A break in the rain

Today's weather forecast called for a 50% chance for rain. When rain is predicted, I'm usually torn between running outdoors and planning a good treadmill workout. In general if storm activity can be heard within 15 minutes of my alarm time, I'll hit the treadmill. Fortunately for me the rain stopped about 45 minutes before the alarm sounded this morning!

I finished a 3 mile Easy Run around the neighborhood during the calm between storms this morning. It was almost pitch black when I started the run which reminded me that it's that time of year where I need to be very careful (see "7 safety rules for running in the dark"). There's just two runs remaining on my training schedule before next Sunday's half marathon. I'm trying not to think about it too much. But, it's hard not to imagine what it will be like to run my second half.

After Saturday's 11.25 mile Long Run, I'm refreshed and ready for Sunday. I probably could have run 13 miles instead of 11.25. Goodness knows my body needs to rest. Saturday night I'll eat a chicken breast sub from Subway; get a good night's sleep; eat oatmeal for breakfast; and carry a couple of energy bars and 20 oz of PowerAde with me Sunday morning.
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Motivation and Hydration

Motivation

Yesterday was a good 4 mile Easy Run the day after an extremely challenging 8 mile Fartlek Run. Experts say an easy run is good the day after a long run to help the body flush unneeded by-products. I understand this in theory, but from a practical standpoint it's not easy to run the day after very tough run.

Many of my friends have shown an interest in running. But most find it difficult to start running or keep to a schedule. There are some days when I do not want to do my runs which is why I was motivated to write the article Staying motivated to run on Examiner.com. Hopefully runners will find this article, and future articles, useful as they embark their running journey!

Hydration

This weekend's run is an 11 mile Long Run which will likely require about 1:45 minutes on the road. I have a terrible habit of doing my long runs after drink 5 or fewer gulps of PowerAde or Gatorade. And of course by the time I get home, I'm too drained to think about doing anything.

After reading Peter Sagal's article Fuild Dynamics in the October 2009 issue of Runners World, I decided to order a Nathan Quickdraw Plus 22 oz water bottle from Amazon.com. I like the idea of carry a water bottle, but I really didn't think I could wear a bottle on my belt. The Nathan Quickdraw Plus water bottle is worn in the hand. Most runners say they don't even notice it when they are running.

Well, I'm sure I will benefit from taking a sip or two every 20 minutes or so on my long runs. The Quickdraw Plus will definitely come in handy for my next half marathon too!
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Those Little Things!

Running isn't just about how far or how fast you go.  It also has a lot to do with how much rest you get, how well you manage your weight, what you eat, when you run, the environment, and how you feel.  But sometimes runs can be very uncomfortable or go completely wrong because of the little things that get ignored while you prepare to hit the road.

This morning I had a goal to run 10 miles.  I got myself prepared as usual except I decided to eat a light breakfast - a bowl of cereal. My plan was to run 3.5 miles to the Sauk Trail Forest Preserve; run the 3.5+ miles around the track at the Preserve; and, run 3-3.5 miles back home.  Well about a mile or so into the run I started feeling cramps.  The cereal wasn't agreeing with me!  Determined to get in a long run, I decided to keep ignore the cramps and keep going. 

The next problem I encountered was the heat. It was about 60°F when got out of bed this morning.  After walking and feeding the dog, making cereal for my son, and doing a few minor tasks, about an hour had passed and the temp had climbed to about 70°F. Oh boy, gotta hit the road now! When I hit the 3 mile mark, I had enough of the heat and decided to remove my shirt for the first time. By the time I got to the Preserve, I felt a lot better and the dense trees helped cool me down for the next 3.5 miles.  What a relief.

The last 3 miles seemed pretty doable: my body was not overhead and I didn't really feel the cramp. I felt pretty good until mile 8.5 when the cramp sort of took over.  The blessing is that determination took over.  I kept my head forward and prayed for strength while I finished the last two miles. I could have run another mile, but while make the cramp worse?  I walked the last half mile or so which was cool with me!

The cramp is still with me although I feel a lot better.  The picture is one of several deer I saw last weekend at the Preserve.  There was only 1 deer out during this morning's run probably because I started almost 2 hours later than last week's run.  I love this new route because there are sidewalks most of the way and a few inclines which give me a pretty good workout.

Week 36 & 37
I logged 29 miles this week: 5 miles on Monday; 4 miles Tuesday; 6 miles Wednesday; 4 miles Thursday; and a 10 mile
Long Run today, Saturday. I added a Hill Workout on Thursday which will improve my endurance.  Next week I'll do 30 miles:

1. Monday: Easy Run - 5 miles
2. Tuesday: Easy Run - 4 miles
3. Wednesday: Temp Run - 7 miles 
4. Thursday: Hill Workout - 3 miles
5. Saturday: Long Run - 11 miles
   

Sunday and Friday are rest days!

Goals
In August I ran about 114 miles - the most miles I've logged in a month! I'm ready for the Cal City Mini Marathon in 3 weeks!
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The Home Stretch

Only a few more weeks before the Calumet Memorial Mini Marathon on September 27, 2009. I've been training for almost 6 weeks and feel confident I will do well. My goal is to complete this half marathon with an 8:15 minute/mile pace or better. I'm ready!

I've been talking to runners online and many of them are running marathons or half marathons this Fall. Most runners are also following a training plan too. The online tool I primarily use is the SmartCoach from RunnersWorld.com. This tool is simple, customizable for the beginning or experienced runner, and best of all its FREE! I used SmartCoach for my first half marathon in April 2009 and I plan to continue using it.

Week 35
I will log almost 28 miles by the end of this week: 4 miles on Monday; 3 miles Tuesday; 7.5 miles Wednesday; 3 miles Thursday; and a 10 mile Long Run Saturday. The first two runs went as expected: two Easy Runs at about 1-1.5 minutes/mile above my target half marathon pace.

