The Baltimore Running Project

Playing (Slightly) Hurt

2011-06-24T14:52:00.000-04:00

One of the most common early running momentum crushers is injury. I should know, as several of my past efforts to get back to running consistently have been cut short by an overuse injury that turned into another several month long layoff from running. The worst was in 2009 when I strung together a few good weeks of running 2 miles at a time, with a day of rest in between to allow my body to start to re-adapt. Then I got stupid and went out and tried to run 5 miles on the NCR Trail. Unsurprisingly, I woke up the next morning with a sharp pain just below my kneecap that lingered for a week. I went to a sports medicine doctor and she quickly diagnosed runner’s knee. That kept me off the roads for several weeks. I’ve also had this happen with shin splints.

So, this time, I’ve been determined not to repeat the past, all the while accepting the fact that until my body really gets used to running consistently again, there will be aches and pains here and there. Earlier in the week, I felt my ever-tight right hamstring was slightly overtaxed. But it felt fine after a day. However, yesterday, after I walked to work (it’s about 1.5 miles each way), my right adductor muscle (along the inside of the thigh) tightened up and has been slightly achy ever since. Nothing horrible, but enough that I know it’s not 100%. My hamstrings and adductor muscles have been constant aches for some time now, despite stretching regimens. But suffice to say I will be increasing the intensity of those stretches from now on.

I was tender again last night after walking home (more uphill than the trip to work) thanks to the hills of Baltimore, but foolishly did not ice it down. I let it be and went to sleep, hoping it would resolve itself like my hamstring seemed to earlier this week. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, although thankfully it did not get worse. But it was pretty tight when I got out of bed this morning to go run (I took yesterday off). But it didn’t hurt badly enough that I thought I wouldn’t be able to get in my very short 1.5 mile run. I spent some extra time this morning stretching to try to warm it up enough to prevent a catastrophic injury and that seemed to work.

The combination of the short distance and short warm-up helped. I didn’t feel any discomfort during the run and hasn’t felt worse since then. I spent about 20 minutes icing the area and that also seemed to help. I wish I could have iced it while at work, but I think that would have been awkward. I’ll ice it again for 20 minutes when I get home tonight. I’m doing strength training tomorrow morning, so I won’t run on it until Sunday morning. I’m hopeful that will be enough time to help it feel better (with icing throughout that time).

But this morning’s run was most interesting to me because my minor injury didn’t get worse despite running on it, albeit very carefully. I was always aware of how it was feeling and whether there was any discomfort there that would tell me I was risking a more serious injury if I kept going. Increasing my stretching and icing routines will also help long term, as adductor injuries can take weeks to heal properly, longer if you keep running/playing with it and re-aggravate it every few days. The strain is a very minor one, to be sure, and I would likely not have run on it if, for example, it had hurt to walk or go up stairs. As it stands, the muscle just feels tight when I walk (mostly after having been sitting at my desk for some time) or climb stairs and loosens up considerably when I walk any distance. So, the situation is not serious to begin with. But I’m heartened that I made it through the run today without any problems. As I increase my mileage in the coming few weeks up to 5K distance, I can hopefully get these “re-acclimation” injuries out of the way and strengthen my body for when I move into the next stage of building my mileage.

Lazarus Moment

2011-06-23T14:07:00.000-04:00

After more than a year since my last post and even longer since a quality post, I've decided to try to get this blog back on its feet. I'm back to running mostly consistently and found a new committment to running in general. I feel better about it now than I have in over a year, so I think it's time to get back to blogging and to become a more active member of the running online community.

So, over the next few days (ideally), I'll update the blog, get rid of the outdated stuff like the former countdown and now count-up on the right. 418 days and counting...yikes! I'm also going to expand the posting topics, as I think one of the reasons for the lack of posting was that I was only writing about my runs and training, which gets boring. And if I'm bored by it, anyone who would read the post would certainly be bored by it too. So, look for posts about all sorts of things running-related (and some topics not so running related).

Stymied Workouts and Fall 2010 Race Calendar

2010-04-01T08:24:00.000-04:00

It's now been a full week since I last ran, but not for lack of trying. We spent a long weekend in Rochester, NY this past week, where it was 30 degrees and windy...not ideal for running. And on top of that, we really didn't have any time for running anyway, so there went Friday through Sunday. I did some strength training on Monday and then got swamped at work Tuesday and yesterday. Thankfully, today will be better and I should be able to get out and run a few miles this afternoon. And, on top of that, my overall work schedule will change next week going forward and while I will need to be at the office an hour earlier (around 7 AM), I'll get to go home earlier and have more open time in the early afternoons to go running or to the gym. So, with the weather turning up finally (80 degrees here in Charm City today), more running shouldn't be too big of a problem. Which is good because I have less than a month before my first 5K and I have yet to run farther than 2 miles. Today starts a phase of 2.5 mile runs, though. Progress, slowly but surely.

I also added another race to my fall race schedule this morning: the Army Ten Miler. The race is on October 24, 2010, but registration opened this morning at 8 AM and last year it sold out in six days, so I went ahead and spent the $60 on the fee. It's much steeper than I normally like to pay, but I'll run it and see how it goes and it's possible I won't want to run it afterward given how many people run that race and my general frustration with huge crowds at races. But it's an experience and one of the DC-Baltimore area's premier races (probably top five along with Marine Corps Marathon, Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, National Marathon and Baltimore Running Festival) so I wanted to do this.

So, that makes my October very crowded. I've got the Warrior Dash on the 9th, the Baltimore Running Festival (likely the 5K) on the 16th, and the Army Ten Miler on the 24th. And I'm toying with the idea of running the Freedom's Run 10K up in Harper's Ferry, WV on October 2, but that would have me running a race four weeks in a row, ending with a tough ten miler, so I remain undecided on that one. Of course, between now and October I'm going to work on getting back in shape, extending my distance to that 10 mile mark, increasing my fitness with weight and core training twice a week, and getting ready for the Warrior Dash, which will probably beat me up. It'll be important that I be in good enough shape that I can recover in the seven days between the Warrior Dash and the Army Ten Miler and avoid injury.

For today: 2.5 miles in beautiful early April weather!

Bad Weather, Worse Treadmills

2010-02-26T21:12:00.002-05:00

I got back on the road this week after a few months of dillying and dallying about it. I went out for a very brief 2 miler on Tuesday afternoon and it went well. Weather was OK; cloudy and breezy, around 38 or so. Not bad but not great or inspiring. But 2 miles was more than enough for my out of shape body and my legs were SORE the next day.

Thursday I was hoping to get back outside again for another 2 miler to continue my body's transition back to exercise but the weather turned awful on Thursday: highs in the upper 30s but with winds in the 25-30 mph range. It could have been worse: they had forecast that the blizzard that hammered New England and New York was going to dump 5 inches or more here. But thankfully it barely rained here, much less snow, so if my alternative is windy snow or wind, I'll take just wind. But I stayed indoors and ran on the treadmill instead and man did it suck.

Many people have no problems with a treadmill, but I am not one of them. In fact, I hate treadmills. Not only because of the monotony of running in place for potentially an hour or more either. No, I hate the treadmill because my lower legs always hurt when I run on a treadmill. I think it's a function of my body trying to stay on the belt and making weird adjustments to my gait, posture, etc to do it. But every time I get on a treadmill, the muscles along the outside of my calves start to burn within a few minutes and it just gets worse for about a mile or so until the pain just ebbs away from numbness. It really sucks and it makes me absolutely despise running indoors. As a result, I only got through 1.5 miles of my run on Thursday before I got outdone with the whole thing and bagged it.

So, from now on, I'm going to just suck it up and run outside in just about any weather. If it's too bad to run outside, well I'll just do some cross training that day instead. It's a waste of a perfectly good workout to run on a treadmill and then have your lower calves ache the day afterward.

Anyway, I didn't do anything today to give my body time to recover from this limited amount of running. I don't want to repeat what I did in the summer and try to run too far too soon and get injured and then not be able to run for 3 or 4 weeks. I'm just taking it slow and maybe next week I'll start doing more cross training on my non-running days to get that program started.

And with next week's forecast calling for sunny skies and temperatures at least a little closer to normal (average for this time of year is 50...today's high was below 40), I'm hopeful I won't ave to layer up for any of my runs next week and can just stay in shorts with layers on top.

Back to Running...Take 2

2010-02-21T21:00:00.004-05:00

So it's almost a third of the way through 2010 and I have yet to run a single step, aside from dodging snow plows during the dual blizzards we got earlier in the month. I'm out of excuses and my guilt has finally hit critical mass: I've got to get back to running.

But this time, I need to also make an effort to go beyond just running three days a week. I want to get fit all around because I think only by developing some good cross training routines on my off days can I avoid injuries as I ramp back up in my mileage over the coming weeks and months.

So, I've joined the gym at work, which is good deal at just $25/month. I get a decently-equipped gym that has all I need for a runner's strength training program, as well as some treadmills for the occasional foul weather run and showers and a locker room. On days that I'm not running, I'll be doing core work and lifting some weights to develop some more strength in the muscles I use when I run.

I'm not going to push it though. I haven't registered for any races of any distance between now and the beginning of May, when I'll run in a 5K as part of my prep school's Alumni Weekend. After that, we'll see what I feel like doing over the summer. There are a few races during the hot months that I might run, but I'd like to really focus on putting together my fitness so I'm running regular 10 milers or more again by the fall. Maybe that's possible; maybe not. Ideally I'd like to run the Baltimore Running Festival again in October (5K more than likely, rather than the half, but we'll see). And I am nearly certain I'm going to "run" in the Warrior Dash Mid Atlantic in early October. It's basically a 5K over a crazy obstacle course where you're climbing hills, swimming through ponds, jumping over fire and crawling through mud. At the end though, you get unlimited (I'm hoping) free beer, a huge medal and a big warrior hat with horns. Sounds really fun and a good motivator over the next seven months.

With that, this week's schedule is to take tomorrow off but then start on Tuesday with a 2 mile easy run and going from there. Let's see if I can follow through this time!

Starting Anew in 2010

2010-01-03T16:30:00.002-05:00

After a whirlwind holiday season where I just went ahead and abandoned my running, I thought I needed to get back to posting, in addition to actually getting back to running, in the New Year. Since my last post in early December, here's what has happened:

Teddy, our recently-adopted rescue dog, is doing well and has adjusted terrifically to life in Baltimore. In turn, we are getting used to having him around all the time.
Christmas and New Year was fast-paced. We took Teddy up to my parents' place for the Christmas holiday and spent two days with them before dropping him off at the Baltimore Dog Spa for a week and flying out to Annie's parents in Cincinnati. We were there for four days before boarding a plane for Los Angeles to go on the Ohio State Alumni Tour (her family is a die-hard OSU clan), for the Rose Bowl.
We spent four days in LA and Pasadena, going to the Buckeye Bash on Santa Monica Pier, the Rose Parade and of course the actual Rose Bowl, which was incredible. We also toured LA a little bit when we could and had lunch with some family out there before coming back.
We caught a red-eye direct to BWI and got in at 6AM this morning. After picking up Teddy, we're all just about dead. Even Teddy is curled up in his bed zonked out as I type. Early bed time for everyone tonight since we go back to work tomorrow.

Needless to say, it was a whirlwind week and a half, but I needed some time outside Baltimore and away from the office...I was burnt out by Christmas Eve. And I didn't run at all, of course.

So, this week I'll start back on the roads and start studying for the CFA...yes, it's that time of year as well, when I spend 6 months studying for a single exam in June. The sooner I can get all of it done, the happier I will be. But I want to really also focus on my running, and with no bog trips or holidays scheduled right now, I think that will be a possibility. We may take a long weekend in Cincinnati or something in April, but that's far from certain. Right now, I'm happy to be able to spend the next few weeks focusing on work, studying, and running.

Once I get the 289 pictures I took organized, I'll post them on Picassa.

Am I Going to Make It Next Saturday?

