80 Mile Month

Wow, what a rewarding month. For the first time ever I logged 80 miles in a single month. My previous high for mileage was 63 in the months leading up to my Half-Marathon. Below is my graph of running since I started keeping a log in late August.




Some interesting things you can see in the graph is that my long runs (I define a long run as anything over a 10k or 6.2 miles) have become less of a component of my monthly mileage and my daily runs a larger part. In graph form my falling off the apple cart after my Half-Marathon is quite obvious as well. The slightly lower mileage in November is because I didn’t run the rest of the month following the Nov 22 Race. I then roughly double my mileage each month January through April (10, 22, 42, and 80). Don’t expect the same doubling for May. My goal, which by stating publicly I am giving myself accountability, is 100 miles for May.

In April I ran on 19 of the 30 days during the month. If you discount the 4 Sundays, I missed 7 actual running days and never more that 2 days in a given week. In hindsight I should have missed a few more days (only took 1 day off for a back pain I fought for a week and I ran a 5 miler the same day I donated blood – NOT RECOMMENDED) but at the same time I felt good about pushing through some things I would have used as excuses in the past.

If you do the math you will see that I averaged just over 4 miles per day that I ran. So, I can make the additional 20 miles of my goal in 1 of three ways. 1) If I miss 5 less days during the month that will give me the extra 20, 2) Since there are 5 Saturdays in May, hopefully I will get more long runs in, 3) I can drop some of the shorter 3 and 3.2 mile neighborhood loops from my morning rotation and only do the 3.4 mile and up loops, my average morning run lengths will increase. My guess is that to reach the 100 mile mark it will have to be a combination of all three of these. Wish me luck.

As for my weight loss, because I know you all are just SO interested, I think I am finally starting to break my plateau. For my run last November I got as low as 198. When I stopped running I actually drifted a little lower down to about 196.5 as I think I lost some muscle mass. By the end of January I was back over 200, by February 202. In March I started running again with some regularity and what happened – up to 204 by my birthday (I did visit and "enjoy" France during that time). For the bulk of April I held almost a constant 202-201 and was getting quite frustrated that I was putting in 20 mile weeks and not seeing any results. You can only tell yourself that muscle weighs more than fat so much! In the last week I have finally seen the scale dip under 200 and this morning’s 198.4 was the best I’ve seen since January. Maybe the fat to muscle conversion is done now and I can resume my march to 183… Once again, wish me luck. Just struck me, can you call an 80-100 mile month "luck"? Maybe I should switch to something like wish me strength/success/perseverance… or is that what "luck" connotes?

First Thing - RUN, Don't JOG

One of my commenters (okay, so I only have two) asked a question that I felt was good enough for a post instead of just a response in the comment field. The question was "Do you have any advice for a beginning runner like me?"

Before I get to the advice, I wanted to point out a psychological element of the question. You are, as you asked, a beginning runner, not a jogger. What is jogging? You often see people "jog" their memory by hitting the side of their head. That doesn’t sound enjoyable. Kids in a playground don’t "jog and play". Running denotes freedom, choice, enjoyment, where jogging denotes punishment, sweat, and no other alternative. One running shoe company has an entire marketing campaign based on that distinction. I’ve read somewhere that the 7-minute mile is the line between running and jogging but I disagree. The line is psychological not measurable.

Anyway, I am certainly no expert (unless 1 year of High School Track, two semesters of college running class, and 1.5 years of weight-loss exercise qualify). I will start this post with the disclaimer that perhaps your best bet is to stop now or face the potential bad advice that may follow. But of course, let’s be honest, if you were concerned about bad advice you would never read my blog in the first place…

In fear of potential lawsuits my first and probably only valid suggestion would be to visit your local running specialty store. I have had wonderful experience with Fleet Feet as you may have read in past posts but there are many good ones to go to. I’m not talking shoe store or sporting goods store, I’m talking about a running store. They LOVE to help new runners and will have many good suggestions.

What are they going to do for you? First and foremost, they will get you in the right shoes. Everyone’s foot is different, as is his or her stride. Most shoe manufacturers make shoes to match your specific needs based on those factors. The running store will help you identify your needs where a shoe store may not be able to do that. I know the allure of running is the relative "free" nature of it but I promise you that the right shoes make a difference. I’m not saying you need $150 shoes but really, if you are not paying at least $60 or so, you WILL invite injury.

Next, clothing - Ask any runner and they will tell you that cotton is EVIL! Okay, maybe not that bad but certainly not ideal. Find a shirt, shorts/pants, socks, that are made from some kind of synthetic material that wicks moisture away. This will add comfort and reduce odor, blisters, and chaffing. I start with shoes and clothes because they will also make you feel more like a runner instead of a shlub that decided to go out for a jog.

