March 13, 2005
So, I've been running again
I've missed it, and now that things have finally settled into a managable order, I've gotten back to running. Kimberly got me a Forerunner 201 GPS wrist trainer. It's very cool, as it tracks speed, distance, laps, and presents it all in a small package.
The 201 has a serial port, and you can download some free software to view all your data on the PC. But, the instructions are very lacking, so here's a tip, you have to download both the "forerunner logbook" AND the "foreAthlete logbook" software. The forerunner logbook updates the 201's firmware. The foreAthelete logbook is the actual PC software used to view and export the data. It isn't at all clear on the website, believe me. I spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out what I was missing.
Perhaps the coolest thing is that once you get the software downloaded, it can export the run data into an XML format. And of course, someone has already made it so that you can import track data and view it on actual satellite survey map.
So, I'm not nearly in the shape I was when I ran the marathon last year, so don't laugh when you see the data from my latest run (I walked at least 1/2 mile).
Here's the logbook software in action:
Now, here's that data, imported and overlayed ontop of USAPhotoMaps:
Pretty neat, eh?
So other than the poor instructions associated with the device (not just on the website), my only big complaint is that it doesn't have a heart monitor...of course, the new 301 DOES. I'm just not ready to shell out the $$$ to upgrade the one I just got!
Posted by SunSword at 11:26 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2004
Well, I did it!
I completed the Motorola 1/2 Marathon in about 3 hours 15 minutes. Unfortunately, TnT never actually changed my registration, so I don't even get the 1/2 marathon medal. I was a little bummed at first, but it wore off.
My goal was under 3:30, so I'm pretty happy. Many thanks to all the people that help run the marathon, especially the people handing out water and sports drinks.
A special thanks to Steph, a lady I met in the 3rd mile. She walks as fast as I run, so we stayed together for about 7 miles.
It was in the mid-30s when the race started, but I didn't have any troubles with the sore throat.
Oh, and also a huge thanks to the lady standing on the corner giving out animal crackers on mile 10. I needed those!
Posted by SunSword at 02:29 PM | Comments (1)
It's 5:40AM and time to go!
I did 1 mile yesterday and I hope I didn't mess myself up. The cold air seems to have given me a sore throat. This could suck...
Posted by SunSword at 05:41 AM | Comments (1)
February 14, 2004
Wish me luck
I have the pre-race jitters and I'm not asleep yet. 7.5 hours and counting...
Posted by SunSword at 11:34 PM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2003
4 miles today
So, I did 4 miles today, and it was much more difficult than the 3.5 I did last Sunday. I think part of it was the humidity, but man, by the time I got to 2.5 miles, I was thinking to myself...hmmm, maybe I wont tack on the extra 1/2 mile today...
I managed through it anyway, so that's good, but if I'm really going to return to high mileage next week, I need to be better. I think a big part of the problem is that I'm not making the effort to find the time to do my cross training and interim runs during the week.
So, maybe if I make this week's schedule public and then post every day about my progress, I'll do a better job.
So here it is:
Mon: 60m XT (cross training)
Tue: 60m run (about 5 miles for me)
Wed: 30m XT
Thur: 60m run
Fri: off
Sat: 13 miles
I'll keep you posted on my progress. This week will be particularly challenging, because I'll be in Cali for several days.
Posted by SunSword at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2003
I ran 3.5 miles yesterday
It felt really good. Good pace. I started with a mile in mind and just kept adding on. I could have kept going, but given that I was sick a few days ago, I decided not to push it. My legs have a healthy soreness going. today.
So I think I'm back on track and am looking forward to the long run on Saturday. Work is crazy as hell right now, lots of planning going on, but I've made it a priority to get a Paypal account setup so all of you who have expressed interest in donating can do so!
Posted by SunSword at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
October 18, 2003
Running 10 miles alone blows
So I was scheduled to run 12 miles today with the TEAM IN TRAINING group, but I "only" ended up doing 10. Now, yes, I am the biggest (read "heaviest") person training for the marathon in the group, so I expect to be pulling in the kaboos on a regular basis, but today just sucked. I ran the whole thing basically alone, because no one dropped back. Usually, there's a mentor or a sweeper that hangs back with the slow-pokes for support. Now, I'm usually not DEAD LAST, but all the people I used to beat have apparently dropped out. Go figure.
Anthony, our running coach, advised me at the 5 mile mark that I should only run 10 today, because my previous long was 9, and he feels very strongly about not adding more than a mile at a time to prevent injury. I was a little unhappy about the idea of running less than everyone else, but on the other hand, I ran TEN MILES this morning. So there. All you little fleet people better watch out. In a few months, I'll still be the biggest guy on the team, but I'm going to be in the top half of the pack. You just watch.