2009-12-10T15:59:00.003-05:00

Short answer is: I Don't Know! My well-laid plans to stop being lazy and "too busy" to run have come to naught thanks to Mother Nature and poor schedules. I had initially wanted to get out and run on Monday morning, however, it was pouring, literally pouring, down rain at 5:45 AM, which killed my motivation. I want to run, but there's no sense in running in rain at 38 degrees. Then I thought maybe Tuesday morning would work. However, getting to bed too late the night before killed me. Wednesday was another rainy morning so here we are, about 9 days from the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler and I haven't run since before Thanksgiving.

Am I going to make it next Saturday? I don't know but the weather looks to be good and cold so I'm going to go and get my $15 worth. It's a great race and I'm not going to let the craziness of the last two weeks sabotage my enjoyment of the race. I've got about 5 running opportunities between now and the 19th (tomorrow, Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and next Friday) so maybe if I can hit those targets, I'll be able to slowly meander along the 5 mile course and not flame out.

Or, I could run those five days and still limp across the finish line on the 19th heaving from embarrassment, not to mention exhaustion. We'll see how it goes, but as the end of the year approaches, a year where I seriously fell off the running wagon, I know I need to set some 2010 goals and map out how I'm going to get there. I think spending the first 6-8 months getting my mileage back above 10 miles, followed by a fall half marathon target and then late fall-winter races culminating in the 2010 Celtic Solstice is a good starting point. Finding new ways to stay motivated, however, is the big challenge and will probably be a determining factor next year.

For now, I just want to be able to run that 5 miler next weekend and then head to my grandmother's house in the afternoon for our pre-holiday feast!

Too Busy for Running Means Messed Up Priorities

2009-12-06T11:23:00.003-05:00

This last two weeks have been incredibly hectic to say the least and my running has suffered as a result. The Thanksgiving holiday was much-needed but went by quickly and was itself busy. e picked out our wedding pictures and created our album...only 13 months after we got married! We just kept putting it off so finally made the appointment at the photographer for when we knew we'd be back in Cincinnati.

We had to get up at 4AM to make it to the airport for our 7AM flight to Chicago (connecting to Dayton) so we were pretty wiped out the next day, causing us to sleep in and ignore the $50 registration fee we had paid for the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day race. Oh well. There'll be other races and it felt good to get the 11 hours of sleep instead. I think I would have felt tired all day had we dragged ourselves to the race.

Then after wwe got back, wwe picked up our newest addition to our pack, Teddy, a Shih Tzu/Lhasa Apso mix that we adopted from a rescue organization in Virginia, although he was being fostered by a woman in Reading, PA. We think he's between 2 and 5 years old, although we don't really know. We'll probably call him 4 years old because he's pretty calm and well-mannered, so he can't be too close puppy age. We brought him home a little earlier than e had planned because e wanted to take him for a test drive to make sure that Annie wasn't allergic to him. She's totally fine around him, which is great news.

So, since Tuesday we've been getting into a new routine with him for taking him out, at least two walks per day (one of those being a "long" walk of about a mile in the evening that zonks him out) and the like. He's adjusting very ell to living in an apartment in the city and we know we got lucky with his gentle temperament and independence. He's already housebroken. We tried putting him in the kitchen when we left for work a few days but he'd always find a way to knock the baby gate over or, when we put heavy boxes in front of it, he used his paws to scoot it to one side so he could squeeze out. But each time he escaped, he didn't chew anything or have an accident in the apartment, so e think he just doesn't like the kitchen because it's drafty.

Anyway, now that we're settling into a routine, it's time to add running back into the mix. Tomorrow I want to get back to running regularly so I can at least slowly complete the Celtic Solstice 5 miler in two weeks.

And with that short update, I'll sign off and update the rest of this blog since I've neglected it for a few weeks now.

Bad Weather Pushing Back Training

2009-10-28T17:39:00.003-04:00

Maybe it's my imagination but it seems like the weather this October has been worse than in previous years. Certainly we've had more rain than normal, and this has interfered with my training as of late. Now, I'm not opposed to running through bad weather and actually kind of enjoy it. But I'm also committed to getting through this winter without catching a cold or the flu. Going out in the pouring rain at 6 AM is a good way to get sick. So, I was supposed to run on Sunday and yesterday but it started raining here on Saturday night and stopped last night.

Thankfully, we've got a stretch of non-rainy (notice I didn't say sunny, because many of these days are forecast to be cloudy) days that I can use to actually get some runs in. I'll run tomorrow and Friday and then do a 5 miler on Sunday morning, unless the weekend is rained out for the third week in a row.

Ed. Note: I saved this post earlier last week and then forgot to finish it. So, the post from here on out was written on November 1. Everything before this was written October 27

I pretty much chalked up last week to an off week because I just couldn't get motivated in the morning and kept hitting snooze. So, by Friday I decided to get back on the horse this weekend, since I'd be able to get out the door later in the morning, increasing the chances I'd actually go. Saturday I got out for a 3.5 mile easy run and then today I did a 5 mile "long" run down into Federal Hill and then back to the apartment. Both runs went well because I made a conscious effort to slow down the pace. I tried to go slower than my mind thought was appropriate and that helped me avoid unconsciously speeding up and trying to maintain an untenable pace.

For the third weekend in a row, it rained at least part of the two days and today was no different. It was cool and already overcast when I headed out today, maybe around 50. I got halfway through my run and literally almost as soon as I turned around to start the "back" portion of the "out and back" route I had mapped out the sprinkles started. Thankfully, the rain was light, but steady, throughout the final part of the run and the skies didn't really open up until I got back indoors. But still, it'll be nice to get through this wet part of the season. Running in 50 degrees is perfect weather for a run, except when it's also rainy and windy.

Brooks, I Heart You and Your Shoes

2009-10-15T12:01:00.002-04:00

Before I get into the new shoe issue, a quick link to an interesting blog posting. If you don't read the Well blog on the NYT website, I heartily encourage you to check it out. It's generally interesting, but it will routinely have a posting about running that is even more interesting. A few days ago, there was a posting about the age-old question of whether running will actually increase the probability of you getting sick. The post talks about several studies that were done on both mice and men (men in the species sense, not gender sense.) It's well worth reading and makes sense that a workout that tears you up will make you more vulnerable to sickness while a moderate workout will boost immunity somewhat.

Check out the post and Well blog here: Does Exercise Boost Immunity?

Now, on to the topic at hand.

My new running shoes arrived in the mail on Monday, which allowed me to take them out for a 3 mile spin on Tuesday morning. I tried them on Monday night and they fit OK...a little snug around the upper and the toe box wasn't as roomy as I'm used to with the Brooks, but otherwise just fine. So, Tuesday morning I woke up and laced up the Air Pegasae (more than one Pegasus?) and headed out. Almost immediately I felt that these shoes weren't going to work, but I wanted to give them the full 3 miles to make me think otherwise. It just didn't happen. I wanted to like them, but I just couldn't.

The Runner's World shoe review had said that runners had liked the Nike's cushioned ride, however they didn't feel markedly more comfortable in terms of cushioning than my Brooks. But, let me do a pros and cons analysis here to keep it simple.

PRO:

Snug fit around the upper kept my foot from moving around too much (see cons for the exception to this.)
Lightweight and had enough cushioning for me.
Already equipped with a Nike+ chip in the shoe for my iPod, if I wanted to use it.

CONS:

Toe box was not roomy and my toes felt cramped in the front, although the shoes were the right length. More that they felt scrunched the whole time.
Upper was really cushy, but that made tightening the laces tough. You'd have to really pull on them to get them tight and even then, the upper is so overstuffed that you've got short laces with which to tie the shoes. This then inevitably leads to a loosening of the laces during running and so by about halfway through my run, my right foot was slipping and I could feel a hot spot forming into a blister on my heel. Luckily, the run was short enough that I avoided the blister.
Speaking of hot spots, for some reason, Nike shoes always give me a hot spot on the side of my foot where the ball is. This happened years ago when I first bought a pair of Nike's and gave myself blisters that way. For some reason, where the insole meets the shoe hits my foot at a vulnerable spot and the motion of pronating eventually leads to a hot spot and then a blister. After just 3 miles yesterday, I was well on my way to a blister on both feet.
Not sure what the reason is, but about halfway into the run, the outside of my right foot began to ache and got worse throughout the run. When I stopped running, the ache went away completely.

I took yesterday off to let my hot spots go away (they did) and ran this morning in my old Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8's. Shockingly, I had no problems at all. No aches, hot spots, slipping, scrunching, etc. Nothing. My new Adrenaline GTS 9's arrived today, and I've learned my lesson.

Brooks, I'm sorry I ever doubted your fit for my foot. I will be a Brooks man for the rest of my running days. I heart you. You had me at "Motion Control." I should never have doubted you and your ability to make an outstanding shoe for an affordable price (while the Nike's were $50 with a filched discount code, the Brooks were only $16 more expensive, which is roughly what I'd spend in Neosporin and Band-Aids to nurse my blisters, I estimate.)

2009 Baltimore Running Festival Race Report

2009-10-11T16:18:00.003-04:00

Another Baltimore Running Festival wweekend is coming to an end and this one was just as enjoyable as the past three in which I've participated, although my attempt at setting a new 5K PR fell short again.

Annie picked me up at the office on Friday evening (I went in early so I could leave a little early) and we headed over to M&T Bank Stadium to pick up our race packets and check out the expo. The race organizers have improved the registration process every year and this year I think it went very smoothly...at least for us, of course. We got our shirts (pro: made from 100% recycled plastic, yet looks and feels like normal cloth...very cool; con: logo was minimal and it's the same color as the 2007 shirts) and wandered around the expo a little. We didn't buy anything, but the expo had grown in size and I would imagine that either next year or 2011 will have to be held in a bigger space (convention center would be a good space given that 20,000 runners ran a race this year.)

The next morning, e got up and hopped on the light rail, which runs right to Camden Yards and about 250 yards from the starting line of the 5K/marathon. Got warmed up and e were off right on time at 8:30 AM. There were nearly 2700 people running this race, so that added time to everybody's race, I think. The course was much the same as wwhen I ran it in 2007, although we made a few more turns up around Dolphin Street before turning onto Eutaw Street to head south back to the stadiums and finish line. About 1.75 miles of the course was heading uphill at some degree, with the steepest inclines coming in the first mile I would say.

I made a conscious effort to head out slowly, with the idea being that once we turned for home, I'd drop my pace and try to make up that time coming home. Good news is that I was able to do that. Unfortunately, there were so many runners that even the three lane streets of downtown Baltimore were clogged. So, I spent almost the entire race dodoging people and wweaving through traffic to pass people. I didn't even bother with the water stop, but had to again dodge people suddenly veering from the left side all the way to the right to grab water or Gatorade.

As we came down Eutaw Street, I picked up the pace and was pretty tired coming into Camden Yards, but kept going. I pushed hard over the final tenths of a mile and was practically sprinting when I crossed the finish line, which was good. I was totally spent and saw little purple blobs in my vision, so I take that as a good sign that I didn't leave too much out on the course.

I still didn't beat my 5K PR, but I think some of that was the slow start going uphill as wwell as the bobbing and weaving that I had to do throughout the 3.1 miles. I finished in the 33rd percentile overall and the 52nd percentile in my age group, which I take as a moral victory of sorts, considering that the winners of races tend to come from my age group.

Annie did well too, and cut another minute off her time, averaging 10 minutes per mile, which is great considering she just started running and it was pretty humid and warm outside for the race.

So, another great running weekend in the books and now it's training until the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day Race in late November. I've mapped out my plan for increasing my mileage and long runs up to 6 miles by the time the race rolls around, so I'm confident I'll make it the full 10K. But in terms of beating that 5K PR, I think I'm going to have to find a small 5K sometime in the new year or even next spring so I don't have to worry about crowding on the course and can really focus on beating the time. We'll see; it's a work in progress.

On Streaks and Kicks

2009-10-08T13:31:00.004-04:00

A post in today's New York Times "Well" Blog talks about runners who have run in multiple consecutives races (i.e. Streakers, in the running sense of that word.) It's a brief but interesting look at three runners, two in New York and one in Chicago, who have been running those respective marathons for over three decades since their inception.