Start Slow – Don’t go out today and expect to run a 5k tomorrow. You may be able to, but it may not be the best idea. If you are running and you are having a hard time breathing, walk for a while, then run again. Over time the running periods will lengthen and the walking breaks will shorten and/or go away. Don’t climb your mileage too fast. Increase your distances slowly. I would say no more than 25% each time. As your mileage climbs you can even slow that rate to 10% increases. The main point is that just because you can run 3 miles feeling GREAT doesn’t mean you can run 10 without some real potential for injury.

Log it – So I’m an engineer that loves the numbers but I find it really keeps me motivated to know how far, how fast, for how long I ran. Looking back gives a great sense of accomplishment. Did you realize I have run over 330 miles since last August? I couldn’t say that unless I was keeping track of it. If you are not running on a track or a measured pathway Google Earth has a great measuring tool you can use to see how far you went. It may not be perfect, but good enough for government work… You can log your data on a calendar, on an Excel spreadsheet, or there are even several free online Training Logs. Milestones and improvement over time help make a desire into a habit.

Stretching – This is critical and I think one of the more common things I think beginners mess up. You watch runners before races and what are they doing, stretching, but what you don’t see is the warm-up run they did before that. You can’t stretch cold muscles! What does that mean? Don’t spend 10-15 minutes stretching before you start your run. You may actually do more damage than good. Always stretch AFTER your run, or at least after some warm-up miles. My rule of thumb is if I run less than about 3 miles, I stretch afterwards. If I’m tackling more than that I may stop 2-3 miles in and do 5 minutes of stretches and then again at the end of my run.
Injuries – I won’t say much more than don’t run injured. You can run hurt or in some pain but not injured. I’ll let you and your doctor draw that line. That is why so many of my other tips are related to avoiding injury, all the desire and good intentions can’t overcome serious injuries.

Race – This gets back to that runner/jogger element I talked about earlier. Joggers don’t race. Go to active.com, find some local race and sign up. A race is the validation of your hard work, efforts, and time. Any hey, who can say no to unlimited bananas at the finish line? (most of the time)

I’m not sure if this is what you were looking for or if it even helps but those are my thoughts. I have countless other tips but if I start sharing all my stories I may start sounding like a kook…

Any runners who may have had the unfortunate experience of stumbling upon my blog while you were looking for something of value, please add your two cents in the comments as well…

How Google See's my Blog

I don't know if I should be insulted or not but I can't say I was excited when I noticed the first banner add that Google chose to place on my blog. More out of curiosity than anything I went ahead and added an AdSense banner ad space on my blog. They had a public service announcement the first few days until they had time to review my blog then they assigned what they felt was the most applicable ad from their list of clients to put there. Go ahead and take a look at it real quick. It's a couple inches down on the right... I'm not sure if it will stay the same or if it will change periodically but is that really the most applicable ad?

In case it has changed by the time some of you read this the ad in question reads, "Prevent runner's diarrhea, Learn what causes runner's diarrhea and how to prevent it"

So as you read my blog are your first thoughts, "Hmmmm, that boy sure enjoys running, I wonder if it ever gives him diarrhea?" or "Sounds like he likes to run. I would run more if only it didn't give me such bad diarrhea..." or "Boy, this guys writing about running stinks and his use of run-on sentences flows like diarrhea."

Okay, so a goodly number of my posts are related to running. I admit that. But really, don't they have ANY other sponsor related to the topic? Online shoe sales? Discount workout clothes? Subscriptions to running magazines? Surely Google has lots of clients. Is that the best they could assign to my site or is that all they deemed it worthy of?

So the big question is, Would you click on a link with the word DIARRHEA in the headline? Couldn't they at least add one of those dancing characters you see in other banner ads? They at least look like they have diarrhea...

Okay, sorry for the vent...

Proud of my Daughter

I know this is a reposting of the same picture my Wife put up but hey, you wouldn't deny a father the chance to thump his chest for a daughter that I can't be any more proud of. I had the wonderful opportunity to baptize her on April 12th.



This is us just before the service. She was baptized in a service with two other youths. My brother from Charlotte and his family came down for the service and visited for the weekend. All in all, it was worth missing my Saturday long run... easily, and thats saying something if you just read my last post.

