VT Dad’s fight vs. inertia & flab

previous total-576

Spirit[197]
New  BB friends-1
Blog Responses 82×2=164
Group activities 5X2=10: Friday: Basketball, Saturday: went with family and friends  and saw High School Musical 3, Sunday: took my daughter to the Haunted Forest, Thursday: took my daughter to the Haunted Walk, Tonight: Trick or Treating with my daughter and a gang of kids and parents around the neighborhood.
Worship services 2×3=6
Photos posted 8×2=16

Body[22]
Runs-3
Ab work outs 3X2=6
5K-5
Weight loss 3lbsX2=6
Progress Picture Posted-2

Mind[4]
90 minutes of reading-3  Started the book:  “Why We Run”
Riddles-1 Solved by Stryka

Weekly Total=223
Final Total=799

This afternoon had wonderful conditions for a run.  It was breezy, clear, and cool 55F, 13C.  I set out on the route where I got lost last week, and this time had a fabulous run.  Almost the entire loop was on bike paths.  There were plenty of hills.  I did my run today as a fartlek.  Every 6:30 I’d push my pace hard for ~30 seconds.  I really enjoyed my run.  I hope everyone had as good a workout today as I did.

I walked the neighborhood with my dog Mookie, and mt youngest.  She and her friends looted the neighborhood with precision.

First I want to give special thanks to TLC&Jules.

I’ve really enjoyed this past month, and just thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the in&out challenge, and how it affected me.  First of all the challenge came at the perfect time for me.  I had enough of being a slug. Coinciding with the Jewish New Year, I felt it appropriate to work on improving myself.   During the month I logged ~130 miles including two 5K races, and a 10 mile long run.  I’ve improved my speed to where I am a little faster than  I was at the same time last year.  I have a long way to go to reach my goals, but I believe I am on the right track.  

I’ve also worked hard trying to read other peoples blogs, and give feedback.  In doing so I’ve made some new friends online. I’ve been inspired by many stories, especially that of of a regular guy giving his all to see how he can transform himself by Valentines Day http://blog.bodybuilding.com/BuckSpin.  I’m inspired by a crazy Aussie who is going to attempt a crazy uphill race next month  http://blog.bodybuilding.com/Stryka.  I’m inspired by a few fitness competitors who are cutting for shows in November  http://blog.bodybuilding.com/amysuds, http://blog.bodybuilding.com/grobles, http://blog.bodybuilding.com/ilovecarbs.  Their dedication to nutrition and diet, are forcing me to reexamine my diet, as I try to improve my chances to quality for the Boston marathon, when I race in 206 days.

I’ve had fun this month.   I’ve set some goals and begun to pursue them, trying to move forwards every day. It will be an interesting journey.  I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.

My head has been elsewhere when it comes to training these past few days.  I awoke to a dusting of snow, and windy conditions Yesterday, and decided to postpone my run.  Last night it was even windier, so again I postponed it.  Then between the end of the World Series, and the beginning of the NBA season, I went to bed too late last night.  This afternoon I thought I’d have a big chunk of time to run, but I was wrong.  So this evening I decided to take my dog Mookie out with me on a run. The weather was the bester than any other point in the past 48 hours, 34F, 1C, clear and calm.  I originally thought I’d revisit my skipped hill workout from yesterday, and after my 2 mile warmup I’d bring the dog inside, and proceed to the vigorous part of the run.  I had a great time running with the dog, but couldn’t embrace the hills tonight, so after a nice recovery run I called it a night.

Answer to my last riddle:Assign every letter of the alphabet its numerical value: A=1, B=2, C=3, and so on, up to z=26. Can you think of a familiar 7 letter word whose letter values total only 21?  HINT: It’s edible. :CABBAGE

One last Riddle:
Find an English word which is singular, add an "s" and it becomes plural, and add another "s" it becomes singular again?

This morning was a wonderful morning for a run 43F, 6C clear and calm, about the only nice time all day to run.  It’s been raining, cold, and miserable since 10AM.  I was joined on my predawn run by my 16 year old son.  What a treat!!  The last time I ran with him was ~5 years ago.  We ran a 5K that he hadn’t trained for.  It was hot and muggy ~98F,37C.  The only saving grace was that his pace was so slow that I could run comfortably, and still let him use all of my water bottle to drink and cool off.  Currently he just finished his cross country season, with a 5K PR of 20:29, ~3:40 faster than my 5K PR.