The post characterizes the pursuit of streaks in running as akin to obsessive, and I think I would agree with that assessment. I would venture to guess that the general personality of long-term runners (those who have been running for a year or more consistently) is in the neighborhood of Type A. I know that while I may not be as consistent a runner as I'd like, my desire for order in my running (creating a plan, mapping my runs ahead of time, registering early, etc) puts me in the ballpark of Type A. And I have to admit, there's some intangible attraction in potentially running the same race every year, creating a multi-year streak.

The only streak I have going right now would be the Baltimore Running Festival, which is this Saturday. This will be my third year running in the festival, although I've run two different races each year (5K in '07 and half marathon in '08.) So, it is a more technical streak. However, I think that until I get my fitness to a level where I can keep running half marathons or longer every single year, my streaks will be limited to the festival or to shorter distances.

A second streak that I have going is the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler held every December. This will be my third year running that race as well, and since it's only 5 miles, it's doable at a range of fitness levels. Once we move away from Baltimore in a few years' time, I'll have to make a choice as to which race I come back here for each year (assuming we move farther away than DC or Philadelphia.) I think I'd choose the running festival if I'm running the half or full to make it worth the weekend trip, but that could change.

In other news, I think I'm finally going to splurge a little and get some new running shoes. Although my current shoes aren't ready to be retired just yet, as they've only got about 380 miles on them. Even though shoemakers say you should replace your kicks every 400 miles, I think that's just a good way for them to get people to unwittingly trade in perfectly good 400-mile shoes for perfectly NEW 0-mile shoes at a fat margin.

Anyway, I'd like to have two pairs of shoes I'm running in at any given time, with the idea being that I'd be replacing one pair as the other was still in the early mileage days. I figure if I get a new pair now, I've still got probably another 200 miles in my current pair, which will be good for replacing them sometime in 2010.

I was going to just go with the next generation in the Brooks Adrenaline series (which is now called Defyance), but my go-to website, Runners Warehouse, won't have them in stock in my size for another 30 days, and really, I don't want to wait a month or more for shoes. So, I'm going to instead try the Nike Air Pegasus +26, which got good reviews in Runners World in August and are very affordable for running shoes: MSRP of $75. Turns out Runners Warehouse has them in stock in my size (just one pair left) and they're discounted down to a cool $58.00. Combine that with a little searching on the web for a coupon code that garnered me another 15% off, free 2 day shipping and no tax and I picked up my new shoes for just $50.00 total. Not bad when most running shoes run twice that or more. Now, the true test will be how they feel, but Runners Warehouse has free returns too, so I don't have to pay to send them back if they don't feel right.

All in all, not a bad deal in my opinion, as until I have more discretionary income, I don't see the point in spending tons of cash on things you pound into nothingness anyway. I don't even like buying running shirts and instead just make sure the races I run hand out free tech t-shirts instead.

So, with new shoes on the way and set to be here on Monday, I am going to try to find some nice discounted shorts at the expo tomorrow night, and maybe a long sleeved running short to add to my collection, as I could still use a few more cold weather shirts considering we're into October now!

Freedom's Run 5K Race Report

2009-10-04T16:34:00.005-04:00

Bottom Line on the Top Line: A well-run, well attended inaugural race with a largely flat course with a HUGE hill around the 2.6 mile mark that made times slower than usual.

We're back from WV and from running the Freedom's Run 5K on Saturday morning so here's my race report.

We left Baltimore on Friday night around 6 so we could pick up our race packets before the 8PM cut off in Shepherdstown. With some rainy weather and general traffic on the way up there, we walked into Shepherd University's swanky new Wellness Center at 7:54 PM and literally picked up our shirts and packets minutes before they took everything down and cleaned up. The shirts are pretty nice and I like the design, is that was a definite plus.

The next morning, we got to the race a little early (about 8:10) and parked without any trouble. It helped a lot that I know Shepherdstown like the back of my hand so we didn't wander around in the car looking for parking lots. But there were volunteers and signs around so I can't imagine people had too much trouble with finding parking anyway.

The full marathon had actually already started in Harpers Ferry, WV earlier in the morning (around 7:30, I think) but the half, 10K and 5K were all starting around 9AM. Everything was centered around the football stadium and they had several tents set up for coffee, day-of packet pick-up, etc. I think they were expecting fewer people for the races than they got because there were only a handful of port-a-potties, but Annie waited just about 5 minutes in the line so not too bad, really. I think somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 people signed up for this race, which is good news for its future. The weather was perfect for running, in my opinion. Mid 50's, just a slight breeze, no clouds in the sky and no rain in the forecast. Perfect!

After some remarks from the race director, during which we learned that they were sending a bunch of race shirts to troops in Afghanistan who were running (actually due to the time difference, they'd already run) 26.2 miles in Afghanistan. Pretty awesome. Quick rendition of the national anthem and the countdown began. The half marathoners took off at 9:00 AM sharp (kudos to the race director for being punctual...some races start 10-15 mintues late which is aggravating) and the 10K folks were off five minutes later. The 5K was last since it was the shortest and fastest of the three, and we started at 9:10.

The 5K was crowded at the beginning, as 357 people were running it. So that slowed me down at the very outset. As I crossed the bridge, I tried to stay slower than I thought was acceptable since this was my first race in close to a year and I'm rusty. Also, the farthest I've run since starting up again is 4 miles so it's not like I had the endurance of a a half-marathoner to pull from. Anyway, we turned onto the C&O Canal access path after crossing into Maryland, which is a switchback trail curling under the bridge down to the towpath. Once I got to the towpath, it was narrower and gravel for the most part. I picked it up a little bit going out and began passing people, although I had to pass on the right because the 10K leaders started whizzing by us on their return trip to West Virginia.

I could feel about halfway out to the turnaround that I wasn't running as fast as I had hoped, but I didn't want to go any faster for fear of flaming out way too early. We turned around and started heading back to the bridge and I passed Annie on the way. She was doing really well and ended up finishing 10th in her age group (out of 29 total) and shaved another 90 seconds off her time. She's catching up to me fast so I need to get on my horse! Anyway, we hit a sign on the path that said "1 mile to go!" and I looked down at my watch to see that I had already surpassed the 20 minute mark. Crap. No way was I going to run a mile in under 7 minutes to beat my PR. I was bummed, but quickened the pace until I got to the access path, which I now had to go back up. It was monstrous and I had to walk because it got so steep at one point. That added some time, for certain. But I got to the bridge again and really tried to lower my pace.

I had assumed that we'd cross the bridge again into WV and immediately turn left and head onto the football field to the finish line. Hence, my pushing my pace beyond comfortable. I thought I'd be able to hold that pace to that point. Unfortunately, I got to the stadium and realized that we had to run around it and come in the back, at which point I flamed out...it just deflated me to see that I had so much farther to go. As I approached the stadium, I passed some more people and got to the field. Even though I was in pain (flashes of me barfing at the 50 yard line danced in my head), I kept the pace decent. Of course, some woman sprinted past me in the final 20 yards, and it was one of the people who had been walking just 50 yards before that, which pissed me off. Way to go; you mis-ran the entire race and walked for 5 minutes to build up enough steam to sprint across like you'd been running that pace the entire time.

I call shenanigans on that runner and anyone who does the walking the last quarter mile and then sprinting across the line. That's not finishing strong; that's running the other 96% of the race poorly.

That may sound harsh, and I certainly don't consider myself a running purist, by any means. But come on...the object is to run the whole 3.1/6.2/13.1/26.2 miles effectively, not sprint out in the beginning, stumble to the last 0.25 mile, walk half of it and then sprint across the line and make the runners who tried to maintain a consistent strategy throughout the race look like chumps.

And yes, I know people aren't thinking that way when they do it and yes I know I'm probably being unreasonable in my bitching, but as Eric Cartman says, "Whateva! Whateva! It's my hot body. I do what I want!"

Noetheless, the finish on the football field was pretty cool and I was moderately happy with my time and effort. I think I just need to run more 5Ks and get more practice racing to feel out a better pace next time. They had lots of fruit, but little else after the race, which is all well and good, except I like to have something substantial after a race, like a bagel with cream cheese or something. And while there were bagels, there were no toppings to be had so I ate a few bites of a cold wheat bagel and hrew it away. They also didn't have anything other than water, which further bummed me out. I could have gotten a Roaring Lion energy drink, but I wanted Gatorade or something that would actually replenish something in me and not wire me up again. Hopefully next year they'll have a better spread afterwards.

Annie and I milled around briefly before walking back to the car and heading home, as we weren't going to buy anything at the post-race party since we'll be going to the Baltimore Running Festival Expo this Thursday.

Overall, I was glad that I ran this race, as it was well-run and organized and the course was beautiful and very challenging at parts. It was well-attended, which was both good and bad, as the course was crowded due to there being so many runners, but it also wasn't me, Annie and two other people running the thing or anything. The post-race spread was disappointing, so hopefully they'll improve that next year. In sum, I'd run this race again next year, although by then I'd hope to be ready for the half marathon so I could get to see more of the course.

Taking the Legs Out for a Spin

2009-10-02T13:03:00.003-04:00

After some thought and rumination, I've opted to approach tomorrow's Freedom's Run 5K as an opportunity to PR at the distance for the first time in over two years. My reasons:

As I said on Saturday, the course tomorrow is going to be pretty flat, with an uphill coming at the very end (maybe the final couple tenths of a mile, max) and the start is on a decline, which should help me out as well. Compare that to Baltimore next Saturday, which is essentially 1.6 miles uphill and then 1.6 miles downhill. Unsurprisingly, the last time I ran that course was the '07 Baltimore 5K and I missed a PR thanks to those hills. So, with the generally flat course and optimistic weather forecast (partly cloudy, little chance of rain, mid 50's at race time), this is a great opportunity to lower the bar a little bit.
This is the first 5K I've run in over a year and my PR still dates from 2007 so why not try to extinguish that record? A two year old PR that isn't all that special to begin with needs to be erased.
I've neglected racing in a 5K for over a year and have put up disappointing numbers each time. Since running in my first road race ever in July '07 (and setting a default PR), I've run just two 5Ks: the Kelly Shamrock 5K in March 2008 and the Cheetah Run 5K in Cincinnati in August 2008. The Shamrock race was not a good effort considering I had to dodge people the whole time and the time for the Cheetah 5K was unreliable at best. So, I need a solid, reliable 5K time and tomorrow should give me that opportunity.
I feel confident enough in my body now that I've taken it slow and gradually ramped up my mileage over the past two months that I can handle running hard for 3 miles. I'm interested in taking the legs out for a hard spin tomorrow and seeing how I do during the race, how I feel after the race, and how I feel on Sunday.

So, those are my reasons for attacking the Freedom's Run tomorrow. I'm excited about it and am hoping the next four hours of work pass quickly. Once we get back from WV I'll post a race report with the results. If nothing else, I'm hoping for a cool race shirt!

Last Minute (for me) Racing Decision

2009-09-26T22:17:00.007-04:00

I got some good runs in last week, although I moved some workouts around due to laziness and overall exhaustion from work, but I feel OK with getting three runs in and not four. This week's plan got a bit adjusted last minute, but should come out to four runs, hopefully.

Initially, I had decided to make the Baltimore Running Festival 5K on 10/10 my first race since starting up with running again. However, I had seen advertisements for a race called Freedom's Run, being held just about 15 minutes from my parents' house in West Virginia. It sounded like an awesome race and they are offering a full, half, 10K and 5K. I had hoped to be ready to run a 10K by October, but am pleased that I have adhered to my main goal of taking it slow and adding distance very gradually. I think that has helped me a lot, and I'm about 30-45 seconds faster on all my runs this year than I was last year, which is great.

Anyway, Freedom's Run is being held this upcoming weekend, but I didn't think that I'd be able to do it, which bummed me out since I've yet to run a race in my home state. Plus, you get some serious swag for the race: a technical t-shirt, a water bottle with hand strap, free stuff sack, and a beer mug (for 21+ runners, of course.) Pretty nice for a $25 5K entry fee, right?