Already Seeing Results - Running BUG

Well, it hasn't been a perfect month so far in terms of getting up EVERY morning, but I haven't missed more than 1-2 days per week (of course not counting my Sunday Rest Day). And all of the days I have missed had extenuating circumstances (aka "excuses" like too cold, stayed up late night before, and back pain) but hey, I'm improving. Slowly but steadily I am noticing improvement. April is already my highest mileage month to date (over 65 miles month to date) with a week to go. Yesterday I ran a two mile interval in 14:45. Nothing to brag about but certainly the fastest two miles I have run since High School. Based on that I have no doubts that I will improve on my 5k PR the next time I have the opportunity to run the shorter distance.

They say anything done for 21 days becomes a habit. Given I have missed a few days I don't think I am there yet, but I am getting close. I now find myself craving my morning run and the peace and solace I find during that run. When I miss it I feel "off" for some reason. You know I got the bug when I was reading the running commentary of the Boston Marathon on Monday. Why should I care? I DON'T KNOW! But I do. More than anything I was jealous that I'm not fast enough to join them. I have dropped my Sports Illustrated subscription in favor of Runners World. I find myself now debating if I will play church basketball next season as I don't get the same satisfaction out of it and I used it as a reason to not sustain my running over the winter this year. I also found that I enjoyed reffing the games more than I did playing in them.

One interesting thing of note is that of the 65 miles in April, not 1 has been on a treadmill. I have found that the draw of the road, trail, OUTSIDE, has been a big part of my sustained effort. Where last fall I only had the draw of that next race to motivate me to jump on the treadmill and stare at a wall for 30 minutes, I am slowly turning a corner where the race is the celebration at the end of training but the training is part of the joy as well.

Hey, who knows how it will be going this time next month, but for now, I am loving it. Even if my toenails are dying and falling off... but that's another story.

Early Morning Running

Okay, I think I have written before about the struggle I have had motivating myself to run ever since my Half Marathon last Thanksgiving. Here is the accountability:

December: 3.1 miles, 198 lbs
January: 10.7 miles, 200 lbs
February: 25.8 miles, 204 lbs
March Weekly Mileage: 4, 18.2 (France and Race week), 6.9, 0, 9.5 (38.6 for month), 202 lbs
April Weekly Mileage: 12.7 (so far – tomorrow’s run to add), currently 200.5 lbs

Even with the slowly increasing miles, it is inconsistent at best. I don’t know if it was the letdown after the peak (as I previously attributed this too in my earlier post), the cold weather, or just me choosing to be lazy, but I did know I wasn’t happy with what I was doing and I craved to be out there running again. I missed the high that my 15-25 mile weeks had given me last fall leading up to my Half. I got a taste of it that week in France but failed to follow through even the very next week. So what have I done about it?

I told myself that any morning over 40° F I would run before getting ready for work. At 5 AM! It was the start of last week when I made that commitment and I even bought some additional running clothing and a head-lamp to accommodate this running pattern change. The first part of last week didn’t meet the temperature cut-off and then I was getting over a cold so my first day of actually running was last Friday, the 28th. That run and a Saturday long run account for all of last week’s mileage. This week I have run 4 out of 5 mornings.

My problem has always been squeezing in a run around being a father, husband, and other distractions of life. In the past I actually felt guilt about abandoning my wife with the kids while I was out there enjoying my solitude. (Whether she felt abandoned or not) I justified it as I needed to loose the weight "for them". That may have been partly true but not the whole story. I also didn't derive much joy from a 9 or 10 PM treadmill run. At 5 AM they are all fast asleep, no guilt, even more solitude. On the 5 mornings I have run so far I have seen more deer than humans (including a nice buck). What a great time to be out there.

Yes I know 1 week does not a long-term commitment make and I may weary of this routine, but for now, I love it. I used Google Earth and measured the distances of various routes around my neighborhood. With that variety in hand I have only once ran the same course more than once. Each of my runs range from 3 to 4 miles in length and take me anywhere from 25 to 35 minutes to complete. I am home by 5:45 each morning, the time my alarm used to be set for. I have found more spring in my step at work and even more focus on my morning drive to work.

I have also gone ahead and signed up for my Marathon (Chickamagua Battlefield Marathon) that won’t be until November 8th but now I’m financially committed as well. Other races on my schedule include a 10k on Memorial Day close to my house and the 55,000 runner strong 10k Peachtree Road Race on the 4th of July in downtown Atlanta. It is the largest 10k in the World and you have to apply within days of the application being published if you have any hope of getting in. Not only have I been accepted, my qualifying 10k time was fast enough to earn a Group 1B slot and a timing chip. There are 9 Groups and only those in Group 1 (Invitees-Elites-1A-1B) (1B=50-55 minutes) get a timing chip.

As you can guess, all of this has me excited about running again for the first time since November really. So, who’s going to join me?