Posted by SunSword at 10:51 AM | Comments (1)
October 17, 2003
Last workout before the big run
I woke up a little late this morning, but decided to run anyway. I didn't get out on the street until 8:30AM. But it was cool outside, and I had the new digs that Kim bought me for cooler weather running.
I started my usual route, which I now know is slightly longer than I thought. I used to do 2 loops around a path in the neighborhood park, which I counted as 1/4 mile, however a neighbor with a tachometer on his bike measured it at 1/3 of a mile. My new pedometer agrees.
I get to the park path early in the run, after about 1/4 mile. During the first loop this morning, I started feeling pretty bad, lotsa crap in my lungs, and I kept coughing up icky stuff. I thought about cutting the run short, but decided it might just be the humidity, so I stopped for a bit and cleared myself up. At the end of the second loop, for some reason I decided to just keep doing loops. I ended up with 9! So by the time I got home, I had run well over 3 miles. Not bad.
Tomorrow is a rest day, and then I have a *12* mile run on Saturday morning! Wish me luck.
Posted by SunSword at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2003
I'm baaack.
I was out of town for the last week or so for my wife's 10 year HS reunion. I still managed to get in 3 runs, so I feel pretty good about that, but I'm not sure I'm prepared for tomorrow morning's 11 mile run.
Many people have begun contacting me about donating, and I really appreciate it. I'll have a dedicated fundraising page on the site soon, so I hope that will help.
I'll have an update tomorrow on how it goes.
Posted by SunSword at 12:17 AM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2003
1/3 of a marathon
I made it to the team run on Saturday morning. 9 Miles! That's the longest I've run in my adult life, by far. It was the same run downtown as the 7 mile, only we added about 2 miles by running all the way down Congress Avenue to the Capitol and back.
I was really strong for the first 5 miles or so. Then my body decided it needed to take care of some business. I have to say, using the public facilities around the path downtown wasn't nearly as unpleasant as I would have predicted...
Anyway, after that things got pretty tough. I found myself needing to walk 60 seconds every 10-15 minutes. The 8th mile was the roughest, I think I really hit the wall, but luckily RunTex had some free poweraid in a truck under Mopac.
The 9th mile was pretty good, I was exhausted, but deteremined to finish it. For the second time at the end of a long run, I got very angry, which really helped me finish strong. I don't know where the anger comes from, but if it helps me finish, I guess I'm okay with it.
I'm hoping that this week I'll be able to get an appointment with a new doctor and get checked out. I've been having a heck of a time getting in touch with anyone at a Dr's office.
Posted by SunSword at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2003
7 Miles!
I did it! 7 Miles! And I didn't come in last. The 5th mile was the hardest. The 6th mile I just got angry and pounded through it. No wonder I'm in the "Clydesdale" category. It took 1 hour and 44 minutes though.
I bumped into my friend Julia while running around town lake. That was pretty cool, she ran with us for a good mile or so.
Okay, now I gotta go watch the Longhorns beat the snot outta the Razorbacks ;).
Posted by SunSword at 10:12 AM | Comments (2)
September 06, 2003
I did my first group run!
6 freakin' miles! For those who aren't keeping track, that's twice as many as I was able to do last week. The people of Team in Training are fantastic, friendly, and dedicated. There were 3 water stations along the way, and I got some great pointers from Anthony, the running coach. I'm happy to say he was pleased with my form and footpace, he just encouraged me to walk more (like I'm going to argue with that).
I probably walked almost a mile of the 6, but the goal is to keep your breathing and heart rate at the same elevated pace all the way through, so when I get over extended, I'm supposed to fast walk for less than a minute and then go back to running.
I owe a huge thank to Adrianne, one of the Team in Training Mentors. She did the final 4 miles with me, just staying at my pace and talking to me about things to keep my mind off of the running. It was my first time running with people, and I have to say, it's a lot more fun than running by myself all the time.
Okay, so tomorrow, I'm finally going to give you all the details about why I'm doing this crazy marathon thing, and it involves a 4 year old, red-headed little spark plug we like to call "Asha."
Posted by SunSword at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2003
1.5 miles this morning
I woke up this morning early enough to get a mile and a half in before work. It was good, light workout to get me ready for tomorrows training, I'm hoping to hit the 4 or 5 mile mark!
Posted by SunSword at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
September 01, 2003
3 Miles, finally.
I finally managed to do a full 3 mile run! Well, there was some walking, but nevertheless, I did it. And it took me a good 45 minutes. Having an overly-active ego helps... often when the thought crossed my mind to quit or to walk more, my pride clicked in and got me running again.
I also passed my first weightloss benchmark, so I'm pleased about that. I'm still off of caffeine and sodas and I'm looking forward to a solid week of training....