As fate would have it, we had a free weekend this weekend (no friends visiting or auditions in NY or mountains of work, etc) so we decided it'd be a nice weekend to head up to WV to see my parents since we are going to be in Cincinnati for Thanksgiving this year. So, Annie and I will get to run the 5K after all, which is awesome.

So, I'll get to test out my training to date on Saturday. Based on the elevation profile of the course, it should be somewhat fast, although the hill at the end is going to be murder. But by then, I'm hoping I'll just not care and will run through the pain.

2009 Freedom's Run 5K
Find more Runs in Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Tonight, in between watching the first installment (TiVoed, of course) of Ken Burns' documentary on the national parks and reading some investment research for a new company I'm covering, I'll think about a race strategy and decide just how hard I want to run this race. Do I want to aim for a PR, considering how flat much of the course is? Do I want to just run it kinda hard and save up for Baltimore in two weeks? Do I want to treat it like a training run and just enjoy it so I can do a longer run on Sunday?

My initial reaction is that I want to run it hard and try to PR on it because the Baltimore 5K is much hillier. So if that's my overall attack, what is my underlying strategy? So many questions, but nonetheless, I'm excited to be running a race this weekend!

New Office, New Attempt at Mid-Day Running?

2009-09-11T09:12:00.003-04:00

I had originally intended to post about my firm moving offices at the end of today from our current location in downtown Baltimore to a new high rise in Harbor East. But then I realized that unless you live here, none of that makes any difference. The move only matters for this blog in that it might change how and when I run once winter rolls in later in the year.

Last winter I temporarily moved my running from the early morning to the middle of the day as an experiment to see if that worked better for my schedule. It was OK, but not really much easier than getting up early and braving the cold elements. Part of the reason for that is that running from downtown Baltimore to any of the neighboring areas is a challenge. You're dodging not just traffic, but tourists and pedestrians and the generally unpleasant people who aren't awake yet at 6 AM when I normally run. The traffic signals are also longer downtown, making the run very segmented. All in all, a disappointing experience.

Harbor East (see map below) is much more pedestrian friendly and is not all that far from Canton and Patterson Park, so that's much better than dealing with the Inner Harbor. Once winter really rolls in and running in the cold pre-dawn darkness gets old, I may try mid-day running again and see how it goes. Of course, there is always the challenge of finding an hour in the middle of my day to get out of the office.

View Larger Map

The Motor City: Where Public Transit Is Against the Law

2009-09-07T20:10:00.002-04:00

Back from our weekend wedding adventure to Detroit and I am ever so happy to be back on the East Coast. Don't get me wrong; I'm not an Eastern snob who thinks that the vast expanse of the country between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts is full of hicks and Red state idiots. Not at all, as my wife and her family are from Cincinnati and I have always enjoyed my visits to the middle of the country.

However, I like the tenor of life here in the East and prefer it to the Midwest. And while I only saw a small sliver of the Detroit metro area (I would have liked to have seen downtown Detroit, for example), I can safely say that I like living in a city here I can walk everywhere I need to go or that I can take trains further afield. If you don't on a car in Detroit, you are literally stranded. Everywhere we needed to go this weekend was 30-40 minutes away, which is really FAR for a city dweller such as me. I'm already mad that my walking commute to the office each day will grow by about 10 minutes when e move to our new tower next week.

I did get a run in over the weekend, though. I did a brief 3.5 mile run from our hotel through a neighborhood nearby and ended at a local Starbucks for a 0.5 mile cool down walk back to the hotel. The weather was fantastic for both the wedding and the run: sunny, low humidity and in the mid 70's in the day, high 50's in the mornings.

The run was good and I only needed to stop once to figure out which way I wanted to run. I basically stuck to my MapMyRun.com route and only overshot by a tenth of a mile, finishing at 3.6 miles. Not bad. It was relatively early in the morning (8:00 AM) so car and foot traffic was light and I only saw one other runner. On a Sunday morning in Baltimore, I'll usually see scores of people (mostly down around the Harbor) running or walking but it could have just been I was in a neighborhood that lacked runners. I did run past several vocal dogs ho were not happy to see a runner encroaching on their yards though.

I had meant to get up today and run but I've been dragging all day and ran out of time. So, I'll get up tomorrow and get a few miles under my weekly belt. Unfortunately, it's back to the grind tomorrow and I won't have another holiday break until Thanksgiving since the market's next holiday is Thanksgiving. This is probably the longest drought period for a holiday, sadly.

Thinking On The Run

2009-09-02T17:34:00.002-04:00

I've noticed recently that my posts tend to be shapeless in their subject matter. That is, I tend to not have a plan for what I want to post about and end up blathering on and boring even myself. So, I'm going to make a concerted effort to post only when I have something worth writing about and to try some structured posts. By structured, I mean posts with specific topics in mind.

My first stab at this will be a series called "Thinking On the Run" mainly because I didn't want to spend 20 minutes trying to think of a more clever title. I occasionally have interesting (well, I consider them interesting at least) thoughts or small soliloquies with myself about a particular topic. Even though I didn't run this morning, this post is running-inspired, and that's close enough for a first try.

I was walking to work, as I do most mornings when it isn't pouring down rain or so bitter cold it's painful. With the recent spate of fall-like weather, I've seen more people out running in the mornings, although I've yet to see many runners out at 6 AM yet. THey're usually out around 7:30 when I head to the office. Anyway, today was no different. I was walking and saw a young woman running towards me on my side of the street. She passed me by but a few seconds later I heard a guy who must have been across the street behind me call out to her saying something like, "Hey, you enjoyin' yo run, sweetie?" or something like that. I presume she kept on running or maybe didn't even hear him if she was listening to music.

Nonetheless, cat calling women seems to be a past time of lots of guys in Baltimore and with women who are running, it always seems even more foolish/desperate. I'm never sure if those guys think women will stop and talk to them or what...maybe they do, maybe they just want a reaction out of her. I've yet to experience any female runner respond to a cat call, though. It just seems like a complete waste of time because what woman in her right mind would hear a strange guy call after her, stop her workout, turn around, and end up striking up a conversation with him? In Baltimore, no less, where we've had somewhere around 200 homicides this year thus far.

There's also no consideration for how it makes someone feel to know that whenever they go out for a run in their neighborhood they'll likely be accosted at least once. But in Baltimore, it's expected, unfortunately.

I put cat calling a female runner up there with taxi drivers honking their horns at attractive women as they drive by as two of the most non-sensical things that I see routinely in Baltimore. There are others like walking out into traffic no matter what's coming at you (literally daring the cars to hit you), traffic cops refusing to penalize drivers blocking intersections while getting angry at pedestrians crossing at proper times, and taxi drivers who ask you for directions when you get in the cab.

On another note, I found out today that my company will again be sponsoring the Baltimore Running Festival and that I managed to score a sponsor's registration for the 5K. So, I'll get to run the race for free and participate in the festival for the third year in a row. Sweet! In a recession, saving that $45 registration fee is key.

The LSD Run That Wasn't

2009-08-31T17:51:00.002-04:00

My Monday is coming to a close, thankfully, and I've put off posting through forgetfulness and business until now. But, I'm here now, and that's what counts, right? Right.

After a so-so work week in terms of my ability to get up and out the door in the mornings for my runs, I was determined to make the weekend worthwhile and I succeeded. Friday, as I last wrote, I totally failed to wake up and instead hit snooze without a tinge of regret. The regret would come later in the day when I felt guilty for not exercising like I was supposed to. At any rate, I then tried to will myself to run after work but the weather was nasty (heavy downpours here in the city) and it just didn't happen. I vowed to get runs in on Saturday and Sunday, with Sunday being 3 miles at a long, slow pace. I feel foolish labeling such a run an LSD run because 3 miles is not distance in the grand scheme of distances, but for now, it'll have to do. I'm determined not to give in to the temptation to try a 5 or 6 miler and get injured like I was back in July. I'd rather feel like I'm not running as far as I think I could and not have any injuries.

That being said, I got up and out the door on Saturday around 9:30 for a quick 2 miles. Nothing special about it, although the humidity was high (it's August in Baltimore so it's been miserable for about a month now.) Sunday I got up and out the door around 10:30 for my run. It was cooler and drier out, so that made the run better. I headed from the apartment south along St. Paul St all the way to the harbor at Pratt before hanging a right and heading back north along Charles St. That's the most difficult part of any route down and back to the harbor because it's a challenging uphill run all the way from Pratt to Mulberry St (I guess maybe half a mile or so). I ran much of the way, which was good, and then hung a left at Mulberry and a right onto Cathedral heading north again before looping back to the apartment.

I wanted to keep my pace reasonable and slow to avoid having to walk too much like last week when the hills of Calvert St killed me. And aside from walking to cross Lombard St and for about 15 seconds farther up the hill, I didn't have to stop. I thought that probably meant that my pace was somewhere around 10:00 or so. On these short runs, I've just been using the stop watch on my Swiss Army watch rather than my Garmin so I don't have the live pace data.

I got back and put my run time and distance into my log on Running Ahead only to find that I was well below 10:00, like more than a minute below. I was shocked because I felt OK after I finished the run and not totally exhausted. So, my LSD run really never materialized, apparently. But that's not a bad thing because it means I'm making progress and that the slow and steady approach is paying dividends gradually.

This week I'm bumping up the weekday run distance to 2.5 miles with a fartlek run planned for tomorrow and Thursday and an easy run on Wednesday. I want to run three days in a row and take Friday off because we're heading to Michigan for a wedding on Friday. Then I can take another crack at actually running an LSD run the morning of the wedding on Saturday and rest for the travel day back to Baltimore on Sunday.

Now I just need to get my ass out of bed tomorrow morning to stay on plan!

I'm Only a Morning Person Once I'm Awake

2009-08-28T12:14:00.002-04:00

The best time for running during the workweek for me is early in the morning before I head to the office because I'm at work 10 hours a day at least and there is a low probability that I will have the energy to run at 7 PM on a Tuesday after working 10 hours and walking over 2 miles to the office and back. Plus there's nobody else out at 6 AM and no traffic so it's rare that I have to stop at intersections.

But I've also found that it's REALLY tough for me to get out of bed in the morning. Once I'm up, I'm fine and I function just fine. But getting out from under those warm covers is so hard! Especially now as the morning's get darker and our bedroom, thanks to the window AC we just got, remains nice and frigid, it's tough to talk myself into getting up. And then once I oversleep and wake up, I feel bad for wussing out. This is what has happened today, when I was supposed to get 2 miles in before work but slept in instead. So, this evening, barring torrential rains, I plan on doing those 2 miles as punishment to myself.

Next week I think I just need to override my sleepy inner voice that so easily rationalizes missing my workouts. Perhaps my guilt will also help overwhelm the temptation to get an extra hour of sleep.

On another topic, I went ahead and registered for the 2009 Celtic Solstice 5 Miler (yes, this is the 2008 page but they tend to wait until the fall to update the page for some reason.) here in Baltimore. I ran it two years ago in 2007 and loved it. The race was large but not huge (back then it was probably 2,000 runners, maybe fewer) and the weather was, I thought, excellent for a race. It was really cold (like teens or low 20's when it started), but under a crystal clear winter sky and a sun that warmed you up along the way. Plus running in Druid Hill Park is always great, although arguably not always safe. The presence of Baltimore's finest, the early hour and the large crowds helped keep things safe for everyone though. Plus the spread afterwards was great and I would imagine that since the race has become even more popular in the intervening years, it'll be stupendous this year too.

So, I'm registered for my first race in over a year, and I should be in fine form for the 5 mile distance by then. I'm conflicted about running in the Baltimore Running Festival in October, as the 5K is rather pricey. But I've run in the last two (5K in '07 and half marathon in '08) and would like to continue the tradition. I'm definitely running the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day Race, though. I love doing turkey trots because they make the feasting later in the day a little less of a caloric Armageddon. Plus this is the 100th running of the race and as a former History major, I can't pass up historical events, no matter how inconsequential. It's also an affordable race at just $25.