I completed a Speed Workout today, Wednesday: 2 mile warm-up; 3x1600 meters at 8:05 minutes/mile with 2x800 meter jogs; 1.5 mile cool down. The workout went well except I forgot one thing: I didn't have any liquids prior to running! How could this have happened? Well if I had brought Isis along with me, I would have probably remembered to walk by the fridge and grab my bottle of G2 (life is complicated for me!). The important thing is that I finished the run.

I should point out that I ran up to the local high school and ran 4 times around the track too. This was something new for me. I usually avoid running on a track. But I had fun today!

Goals
I'm up to 87 miles for the month of August. I completed the form and mailed
it back to the Calumet City Park District, so I'm committed to run in the Cal City Mini Marathon next month!
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MO Hills Last Week = Easier Runs This Week

MO Hills
Last week I ran through the hills of Missouri.  The family and I vacationed right outside of St. Louis and visited all but one of my siblings.  My intention wasn't to tackle a lot of hills, but it's interesting that it worked out that way. 

I started out Saturday doing a 9 mile Long Run  that the toughest run I'd had in a long while, at least that's what I thought at the time.  The first 4 miles were not bad: a few up and down hills and then a big descent.  Just after the 4 mile mark, the sun was glaring and I had another ascent of about 100 feet which didn't seem like much.  But, when I got to the top of the hill, it was "stop city" for me!  I ran into the nearest gas station, bought a sports drink and waited a few minutes before returning to my brother's house.  When I finished the run, I was spent...big time!

The 4 Easy Runs that week all started easy, but were a test for me on the back half.  I'm just thankful I finished all of the runs last week.

On my last day in Missouri, I ran a 10.25 mile route.  This time I was better prepared for the hills and the heat that we don't usually get in northern IL.  There was one big ascent just before I hit the 5 mile mark.  But, I sucked it up and coasted home.

Week 34
With all of the fun runs last week, I have an easy week: 3 easy 5 mile runs and then a 9 mile Long Run this weekend.  I've already planned the location for the 9 mile Long Run a few miles south of my house. Ideally this will be a 10 mile run with some hills, so prayers are welcomed! 

When I finished this morning's 5 mile Easy Run, I noticed that my average heart rate was exceptionally lower as compared to comparable runs.  I guess the hill runs have really helped increase my endurance!

Goals
I'm up to 70 miles for the month of August.  It looks like 100 miles this month is very doable.  The entry form for my next planned half marathon arrived today.  Now I just need to find the time to complete the form and mail it back to the Calumet City Park District.

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Hump Day Tempo Run

Today's Tempo Run was just what the doctor ordered: a fast run to get me through "Hump Day"! We started out with a nice 1 mile warm-up (three times around the block). After that, I looked at Isis and said, "You ready to go?" She kind of looked at me like she knew what was next and had already begun to pick up her pace. We ran the next three miles at 8:05 minutes/mile although there was strong urge to run faster. Subduing my need for speed, we slowed to the cool-down pace until we reached the house.

I didn't see many exercisers out this morning which was a surprise. I usually see a half-dozen or so runners and walkers. Today I saw only 2. Oh well...
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The Beginning of A Challenging Week

Another busy weekend that was way too short is now history. The good news is I got in my long run. The bad news is I had to move the long run from Saturday to Sunday which means I'll do over thirty mile Sunday through Saturday. Well, I'm up for the challenge!

Sunday's Long Run
It was a late night Saturday with the neighbors (who would give up the opportunity to hang with adults when your kids are gone for the week!) Even with 6.5 hours of sleep, I was enthused to hit the road on a cool Sunday morning for my Long Run. My goal was to do 8 miles. About a mile into the run, I to change the route so I could see different scenery.

Well, the view was great and the run was going great too until I got the 7 mile mark and realized I had to be more than a mile from home. About 10 minutes later would discover that I was not 1, but 2 miles from home. No big deal. It wasn't hot and didn't have any strong biological urges. I finished the run strong with a 9:08 minute/mile pace.

Monday's Easy Run
Of course I'm thing that I'll not feel ready to do an Easy Run Monday morning. I slept in an extra thirty minutes to ensure I'd gotten enough rest. No soreness or stiffness meant I'd be able to finish my 15th mile in two days with no issues. After a slow 3 laps around the cove to allow Isis ample opportunity to potty, I was ready to run 2 miles out and 2 miles back. This was a thinking run. I thought about my vacation, outstanding to do's, household chores, and a little bit of work work. By the time I ran out of things to think about, I was almost home!

Summary
Last week @WillRunzForFun ran 15 miles and biked 3.4 miles in 2:25:50 while at a 9:08 minute/mile pace per run. I burned nearly 2100 Kcal too!

Total Time	Avg Time	Max BPM	Avg BPM	Avg BMI	Dist. (miles)	Avg Dist. (miles)
2:25:50	0:36:28	166.7	142.0	25.0	18.4	4.6
Total Kcal Burned	Avg Kcal Burned	Max Pace	Avg Pace	Max Speed (mph)	Avg Speed (mph)	Total Workouts
2091.2	522.8	6:30	7:30	10.4	10.8	4.0

Week 32 Runs

This is the second full week of training for the Calumet City Half Marathon. I'm starting to really enjoy these slower runs. This will be a heck of challenge week (33 total miles):

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
REST	Easy	REST	Tempo	Easy	REST	Long
9.0	5.0	-	5.0	5.0	-	9.0

Tuesday and Friday will be running rest days. Isis will accompany me on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday!


Monthly Goals
I finished July with 94.2 miles and I've run 14 miles this month. I "Will" make it to 100 miles in the month of August.
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