish my run no matter how slow or long it took me. I reached the 4 mile marker and now I was on my journey back to the finish area.

My mind started to play tricks on me around mile 6 cause I looked at my watch and it said I was running at an 8 something pace. Then I remembered that I just finished one of my 30 seconds bursts. I started thinking that my body was getting tired.

1 hour into the run and I knew that now this is the longest training run so far today. I just thought about going to 70 minutes and calling it quits but then I remembered our team motto. Team POD ( Pain of discipline ). I could not quit and be part of the team. I would not do that to my coach, my team nor to myself. So I slogged forward. I started to now feel a little better. I was actually picking up the pace, I think.

I passed the 7 mile mark and kept going. I then saw my watch read 7.5 miles and I could see the finish. I reached the finish and I still had .04 to go and some people thought I was a little crazy because I kept going now down another road. I had to make the watch read 8:00 miles and it did. I had a 10:38 pace and a HR average at 153. On the mark.

Back home from Texas

My family went to Texas this last weekend for a wonderful family reunion. We flew into San Antonio and got a rental van for the 3 of us and my brother's family. Then we drove to our motel in Kerrville which is about 55 miles NW. Then we unloaded the van and headed off to my grand fathers house in Hunt. But before we went we had to get some late lunch so we decided to eat a Jack In The Box. It was good. I have never been there. They always say When in Rome, do like the Romans.

We arrived at my grandfathers house to surprise him. He had no idea that we were going to be there. I met alot of family members that I have never seen before. They were from California, Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia. It was great to sit down with my camcorder and interview my grandfather and discuss his career in the Air Force during WWII. He was MIA when he had to bail out of his B-17 after it was shot down. He told me of his career with NASA and working with Boeing. My step grandmother is retired from the Navy intelligence.

I got in a short 30 minute run which was great to be able to say I have actually laced up my shoes and ran in Texas, but nothing will compare to the excitement I had while talking with my family.

Only time will tell

Last night was a great night at the track meet. My buddy Steve came out and was running on his new schedule that RC has made out for him. He is still in the early stages and I ran with him trying to tell him that if he keeps to the plan at least 90% of the time that he will see major improvements. I know that I have seen them.

I went last night for my new easy run with some 30 seconds sprints and I set my watch to show only my HR and the time. My HR goal is to keep it between 145 - 150 and my running time is 30 - 35 minutes. This was strange to me because I have always looked at my pace to see how I was running. I had no idea that I was running too slow.

YES, I SAID IT, I WAS RUNNING TOO SLOW !!!!!!!!!!

That is so funny to say that and not laugh at myself. I have seen so much improvement in just the first month of my new training log. It is just amazing to know that I have been missing out on so much these last 3 years. I can only imagine where I would be right now if I would have had RC with me when I started running. WOW.

I set off last night to start off slow with my HR in the 130's and build it up. It did not take me long before I was getting faster. It was hot and humid. I was able to run 4 sprints about 9 minutes apart for a 100 meters while I was running my 30 minutes. RC told me to keep them about 30 seconds long and try to start making them longer along with my base time on my easy and long runs. I am going to now start alternating nights between an easy run with a marathon pace and hopefully not crash and burn.

When I got through and looked at my pace of 10:03 with an average HR of 147, RC told me that I hit it on the nose. That was so cool to hear especially for not watching my pace. I looked on my VDOT scale and that pace was right behind the marathon pace of 9:42. Did I mention that this training thing is really paying off????????

Before I left RC told me something that just floored me and I could not help but to laugh and wonder. He told me that if I keep up this pace that when the fall roles around and probably be then I will have shed about 15 more pounds, that I should be in the 25 minute range in my 5K's.

I tried not to laugh at him but I just could not help it. RC I am so sorry but I really never thought of myself in the category of a sub 26 er. Deep down inside I have always wanted to look up and see something like that on the finish line but never thought I would be this close to it.

MY DREAMS ARE STARTING TO BECOME REALITY

So this goes out to anyone that does not believe in consistency and training, you are wrong. If you can dream it, you can do it.


TEAM P. O. D. ( pain of discipline )

I am no longer an 11 minute pacer.

I was told this morning that I am no longer an 11 minute pacer. No longer will my easy runs will be in the 11 minute range. I am now getting faster and it is happening quicker than I expected.

I ran my long run this morning for 60 minutes at a 10:25 pace with a HR at 148 average. This is so much better than when I started this training log 1 month ago. My pace has increased by about 30 seconds per mile and my HR has stayed around the same. I am starting to see the benefits of running consistency. It pays off in the long runs (no pun intended) and the short runs.

RC told me this morning to start watching just my HR and see how much my time is going to improve. I am looking forward this week to see just how much it will improve. More later but for now it is off to church then 18 holes of golf.