So, we'll see how much racing I get done this fall. Probably not much since I'm taking my time rebuilding my mileage. But the main focus is more long-term with the hope of doing another half marathon next spring or fall, depending on how things go.

Now I just need to get out of bed in the morning to actually train and I'll be all set!

Not Posting Is Not the Same as Not Running

2009-08-20T08:16:00.002-04:00

I forgot I had a post saved in my draft bin, which matches with my overall forgetting to post regularly since coming back from South Carolina. I need to get the pictures we took uploaded and posted as well...that might be a project for Saturday afternoon since Annie is in New York all day Saturday.

Anyway, I have been relatively consistent (relative to the past six months, say) in my running and have also been good about running slower and shorter to allow my body time to adjust. I've had some good runs these last few days, which I'm pleased about. The two mile short course I've laid out has some decent hills built into it along the way but is also flat or downhill enough to allow me to catch my breath, provided I run at the right pace and don't flame out (As I did on Saturday morning's run in the 85 degree humidity.)

Monday I was unable to rouse myself from bed at 6 and couldn't run in the morning so I forced myself to leave work on time at 6 PM to get home and get those two miles in around 7. It was a good run, but I don't like running in the afternoon/evening. While it's more humid in the mornings usually, it's just too hot in the evening still to run comfortably. But I got the miles in and they weren't junk, so I was happy with that.

Wednesday I got up a little late (6:30) and was out the door by 6:45. I just accepted that I'd be a little late for work, but nobody really cares, thankfully, so long as you get your work done and aren't coming in late everyday. The run was solid and I felt great afterward; like I could run another 3-4 miles. That's the feeling I'm going for on these initial weeks, so that was great. I was at work by 8:30, so no harm no foul.

Tomorrow I'll get up on time so I have time to run and then cool down properly. Then on Saturday I'll bump up to 3 miles and see how I feel. If that goes well, Monday I'll start increasing the mileage with a goal of eventually getting back to my pre-hiatus distance of 5 miles on the weekday mornings.

Back from Vacation

2009-08-12T15:35:00.003-04:00

**Note that this post was supposed to have gone out about a week ago after we got back from vacation but I completely forgot it was sitting in the draft bin so it's now out of date.**

OK, so I was pretty terrible about posting while away on vacation. Oh, and I was pretty terrible about running on vacation as well. FOr the former, I have no excuse other than I was on vacation and only got on my laptop to check my work e-mail and keep the inbox as clean as possible (I get literally somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 e-mails a day, most of it research.)

For the latter, I have a very good excuse: I had no shorts. That's right. I laid out my running shirts I wanted to take several nights in advance of our departure, but I did not pack my shorts or compression shorts because we were going to wash some clothes before we left and I wanted clean shorts. Unfortunately, my wife washed the clothes and then put them away in the drawers, and I totally forgot to pack the shorts. I don't even realize it until Wednesday when we were going to rent bikes and ride through Charleston for the day. I went to find shorts and compression shorts, thinking I was so smart for bringing them along, only to realize that I had packed neither!

Awesome. I had some mesh shorts that worked just fine, but I was unable to run the whole week as a result of not having the right shorts. But my running shirts came in handy on the aforementioned bike ride and to cover up a nasty sunburn I got on the very first day we were on the beach.

200th Post? Really?

2009-07-30T15:49:00.003-04:00

I had no idea I was approaching 200 posts on this blog until a few days ago when I saw "197" on the screen. I guess it has been what, two years, of off again on again posting so 200 posts isn't totally out of left field.

Anyway, this post won't be much in the way of historical...maybe for my 300th post I'll put some more thought into making a memorable post.

I didn't get out yesterday or this morning because I've been going to bed WAY too late to be able to pull myself out of bed at 6 AM. Annie's rehearsals mean she doesn't get home until after 11 so we aren't in bed until midnight or later. It's totally unsustainable but she has two more days of rehearsal and then two shows before it ends (and then we go on vacation) so I'll tough it out.

I really should get a quick run in to keep on track with my recovery runs so I may go home and do a quick 1.5 mile loop to get the knee some action. Then I can try to get out tomorrow morning and take Saturday off to rest the knee, pack, and nap so I can stay awake on the drive on Sunday night.

After we get back from vacation, getting the right amount of sleep each night will be my top priority because I feel so much better when I actually sleep 7-8 hours. Oddly, I feel sluggish when I go over that length of time nowadays. I used to be able to sleep for 12-14 hours with no problem, but now I feel lethargic if I sleep even 9-10 hours (unless I'm jet-lagged, sick or totally exhausted.) I know that with more sleep, getting out of bed in the morning won't be nearly as difficult.

CFA is Like Running...Kind of

2009-07-28T10:01:00.003-04:00

CFA Level I exam results came out today and I literally, just barely failed. In some ways, that's worse than if I had failed by a wide margin because had I answered a few more questions correctly (assuming I'd eventually come to correct answer, of course), I'd have passed.

You don't get your actual score for the exam. They send you a letter that says Pass or Fail and then shows each of the exam's sections and a star underneath one of three columns denoting how many questions in the section you got right: <50%;>70%. I got more than 70% in three areas and between 51% and 70% right in the rest of the exam. They also assign you to a "band" of failing test takers on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 means that you were in the lowest decile of failures while 10 means you were in the top 10% of test takers who failed. I was in band 10, which basically tells me that had I done a little bit better on accounting, I'd be taking Level II next June.

So, what have I learned (aside from way too much about statistics for my tastes?)

Even though I studied hard, I don't think I studied as smartly as I should have. I didn't take as many complete practice exams as I should have and I started studying about three weeks later than I should have. I wasn't as organized and tactical in what I studied until it was too late, really. Starting to study tactically a month before the exam is not smart, but that's what I did.

This time around, I'm going to dedicate more time, but over more weeks, to the CFA. I don't have to start from scratch, which means I can read the curriculum this time through and master the advanced concepts rather than trying to keep my head above water with the basics.

In running terms, I tried to run a marathon without a proper base load of miles. And I bonked. Now, I have the base I need to start training to be competitive.

I'm going to work out a training schedule where I'm reading or completing a few questions each day, using targeted workouts to build endurance some days, recover other days, increase speed other days, etc. By the time I start to taper that final week before the exam, I should be in much better shape than I was this time around. The first step of all this is to sit down and think about how long the training plan will be (i.e. when do I start? September/October? January?) Then working out a weekly schedule leading up to the exam will be critical to ensuring I stay on target.

At the same time, I don't want to become totally consumed by the CFA again, if I can help it. The material is dense and challenging for me, who has never taken an accounting or corporate finance course. But I would like to create a schedule where I can keep making progress with running while also preparing for the exam. Maintaining balance is something that they don't highlight in the CFA material, but something which I think is critical to not burning out on the stuff by exam day.

Like I said, hindsight is 20/20 and I'm glad that I have the experience of taking the exam once already. I would feel much worse had I done really poorly, but with a little more polishing, next June I should be able to murder that exam...or at least pass!

"Rehab" Run #2

2009-07-27T09:18:00.002-04:00

This morning, after a relaxing weekend, I got back out for my second rehab run, of sorts. The idea is to take it really slow and short until I feel that my knee and the rest of my body had acclimated to not sitting around all day.

Today, I did a very short 1.5 mile loop at an easy pace. There was no pain in the knee and less of a weakness feeling in it as well, which is good news. I resisted the temptation to try to run faster because not only do I not want to mess up the knee I spent two weeks babying, but I want to make sure I actually build endurance, and that means running at a apace that I can sustain the entire run, no matter the distance. I have to remember that the objective of a half marathon or full marathon is to cover the entire distance running (at least that's my objective) and to minimize walking. To do that, you need first the endurance to run that far and then you can build speed. It's a long road, but that's fine.

My plan is to keep it to 1.5 mile loops the rest of this week (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) and see how I feel. We leave for the beach on Sunday afternoon, so I have already mapped out a few short routes around the island we'll be staying at. We're spending three days with my family at a beach house in Isle of Palms, SC and then heading up to Myrtle Beach for three more days just the two of us. So, I need to map out some a route in Myrtle as well that I can hit one morning.

I had hoped to be up to running 3 miles at a time by this point to help offset all the good seafood I'll be eating next week, but that's the way things go sometimes. By the time we go to the beach next summer (maybe with her family), I should be back to half-marathon distance and with any luck, my speed will be much improved.

Weekend Video and Ironman

2009-07-24T22:08:00.002-04:00

Meant to post this earlier, but the work day just got away from me with several meetings this afternoon including a portfolio risk review meeting.

Anyway, the knee is feeling oh so close to 100% now. I'd estimate it's around 96% with little soreness. So, I think I'm ready to get out tomorrow morning and see how it feels. I anticipate soreness, but it's recovered enough that as long as I go slowly in running from now on, it should heal up completely and not get worse.

On another note, the YouTube video below has been sweeping around the Internet this week and I saw it this morning. It's pervaded the online world enough that I got the link in a daily e-mail from an energy (oil and natural gas) company stock research firm as part of their Friday Humor section. Everytime I watch this video, I laugh because it looks like it was a great wedding to attend. Plus, everyone looks happy and that's what a wedding should be: a fun, happy party to celebrate. It was also a nice way to begin the work day, particularly with above-mentioned meetings on the horizon.

Should be a good weekend here in Charm City. Hot and humid and a high of 92 tomorrow, but I'll be at the office for the afternoon so no problemo. Then it's home to watch the Ford Hawaii Ironman on NBC! One of my favorite sporting events to watch. I like the way they cover both the pros vying for the title and ordinary athletes just trying to finish. Very inspiring. And truth be told, one of my ultimate, very long-term fitness goals is to complete at least one Ironman someday. The first step is getting my running back in decent shape so by "long-term" I'm talking 5 years or more. But hey, I'm not even 30 yet so I have time to hit that goal, I think.

The Best Movie of the Summer!

2009-07-23T14:04:00.002-04:00

Or, that's what just about every trailer for a movie these days says. Usually, when I see that, I know it probably sucks because most of the time studios take a quote out of context. They'll say Transformers II is "a knockout...you need to see this movie!" as quoted in the New York Times. But the review will actually say, "While Megan Fox may be a knockout, her acting is utterly terrible. There is no reason on God's green earth you need to see this movie." But it's really just a way to get poor saps to spend $10 on a bad movie.

Which is kinda what I wanted from that title so you'd read the post, although it has nothing to do with a movie. Running Warehouse is having a sale right now where most, if not all, of its apparel is 25% off. This doesn't include shoes, but who doesn't need a new pair of shorts or a new running shirt for racing season, right? I don't know where the link is for the discount on their site because I clicked through a link I got in an e-mail from them. But if you aren't familiar with Running Warehouse, check out the site (just do a Google/Bing/Yahoo! search for Running Warehouse). They have tons of shoes and apparel and other stuff for runners. The best part is though that they have FREE two day shipping, which is why I do the majority of my shopping there. (In no way am I affiliated with Running Warehouse, let it be known. I just really like the site, the free shipping and the generally reasonable prices made more so by this sale.)

Each time I've bought something from the site it's arrived on time with no problems. I got my last pair of running shoes from the site and fully intend to keep doing that as well. This time around, I bought two more pair of UnderArmour compression shorts since they work so well. IMHO, compression shorts help avoid chafing when paired with strategically placed Body Glide, of course) from by keeping skin off skin, and helps keep quad and hamstring and groin pulls down. I ran one half marathon without compression shorts and had enough trouble walking and sitting from chafing that I have never run without compression shorts since.

Anyway, I digress. Check out the site and sale. It applies to men's and women's apparel, by the way.

*****INJURY UPDATE******

The knee is much better. Somewhere in the 90% to 100% range but not 100% yet. I'm continuing to baby it in the hopes that two full weeks off will be enough to allow me to start back running to strengthen it. Steps (both going up and down) are no problem now, which is good, although the tightness in the morning has remained, but it's much less painful. I imagine that it'll be tight every morning for a few more weeks, but hopefully I can run on it and gradually strengthen it as it heals up that last 10% or so.