I had lunch last week with some friends, and one of them has been doing marathons/triathalons for a few years now. It was really good to chat with her about what it's like. Now whenever I see someone running on the street, I watch them very closely and take mental notes. I was watching the world championship track and field events on Sunday. I can tell I'll never be a real marathoner...even when I get to top shape, I'll be about 50lbs too heavy. I'm thinking triathalon's are next on deck after this marathon...
Posted by SunSword at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2003
Still running!
I missed a group run this morning, but I got up and ran for about 40 minutes by myself! I feel pretty good about that. I'm going to start doing some light lifting in my off days, anything to keep my metabolism up.
Tomorrow will be 2 weeks without caffeine! I'm doing pretty well about that now, I'm just afraid I'll "accidentally" have a soda or tea one day because I'm not thinking about it. Given that there's a 12 pack of Dr Pepper in my refrigerator, I'm pretty suprised that I haven't given in, but I've only felt a strong craving once...
I'm going to gear up this weekend, I need a stop watch, and maybe some other tech that measures heart rate, stride distance, etc...
Posted by SunSword at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2003
I failed...
My goal was to run 3 miles today. I was unable to even complete the first mile. I'm telling you this because it's just as important that I acknowledge my failures as well as my successes.
Oh, and since I appear to be officially "blogging" now, I might as well do it right. I'll begin using "Moveable Type" sometime this week. I've already got it installed, but I need to finish configuring it (styles mostly).
I almost didn't run at all. As a matter of fact, I got about 20 feet and turned around for a moment. But that just made me angry. I turned back around and ran on. But my stomach was in bad shape and I turned back at the half way point. I was very angry about it but I knew if I pushed it I would just sleep poorly and have a difficult day at work. And there was no way I was going to complete 3 miles.
My goal to run a marathon is more real to me now than it was when I began running 3 weeks ago. But if I'm going to try to become an athlete, I'm going to have to start training and eating like one. I ate terribly this weekend and now I'm paying for it. For the past few weeks I've been eating better than I have over the past 10 years. This weekend, I blew it. But if I'm going to run a marathon in 6 months, it's going to take more than excersize, I'm going to have to change my whole lifestyle. Tomorrow, I'm going to get up 2 hours earlier than normal. That's the first change. I'm not going to promise to run, but I'm going to get up and have breakfast. I need to create a routine.
I'm fairly embarrassed about my failure tonight. Let's see if I can do anything about that...
Posted by SunSword at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2003
2 Miles!
I changed things up and ran before dinner tonight (of course, it's unusually cool here in Austin right now). I did the first mile without walking at all! The second mile, I walked less than 30 yards.
Yesterday was a day off...
Posted by SunSword at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2003
Another mile...
I jogged another mile lastnight. I had hoped to do 2, but we met some friends for dinner a little bit late and by the time it was 11:30, my stomach handn't quite settled down. Mexican for Lunch AND Dinner != pleasant running experience.
Good news is that I cut out another of the walking areas, so now I'm down to 1!
Posted by SunSword at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2003
Mark up another mile!
I ran at about 11:30 Monday night, between thunderheads. My knee started bothering me this morning, so I suppose I need to get on with the Dr. appointment. I think I may have slightly fractured my leg just below the knee a few years ago. It didn't bother me during the run and it hasn't bothered me in over a year, but I'm sure the pounding of my "oh so lithe" body is as likely as anything to make an issue out of it.
I improved my run/walk ratio to 9.5/.5 (vs. 9.25/.75) and my distance to first walk improved some. Yay. Monday was a "light day." Back to 2 miles Tuesday. And that Dr.s appointment. Yeah.
Posted by SunSword at 12:13 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2003
New milestone(s)
Well, my business trip threw me off a little bit, but tonight I got back on track. I did run a mile Tuesday night, but tonight I ran 2! So I got in my five miles in one week. Next Sunday, I'm shooting for 3 miles in 1 session. I know that doesn't sound like much to you regular runners, but that sounds like a heart attack to me. My second short term goal is to run at least a mile 6 days this week.
Oh, I also signed up for Team in Training (http://www.teamingtraining.org) with my intent to run the Motorola Marathon on February 15th. You'll probably hear from me more about Team in Training and this marathon stuff soon.
Posted by SunSword at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2003
2 whole miles!
That's right. I jogged another mile Sunday night. Today, I can really feel that nice burning sensation of muscle repair. I'm taking Monday off an starting some interval training Tuesday. I'm in San Francisco Wednesday through Friday, but I'm hoping to keep up my exercise. I'd like to do at least 5 miles this week.
Posted by SunSword at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2003
First Mile
Well, first 1 under my belt. I didn't bother to time it, I just wanted to complete it, which I did! Honestly, I didn't think I was going to make it down the last stretch to the end of the street, but strangely enough, here I am, typing at my computer.
That plus full sets of bench and curl all in one day. I'm suprised I didn't break anything.
Posted by SunSword at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)