We set out at a brisk, and comfortable pace.  Whatever form problems I had Sunday, were gone.  We were just running together in the dark.  I didn’t know any specific times, just where we were every 7:30, and how that compared to my other runs on this loop.  Our first mile was comparable to my best first mile.  At 22:30 we were over 60 seconds ahead of my previous best.  The miles just flowed, and the run seemed effortless.  In the fifth mile his breathing seemed a little labored, and if it were a race, I’d have tried to break him, but on the long last uphill he forged ahead of me, and I had to quicken my pace not to get left in his dust.  Upon concluding he said, “That was fun.”  We then cooled down, showered, and prepared to face our day.  

Looking at my watch for the first time, I saw that every split was faster than my previous best, and that this pace was only ~5 seconds per mile slower than the base pace I am shooting for.

I felt mixed about how I did this past week. I ran 5 of the 7 days, and worked my core 2 of 7.  I logged 32.6 miles.  I had a great base run on Tuesday, shaving nearly 3 minutes off my previous best time for that loop, but I still need to get ~4 minutes faster to get my base pace where I want it to be.  I felt that I had a wonderful hill workout Wednesday, doing 12X30 second hill repeats. My 5K race yesterday was 1:45 than my 10/5 5K, but still 3 minutes slower than I need my 5K pace to be if I plan on reaching my marathon goals in 30 weeks.  I was disappointed with my pace, stride, and by a possible injury when running my 10 mile long run today.

My schedule for the coming week is as follows:  Proprioceptive cue: Pulling the Road
Monday:  OFF
Tuesday:  Base Run: 6 miles@base pace, drills 20 seconds 1 legged hop and high knees
Wednesday: Hill repeats: 2 miles warmup and cool down, 8X30 second hill repeats
Thursday: Recovery Run 2-5 miles @ recovery pace
Friday: Fartlek Run: 6 miles@base pace with 8×30 second bursts at mile pace “sprinkled in”
Saturday: Recovery Run 2-5 miles@recovery pace
Sunday: Base Run: 7 miles @base pace.

Again we had a glorious afternoon for a run 53F,12C.  It was clear, cool, and breezy.  I set out for a 10 mile run.  My run did not go according as planned, I seemed a little off, a little out of synch.  My first mile was 15 seconds slower than the same mile last week.  At the 15 minute point I was already 30 seconds behind the same spot from a week ago.  I was confused and frustrated, and decided to concentrate on my form.  From the 2.5 mile point to the 6.2 mile point I ran pretty well.  My form felt better.  Whenever I’ve run this loop, I have yet to reach the 10K point in under an hour.  Today was no exception, it took about 61:27 for me to run 10K.  Again I struggled with the final 3.4 miles of my run.  My stride seemed imbalanced, I was favoring my left knee.  I wasn’t able to improve my stride, so I hobbled home, completing my run in slightly faster than 10 minute per mile pace.

Today was a beautiful morning for a race, except for the wind.  It was clear and cool 46F,8C, but winds were gusting to 20 mph.  I was certain how to dress for these conditions, so I chose shorts with a long sleeve top, a hat and gloves.  I started fast, and seem to be running comfortably.  I ran the first downhill K in 4:24, a 22:00 5K pace.  My next 5K slowed to 4:53, My last 3K were all over 5 minutes.  I finished in 24:47, 8 seconds faster than 11 months ago, and 1:45 faster than 3 weeks ago, but still 40 seconds outside my PR, and 3 minutes slower than the 5K time I’ll need if I expect to come close to my goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon.

It’s 6:52 on race day, I’ve just eaten breakfast, and I’m thinking about my 5K race later today.  The course for this race is one that I’m familiar with, I race this same course every Thanksgiving.  The first 2.25K are on a bike path, the first K is a long, constant downhill.  I want to stay relaxed, use gravity.  Fall forwards, keep my abs taught, quick steps like running on water.  I’m hoping to reach the 1K point <4:36.  The next 1.25K on the bike path is flat. Stay relaxed, breath, keep my form fluid.  About 100 meters after turning off the bike path is the first hill.  Explode, bound up the hill.  Concentrate, the race starts here.  It’s a single track path now, don’t get frustrated if you’re in traffic.  Concentrate on your form, Push yourself, The single track ends at 3.5K, letting out onto a driveway, which is the last downhill for the race.  Stay relaxed, take advantage of gravity, keep a fast leg turnover.  1K left, it is all uphill.  Bound up that hill.  Concentrate, relax, focus.  You reach the large weeping willow, time to surge, give it all you have no excuses no regrets, leave it all out on the course.  

I hope that I’m faster than last Thanksgiving (24:58).  I hope that I’m faster than my 5K PR (24:08).  I want to know relatively where my fitness level is.  I’ll know more in 3 hours.