Still Resting...

2009-07-20T11:49:00.002-04:00

The knee has gotten better, but very slowly. I think this might be a product of the tendon not having a very big blood supply. Without tons of blood, it's harder for the body to heal quickly. It's feeling a lot better than a week ago, however, which is a good sign. In fact, I have no pain at all when walking and the stiffness in the morning has decreased considerably. If I walk on it for a few minutes, the stiffness goes away completely, although when I walk and then sit (i.e. walking 1.5 miles to work and then sitting down at my desk), it tightens up. Stairs are also much more bearable now than they were even on Thursday and Friday, which is a good sign.

The slowness of the recovery is frustrating, but I haven't done anything strenuous on the knee since last Sunday and have been icing and popping Vitamin I consistently to help. I might get up tomorrow morning to jog just a little bit as a test. Nothing hard enough to set back recovery, but I have no idea how it feels when running or jogging so it could be valuable to find out how it feels at the beginning, during and after a run, even one just around the block.

No wonder recovering from something really serious like a torn ligament can take upwards of 6 months to a year! Depending on how things feel tomorrow, maybe I'll be back on the roads later this week.

Medical Update

2009-07-16T15:35:00.002-04:00

Went to the doctor today and thankfully the injury is minor. No damage and nothing requiring an X-ray or MRI, thankfully.

I need to keep resting the knee and only start back up running when the pain is all gone. That'll probably not be for another 3-4 days, I'd estimate based on the rate at which the pain has decreased since Sunday. At this point, the mornings are painful due to stiffness and steps are still uncomfortable. Maybe by the weekend I'll be in goo enough shape to head back out and get 2 easy miles in.

To the Doctor...Ugh.

2009-07-15T12:08:00.003-04:00

My knee, while not getting any worse, has not gotten a whole lot better and while I can walk on it, I can't do any sort of physical activity on it. The pain isn't overwhelming, but it hasn't lessened a whole lot. On the good side, I can sit with my knee bent normally, which I couldn't do on Monday.

I haven't tried running yet, but I know it just won't happen and I need to find out exactly what I did to myself. So, I have an appointment tomorrow morning with an orthopedic specialist to get the low down and find out what stupid thing I did to hurt myself after being back to running for all of a month. It's just a very weird injury because I can do almost everything normally but when I lunge on the leg, I have pain. When I go up and down stairs, I have pain. When I walk, I can feel that the knee isn't right, but have almost no pain. Full range of motion, no pain. Iassume that the foot strike of running would cause pain, but I haven't tried.

My uninformed best case scenario is that I strained a tendon and it'll take a week or so to heal totally. RICE being the medicine.

My uninformed worst case scenario is that I slightly tore my meniscus somehow and will need to take several weeks off, probably not getting back to running until after we get back from the beach the second week of August or longer. I have some of the symptoms of a tear (location of the pain, slight clicking sound when I bend my knee) but lack others (swelling, joint locking, feeling that the knee is going to give way).

Bottom line: I have no idea what I did, so paying the $25 co-pay and a small charge for a possible X-ray is probably in order. Regardless, it doesn't look like I'm running anywhere anytime soon so I need to build a cross training regime that will keep me moving towards getting in shape in the meantime. I'll be going to the Sports Authority to pick up a medicine ball and dumbbells for at-home resistance training as well as a jump rope to work on agility, once my injury heals enough I can do that without pain.

So, we'll see what the doctor says. I'm going to the Arnold Palmer Sports Health Center at Union Memorial Hospital here in Baltimore. They're the medical team for the Baltimore Ravens and the center got its name for treating a serious hand injur that Palmer suffered some years ago and came back from with a full recovery. If I get to see the doctor I want, I'll be even happier because she is a marathoner and specializes in knee injuries.

With any luck, I'll get not-so-bad news.

Over Use? Really?

2009-07-13T21:45:00.002-04:00

A good running weekend (I ran Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings) ended on a bit of a sour note yesterday as the weird tweak I felt just below my right kneecap slowly got more and more noticeable until it was a definite injury of some sort last night. I iced it and took some painkillers and dreaded waking up this morning, when I knew it'd be stiff as a board. I had already planned for today to be a rest day, so not a big deal on that front.

And sure enough, I limped out of bed and to the shower this morning. I walked to work and sat down at my desk and about 20 minutes later my knee was screaming. I went straight across the street to CVS and bought a reusable ice pack, ace bandage and ibuprofen, all of which seemed to help as the day went on. I also kept my leg relatively straight, which also seemed to help. Tonight it tightened up again but I've been icing it and popped some more ibuprofen.

I think I just strained a tendon that connects the kneecap to the femur, but I could be wrong. It isn't an incredible amount of pain, but I am skeptical if I'll be able to run tomorrow morning for my usual 2 miler. Game time decision. And the only thing I can think is that I just went too far too fast on Sunday. I only ran 4.5 miles, but it must have been too much for my whatever-is-hurting to take. Lesson learned: whatever mileage progression I think is appropriate, is too quick so slow it down.

It could be worse, though. It doesn't seem to be something potentially more serious like ITBS (which usually occurs on the outside of the knee), or a critical tendon like the ACL (honestly, it would have been impossible for me to hurt that considering how slowly I was running). Could always be worse so if I feel comfortable with the knee tomorrow, I'll run. If not, I'll just do my usual core workout and give it another 24 hours.

Crafting a Race Calendar

2009-07-11T20:31:00.002-04:00

Getting back to running means (for me, at least), setting some goals for the coming months by choosing some races to run. Unfortunately, while my mind remembers how awesome it feels to work towards a large goal like a half marathon, my body is far away from being able to successfully (and safely) achieve such a goal. So, the Baltimore Half is probably out for this year, which is a bummer. But, the 5K that accompanies the Running Festival is well within my grasp. In fact, all the races I'll run through the fall will likely be 5K's since I know I'll be able to run them with some speed, which will make them more enjoyable. Then once the winter arrives (I don't even want to think about dark cold mornings right now), I will look to do the Celtic Solstice 5-miler, which is always a solid race. So, here are the races I'm thinking about right now.

September 11: Run to Remember 5K (run through downtown Baltimore to support charities associated with emergency response workers in Baltimore City).

September 20: Tunnel Run 5K (Never heard of this until this year but it's a race through the Ft. McHenry Tunnel that passes under the entrance to the Inner Harbor. Cool idea.)

October 10: Baltimore Running Festival 5K (Third year in a row for me running some part of the festival)

October 18 (maybe): Home Run 10K/5K in Rockville, MD (this is our first anniversary so maybe I can talk Annie into doing this in the morning...we'll see though!)

November 26: 100th Annual Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day 10K (we're going to be in Ohio for Thanksgiving this year so this would be a great way to burn some calories before my favorite holiday of the year!)

December: Celtic Solstice 5-miler (the end of the '09 racing season and a wonderful race all around...although bitter cold!)

So there it is, the preliminary racing schedule. With any luck, I'll be in good enough shape by December to crush the Celtic Solstice and start a half marathon training program in January...but that's many months away. Right now, I'm concentrating on getting up to go run the North Central Railroad Trail tomorrow morning!

A Beautious Day In the Neighborly Hood

2009-07-10T10:10:00.002-04:00

I think that would be how Mr. Rogers would type out one of the lines from his opening number. Mr. Rogers brings back good memories for me of a simpler time. A time before I was forced at socio-educational gunpoint to begin my journey into responsible adulthood. Before I'd have to wake up early to go to kindergarten and learn my ABCs, followed by elementary school where I was forced to memorize multiplication tables (surprisingly my teachers were right...they DID come in handy), on to the downright awful three years of middle school that I have mostly blocked from my memory (I have yet to meet anyone who enjoyed being in 7th grade), followed by my first introduction to writing multi-page essays and reading non-fiction books with the objective of actually retaining their contents in prep school before becoming a legal adult at 18.

But yes, as a pre-schooler watching my daily does of Mr. Rogers, followed closely by 3-2-1 Contact, Mr. Wizard and Square One, I was always happy to see Mr. Rogers' house. It was totally awesome, what with the fish tank and working stop light (I pined for a working stop light in my own room for years...OK, honestly I still do) and easy access to the Land of Make Believe. And it was always sunny and warm but not so hot that Mr. Rogers couldn't wear one of those cardigans. I always tried to guess which color he'd choose today, based on the colors he'd worn the days before (an analyst from the beginning, sadly).

But this morning, and each morning this week has been what I imagine 6:00 AM in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood must be like every single day: 60 degrees, low humidity, slight breeze, no clouds, quiet and fresh. I tried to get to bed earlier last night and was partly successful. Instead of getting to sleep at 11:30 or later (disastrous for my running prospects the next morning), I was fast asleep at 11:00. I slept so deeply that I woke up thinking it was Saturday...literally. I was really sad to realize that it was in fact, just Friday and I had to go to work. When you're watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, the only reason the day of the week matters is because he only comes on during the week and not on the weekend. Weekends would be, of course, for morning (but not too early!) cartoons. Obvi.

Anyway, I got out the door relatively on time after hitting snooze once and got my 2 miles in in great fashion. I don't know if it's a placebo effect or whether my body truly does remember what it's like to run, but each run I feel better and can run for longer. After this week, I'm going to tack on another mile to my run and gradually step up over the next month to really concentrate on building a base. My long runs will start this weekend at a very not-long 4-5 miles, but you have to restart somewhere and 10 miles or more is not in the cards yet.

This weekend is the last full weekend before Annie comes back from Arkansas, where she's been singing since late May, so I need to make the most of it. Tomorrow I'll do another 2 miler with my slowly evolving core workout afterward. Sunday I'm going to drive up to the Northern Central Rail Trail for a change of scenery to do 5 miles. Weather should continue to be mostly Mr. Rogers, although some humidity will return. Can't be perfect all the time, right?

Now, I need to return to my mountain of work and play Make Believe that I'm actually interested in doing it rather than going home and watching Mr. Rogers...which I would totally do if I could. Maybe he'll wear green today...although I have no prior history on which to base my call.

Pulling a Lazarus

2009-07-07T22:04:00.002-04:00

After more than what, six months, I've finally gotten things in my life (professional life, I should say) in order enough to get back on the road. The last time I posted on my blog, I was still about six months from taking the CFA exam and my job was still very much in question. Well, I took the CFA back in early June and am waiting for the results, which will come at the end of July. I don't really know if I passed or failed (the pass rate for Level I is about 30%) but I can't worry about that at this point. If I pass, great...I'll start studying for Level II in September. If I fail, it'll stink but I'll definitely pass next year.

On the job front, with the markets doing much better and our own fortunes much rosier than they were back in February and March, I feel much better about my job for now. To be sure, the last 9 months has taught me not to take employment for granted, which I think my entire generation has learned the hard way now. But I count myself incredibly lucky by any stretch, as more than one running blogger I follow is still looking for a new job or worried about their current job.

Anyway, with my job schedule largely under control (I no longer have to be at work at 7AM, which frees up that early morning for running), and the CFA at bay for a few months at least, I'm determined to not only get back to running, but to really get myself back in shape. I'm definitely out of shape and softer than I was six months ago, and I want to get that fat off and my times down for the fall.

I have no illusions, though. Six months away from running takes its toll and I'm comfortable with the fact that I need to essentially start from scratch in terms of speed, distance and length of runs. Right now, I have a nice and easy 2 mile route mapped out that I intend to follow until it's truly an easy run. Right now, that's not the case, but that's OK.

I also intend to take advantage of the gym at my office. For $25 a month I get a well-equipped gym that I should really start using for cross training after work a few days a week. We move to our new digs in September, so I'm hoping that our new gym in the building will be bigger and better...and still absurdly cheap compared to the Maryland Athletic Club across the street!

So, my goal would be to run my third annual Baltimore Running Festival race, but I don't know if the half is in the cards. Granted, I have just over 90 days between now and then so who knows how things will proceed. At the very least, I'll be in good condition for the 5K and can maybe find some longer races during the fall with the hope of running the Flying Pig half or Frederick next spring...who knows. But at least I'm gotten back out there and I already feel so much better than I have for many months.

Wow...2 Months Without a Post

2009-01-15T17:56:00.002-05:00

Yeah, so it's been a long two months without a post, but to be honest, I have fallen off the wagon with running if for no other reason than everything else has been taking up more time than I'd like. I've moved into a different position at work, which is great for my career goals, but has been wreaking havoc with free time. It's been impossible to find time enough to run, although I realize there's always time in the day if you make time. However, making time in addition to 10-11 hour days at the office with another 4 hours on the weekend thrown in can be tough. The cold weather has not helped, as running in the winter is something you have to will yourself to do, and that's even when you're in the habit of running, which I was not and still am not. So, I just set running aside for a while. I'll have that much more work to do to regain my fitness, but that's OK.

Annie and I did run the Turkey Trot back on Thanksgiving and it went well, despite both of us being undertrained for it. I think I'll get back to running regularly once it starts to warm up again and I can get some motivation to step outside in the cold morning.

So, not to worry, as things are fine, just very busy and I have yet to really find enough time to dedicate to running, much less the motivation to run in the dead of winter. Perhaps Spring will inspire me when it arrives in March...maybe I'll get back to it before then, who knows. This blog isn't going away, although it might just be in stasis for a few more weeks as I organize myself enough to get a few miles in 3 or 4 days a week.

Armistice Day

2008-11-11T21:50:00.005-05:00

Today I FINALLY got back out running after two weeks of struggles. Annie has to be at work at 6 AM and lately she's been getting scared walking by herself in the morning. That's understandable since there's not many people out at that hour and Baltimore is a forbidding city in the dark. I've also been worrying about her too, so I've started getting up with her and either walking her to work or driving her down there, depending on how we feel. It takes a weight off both our minds that she's safe, but it means I can no longer run in the morning. Which actually is OK because I have had zero success in motivating myself to wake up and run in the mornings. I just can't be bothered for some reason even though I go to bed fully intending to wake up and run.

But I have found a solution. There is a gym at my office that employees can join for $25 per month, which is a steal. It's fully equipped with treadmills, weights, and locker rooms with showers. So, I joined last week and am going to start running midday. I can go down to the gym, change and head outside to run when it's warmer and lighter. I can then come back and shower before going back to work. And I have lots more motivation in the afternoon than I do in the morning. For now, it's a good solution.

Unfortunately, my lack of running means I'm going to have to not run Richmond on Saturday, but honestly there's no way I could complete 13 miles at this point. I've let my fitness erode too much and would risk injury if I tried to push 13 miles out of my body. So, there's always next year, but it's a nice $70 penalty for laziness, to be sure. My next race is the Green Valley North Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, which I will be ready for, I believe. Annie may still run that with me, we'll see.

In closing, here in the U.S. today is Veterans Day, where we celebrate the memories of those who have given so much, and some who have given it all, for our country and our freedom. It's no small statement to say that there is no higher sacrifice to make for one's country than one's life. Even those veterans who came back from war in 1918, 1945, 1953, during the years of the Vietnam War, 1991 and today gave some piece of themselves, great or small, for the greater good. For that reason, every day should be Veterans Day.

In Europe, November 11th has an even deeper meaning. While Veterans Day in the U.S. is a celebration of Veterans, it's a day of remembrance in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and across the Continent. It's difficult to equate Armistice Day in Britain or France with an American holiday. If we held a day of remembrance on April 9, the day marking the end of the Civil War, it might be the same. 600,000 Americans died in the Civil War and the country was fundamentally changed forever. 700,000 Britons and 1.4 million Frenchmen died in World War I, effectively sealing Europe's fate for the rest of the 20th century. Another 1.2-1.5 million Germans died in the war. It's almost impossible to visit a town in France or England today and not find a monument with the names of the town's war dead from the Great War somewhere. To this day, most people in Britain purchase red poppy pins that they wear in the weeks leading up to Armistice Day. The proceeds go to help today's British veterans and it's a national sign that they haven't forgotten the enormous sacrifice that generation made.

Every major war can be told through some form of communication. The Revolutonary War was told through letters and diaries of soldier and Founding Father alike; the Napoleonic Wars were told in huge historical texts compiled over many years; the Civil War was the first war to be photographed; World War II and the Korean War were caught on black and white film; Vietnam was fought in living color; the Gulf Wars were fought on live television. World War I is unique in my mind in that much of its horror and sadness and nobility is told through poetry. I've never been a fan of poetry, although I certainly appreciate the insight and talent it requires. But some of my favorite prose comes from poets who fought on the front lines in France and, in some cases, who died there.

I would suggest finding and reading The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry (Revised) to get a flavor. It's possibly some of the best war writing you'll ever read, if for no other reason than it conveys the sadness of the Great War better than any book ever will. My favorite poem of the WWI poems, and possibly one of my favorite poems period, is The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke. Check it out:

The Soldier

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Upside down week!

2008-11-02T11:58:00.002-05:00

After an insane week that saw me run but twice, I'm hoping that not only will I be able to start running more often, but that I can get back to more regular posting. Just a quick summary:

We got back from the honeymoon on Saturday night and I was back at work on Monday without any problems. Monday passed without incident and I arrived at the office on Tuesday thinking that maybe life would calm down now that the wedding and everything was over. Halloween was coming up and my biggest concern was how I was going to get a costume together in three days that didn't require me to dress up and look rediculous at work on Friday AND that would not require any monetary investment on my part.

At 11 on Tuesday morning my company announced that they would be laying off about 1/3 of the total workforce due to the market conditions and declining business, which effectively threw my week out the window. They also said that the final decisions would be announced Thursday morning, which essentially meant that very little work woudl be done until then as people worried about their jobs. Annie and I spent the next three days worrying and planning for the chance that I would be unemployed by Thursday afternoon. Thankfully, my job was spared, although my team of analysts was cut in half, which may cause many more problems in the long-run for the three of us left. But at least I'll get my salary for the immediate future.

So, by Friday night, we were both exhausted and blew off the Halloween parties we had been invited to in favor of chilling. Saturday I spent on the couch relaxing and today I plan on watching some football, getting some errands done and generally gearing up for the new week.

As far as running goes, my renewed committment to training was interrupted mid-week. I got another short run in yesterday morning, which was fine, however, I'm not confident that I will be ready to run a half marathon in two weeks seeing as how I have yet to run a long run since Baltimore back on the 11th. It would suck to miss Richmond, but in the end, I don't want to drive down there and end up injuring myself or being as rundown as I was after Baltimore due to severe undertraining. We'll see, but that may be $70 I just never get to enjoy. The next race would be the Green Valley North Turkey Trot 5 Miler on Thanksgiving Day, which Annie wants to run as well. I think that might be a more realistic goal given that I have lost yet another week to the stresses of life.

At any rate, tomorrow I will get out for an easy run in the morning to re-start my efforts. Hopefully, this week will FINALLY be one without some major clusterf*ck getting in the way.

Back from Jamaica

2008-10-26T16:26:00.002-04:00

After a whirlwind wedding weekend and then a nice, relaxing trip to Jamaica, we've returned to Baltimore ready to get back to our normal lives. It's a huge relief to have the wedding behind us, to be sure.

Unfortunately, I did no running whatsoever while away, but it was 85 degrees everyday in Jamaica with dew points in the high 70's so running was never that appealing to me anyway. I did get out for a short 3 mile run this morning to reacquaint myself with the colder, drier air. Tomorrow morning I'll get another 3 miles in before work and see how I feel. If I have no real troubles (aside from realizing how much fitness I lost over the week), I'll push the distances up to the usual 4-5 miles. The good news is that I have nothing huge going on for the next three weeks leading up to Richmond, so I should be able to get some long runs done and hope for the best.

Baltimore Half Marathon Post Mortem and Next Steps

2008-10-12T19:00:00.002-04:00

So, with a day to digest my race and the entire weekend, I have to say that while I regret not being better trained for the race and bummed that I wasn't able to really challenge my National Half Marathon time, I am pleased that I was able to make the 13.1 miles and didn't crash and burn.

Nonetheless, I am sorer today than I remember being after the half marathon in March, which is definitely a symptom of sub-par fitness, but also the general hilliness of the course. I had no idea just how many hills there would be along the way yesterday, especially considering that much of the half marathon course was the back half of the full marathon course. With that in mind, I think I fared pretty well.

In addition to the hills, I was also surprised at just how many spectators there were on most parts of the course. You always expect lots of people to be at the start and finish lines, but I saw people out along much of the course, which was great. As bad as Baltimore's rep is (I mean, The Wire was so hated by the Baltimore political class because it was so accurate in showing the corruption and incompetence of the city government), there's a lot to like about living here, and running through the city seeing people cheer on runners on a Saturday morning was a good example of that.

So, once my legs recover (hopefully by Tuesday morning), what is next? Well, the next two weeks will be consumed with the wedding (next week I'll be married! Whoa.) and then the honeymoon to the Caribbean. Hopefully I can find some time to run during all that time. The Richmond half marathon is about 5 weeks away and I fully intend to be properly trained for it so I can set a new PR.

Ideally, I'd like to set a whole slew of PR's this Fall and Winter, starting with Richmond (half marathon) and then at the Green Valley North Turkey Trot (5 mile) and/or Celtic Solstice (5 miles). Maybe after Christmas I can enter a winter 5K and set a new PR there as well, we'll see.

For tonight, I will continue to recover and rest up so I can hopefully get back to running on Tuesday before flying out to Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Half Marathon Eve

2008-10-10T20:34:00.002-04:00

And so here we are, less than 13.5 hours away from the Baltimore Half Marathon. A few brief thoughts:

1. I'm woefully undertrained for this race but I'm a mixture of both OK and unsettled with that. I mean, it's too bad I'm not in danger of setting a new PR, but sometimes a hobby is just that and you have to prioritize when other more important things demand abnormal amounts of attention and energy.

2. I am not a team runner. As I posted in previously, my company is a sponsor of the running festival and so I got to sign up for the half for free, saving me a cool $70 in the process. Unlike last year, this year our corporate communications department wanted to make this a morale boosting exercise. They gave us new Under Armour running shirts that we can wear in the race tomorrow, which was really awesome and far in excess of what I expected. They're red with the "company team" logo (I didn't know we had a company team, but apparently we're the Falcons because a falcon has a nest on top of the skyscraper) on the front and the corporate logo on the back, etc. But they also wanted all the sponsored runners to pose in their shirts for a picture yesterday around 4:45. I wasn't feeling that so much and just chose not to show up for the picture. I feel kind of bad about it, but not enough to do anything about it. I like running, but I prefer to do it by myself. I don't know; I'm weird.

3. I am nervous about the race, per usual, but will try to view it as a training run in preparation for my PR attempt of the season: Richmond. Richmond is a flat course and it'll be much cooler in November than it's going to be tomorrow. That should translate, all else being equal, to a better time.

4. To PR in Richmond, I must train better. I love the Baltimore Running Festival. Nothing is better than walking out my door and being at a world class race in 30 minutes. However, this year it just didn't pan out that I could make this the centerpiece of my racing season. Which is OK, actually. I'll have a great time tomorrow and this will be a nice step in my training for Richmond. In reality, deep down I wanted to make Richmond the main goal this year anyway, since it's on my birthday and it's several weeks after the wedding and honeymoon, which should mean less stress and distraction. This should also mean I can concentrate more on training properly.

5. I must train more CONSISTENTLY. Can't say this enough. I need to really try hard to get my ass out of bed in the morning to get my runs in and create a routine that makes that if not easier, than at least a little more bearable.

And with that, I'm off to plan my routine tomorrow and lay out my race clothes.

Go Falcons.

Delays and Roadblocks

2008-10-07T15:11:00.002-04:00

That would be how I'd describe my preparation or lack thereof, for the Baltimore Half Marathon. As a result, I am woefully undertrained for this half on Saturday. However, while I am concerned, I don't really mind. The last few months have been stressful with the wedding, work, studying CFA material, moving and trying to fit in training somewhere in the middle. I'm tired and apathetic, which sucks. As a result, my running has been downright awful lately, but I have only myself to blame.

A few weeks ago I found out that my firm would not be reimbursing a fair portion of my CFA exam fees because it no longer wants people to take the exam in December, but would rather they take it in June only. They suggested I also delay taking it until June. At first, I said no, as I wanted to show them I was ready. But lately, reality has been setting in. With the wedding eating up two weeks of this month, I would have to take my books with me on the honeymoon, which was not appealing to me. I would be ready for the exam in December, but if the firm was going to let me take it in June and pay for all the associated fees, why not just postpone it, enjoy the wedding and holiday season, continue studying and have that much mroe time to really hit the ball out of the park when I sit for the exam?

Eventually, I decided that this was the best course of action. Not only will I be able to cut back on studying each week, but I won't be as stressed about the wedding and honeymoon and can devote some more energy to running again, which makes me happy. Plus, I think Annie wanted me to delay taking the exam since the firm was actually encouraging me to do it.

All this is by way of saying that while the Baltimore Half is probably not going to be my best race ever, the Richmond Half is a strong possibility. The bulk of the Fall/Winter racing season is still in front of me and I have 8 full months before the CFA now, rather than 2 months. That gives me the time I have been secretly craving to shore up my knowledge and get back to running on a regular basis.

This Saturday may be painful, but I'll make it and have a great time and for the first time in literally months not worry about getting as much studying done as possible.

Relief.

Cheesecake Factory...ugh

2008-09-30T14:08:00.002-04:00

Last week was so busy that every time I thought about posting, something else came up and I had to push it back. Well, here we are nine days later. I got a few runs in last week and a decent 10 miler in on Sunday morning, long story short. The week was cool and dry in the morning, which made my runs in the morning fast and positive. However, a tropical depression came up the cost on Friday and brought two days of rain and wind with it. On the backside of the storm came the tropical humidity that is more typical of July than late September. It made running much more uncomfortable, to be sure. But I got through it and had no ill effects other than some general soreness.

Monday I took off as planned. I had every intention of getting up this morning and running. In fact, I awoke with Annie around 5:15. However, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory last night and the food did not sit well with me overnight. I woke up several times with stomach pains. This didn't change when I awoke finally at 5:15. I felt slightly nauseous and my stomach still ached a bit. So, I ditched the run and went back to sleep. It was a good decision, as I awoke feeling better and now feel fine in the middle of the day. Needless to say, we won't be going back to Cheesecake Factory anytime soon (we only went because we had company from out of town visiting, otherwise we never eat in the harbor anymore). I forgot how heavy and greasy the food is there and my stomach was not ready for it.

So, I want to get runs in the rest of the week. I'll be taking my long run on Saturday this week because I'm heading down to Washington on Saturday night to hang out with my step brother, cousins and step dad and won't be back until late Sunday morning or early afternoon. There's little chance of me wanting to do a 10 miler after a night out and train ride back to Baltimore.

In other exciting news, tonight I am going to see a special showing of Spirit of the Marathon in north Baltimore! It's showing one night only and I talked Annie into letting me go tonight. I've been wanting to see this movie for about a year or so now and I've had two chances to see it before tonight. Both times I either had no access to a car or was otherwise occupied. It's being released on DVD soon, but I was hoping to be able to see it in the theatre before having to risk buying it on DVD and not liking it. I'm so excited to see the movie, especially with the Baltimore Half being just two weeks away. I'm hoping that the movie will inspire me and give me a little more impetus to get up in the mornings and put in the work. The Baltimore Half won't be a PR for me, given my lack of trianing these past months, but I think with high racing season approaching, I can still really work on my times and get some good results. Maybe The Spirit of the Marathon is just what the doctor ordered!

On the racing front, I have registered for the Celtic Solstice in December (one of my favorite races of the year) and the Green Valley North Turkey Trot in November. Together, both races cost me just $30 (30 cents a mile), which I consider a bargain. Now I just need to bite the bullet and register for Richmond before midnight tonight to save $10 on the fee!

Move Complete!

2008-09-21T19:10:00.002-04:00

After a stressful week of preparation and careful planning, Annie and I have moved into our new (larger!) apartment. It was a hellacious week and weekend that made me put my running and CFA studying on hold in order to devote enough time and energy to it. But, in all, I think it'll be worth it as the move was as painless as it could be. We had everything loaded on the truck, to the new apartment and in the new apartment before 1 PM yesterday. We then spent the rest of the day and night putitng things away and generally trying to unpack our life! Today, we had the cable and internet reconnected without too much trouble (TiVo refused to cooperate for much of the day but I figured it out).

Now, Annie has been at rehearsal for the day so I've gotten some more things put away and went to the grocery store to restock to fridge, etc.

So, tomorrow I need to get back to training and studying! I really thought doing a 10 miler would be a possibility this morning, but I couldn't tell you the last time I was more tired than I was last night. I hurt all over from moving things and generally just wanted a day to sleep until I got up and to deal with the consequences later.

So, tonight I'm going to look at some new running routes from the apartment and will be up early tomorrow to get 4-5 miles in. I have two weekends left before the half marathon. I'm mentally prearing myself for a race that will fall below my initial expectations back in the beginning of the summer, but I have none to blame for that but myself. Instead, I'm going to use Baltimore as a fun race that I promised myself I was going to run last year when I did the 5K and saw how much fun the half looked. I'm also setting my sights further into the racing season and will register for Richmond this week and am really looking forward to running a Turkey Trot and the Celtic Solstice in December (probably one the best races I've run for the weather, size, course and organization).

Anyway, back to the grind tomorrow but man, it'll feel good to re-enter my routine this week after a week of organized chaos.

Long Week

2008-09-18T15:34:00.003-04:00

It's Thursday, which means my workweek is just one day away from being over. It'll be a welcome break from the place that eats 10-12 hours of each day 5 days a week, but this entire week is one huge To Do List. We're in the final days of our moving escapade and thus far it's going satisfactorily. We signed the lease on the new apartment on Tuesday and spent the past two nights moving boxes and other things from our old apartment to the new digs. It's been an exhausting process and I am more convinced than ever of the need to hire movers next time we move.

Tonight Annie has a recital here in Baltimore at 7:15 but hopefully we can be back home by 9 to continue working on the packing, etc. I'm going to leave the office early today so I can go home and spend another hour packing boxes and loading up the car so we can come back, change and drive a load over to the apartment. I'm anticipating that tomorrow night I'll be up late into the night disassembling things and packing the last bits of clothing and other odds and ends. Then Saturday morning I'm picking up the U-Haul (and dolly! that's key) at 7:30 AM and we have four hours to move out. That should be plenty of time based on my estimation. We should hopefully get it all packed in about 2 hours and then have it all unpacked in about the same time. With any luck, we'll return the U-Haul and be back in our new home by mid-afternoon, at which point I will probably be exhausted and will need a nap before reassembling things and unpacking.

In the midst of all this, I've gotten out for a few post-injury runs. Tuesday I ran a nice 5.4 miles without much trouble. I came home and iced my leg for about 20 minutes afterwards just in case. It was fine by that afternoon. This morning I got 4 miles in at a decent pace as well. I think I was favoring my right side because my left leg right above my ankle was really sore when I got done today. I iced it as well and it's not hurting any longer. Tomorrow I plan on concentrating on that to make sure I stop placing too much weight and stress on one side. I'll take Saturday off for obvious reasons and then head out Sunday morning for a 9 mile (maybe 10 if I feel OK) long run. That should get me close to level with where I was before my leg injury two weeks back. That leaves two more long runs to push my mileage up to around 10-11 miles which should get me through the half marathon. The break in the weather has also helped tremendously, as it's so much easier to breathe in 55 degree air than 75 degree soup.

Summer's Last Hurrah

2008-09-14T14:41:00.002-04:00

Today is very July-like here in Baltimore. It's hot and humid with temps in th elow 90s and the heat index around 100. It was in the 80's this morning when I woke up to head out on my second "rehab run". I scrapped running for a few reasons:

1. I was not interested in running in a tropical environment this morning. Sorry, it's September and those days should be over now.

2. The main purpose of my run was to assess the status of my leg injury, not to deal with absurd heat and humidity.

3. The heat is supposed to break later tonight. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid 80's and drier. The rest of the week is going to be in the mid 70's and more seasonable. So, I'll just run tomorrow instead and save myself the hassle of dealing with the weather today.

4. I have about 40 other things to do today (packing some boxes, studying, watching the Redskins game, getting ready for work tomorrow, etc), all of which are more important than struggling through 6 miles in 75 degree dew point air.

5. Another day of rest for my leg can't hurt and indeed it feels great today with very little residual pain. In fact, while I can feel the weakness in the muscle, it's not hurting and appears to be well on the road to recovery. Tomorrow's run should be no problem.

With that, it's back to the Redskins game and then some packing and studying to round out my Sunday afternoon.

Steady Improvement

2008-09-13T18:49:00.003-04:00

After almost a full week away from running, my groin/thigh is feeling almost normal. Even though taking these days off has been frustrating, I think it was the smart thing to do. I got up this morning and headed out for a short 3 miler to try out the injured muscle and see where I stood on the recovery timeline.

The good news is that I had very little pain during running and nothing quite as sharp as last week when I actually injured it. After giving it some serious thought, I think my injury actually stemmed from two things: not stretching properly and stopping too abruptly at cross walks. At some point in the first 4 miles of my run last week I must have stopped too suddenly and put too much stress on my groin.

Anyway, more good news is that I've been diligently icing it and pampering it this afternoon and have just a tad of residual soreness when I sit down, but nothing sharp or debilitating, which is a change from last week.

The bad news is that the strain is still there and I can feel it when I run. Once the muscle gets warm, it's fine. However, when I stopped today mid-run to navigate around the Red Bull Dragon Boat Races that were going on in the Inner Harbor (totally random event, by the way), it tightened up nicely and was tender when I restarted to run. So, I'm going to have to monitor that.

But in all, I'm pleased with the short run today. Tomorrow I want to head out again and maybe go 5-6 miles at a gentle pace to test it again. I think it should be OK if I take precautions before and after my run to manage my pain and soreness. I would anticipate this injury being with me at least another week, maybe longer since I'm determined to get back to training this week, albeit at a slower pace as my leg allows.

In the future, I now know that I need to allot enough time before my run to stretch out my legs properly and I need about 15 minutes afterwards to ice and control any muscle fatigue. But, live and learn.

I'll be ready for the half in four weeks.

Injury Update

2008-09-12T11:53:00.002-04:00

My groin pull is feeling better every day, but this has been a lost week in terms of training. I haven't run since Sunday, which is intensely frustrating since the half marathon is but 4 week away! I'm going to have to do away with any tapering, which is OK, as the half marathon doesn't require a taper, necessarily.

Also, this Thursday was the Run to Remember 5K, which I had signed up for and was hoping to run. I got up and dressed with the plan of doing some jogging to see how my leg felt, as I haven't done anything active since Sunday in an attempt to let it heal faster. Unlike Tuesday, I was able to run yesterday, although there was still some pain involved. It wasn't unbearable, but I still had several concerns:

1. Was it worth running a 5K at the possible expense of my half marathon? Definitely not.
2. Is the pain low enough that I could run and bear it? Yes. It takes a fair amount of actual physical pain to dissuade me.
3. Does the lingering pain mean that running would make it worse or would gentle running actually help in recovery at this point? I don't know.

Really, it was #3 that was the real question. While I was looking forward to the 5K, being able to complete the half marathon is my ultimate goal before the wedding. While losing a week of running when I have already been crappy at training for this half marathon sucks, making this lingering injury worse by running too hard at a 5K that was only supposed to be tune-up race anyway would be worse. As it stands, I have three long runs left and my distance sits at around 9 miles now. I could definitely do 10 without any trouble, as I made it through 9 last week without any endurance problems. Really I'll only have two solid long runs left because there's no way I'm running far this weekend with my leg still tender. Sucks.

So, I'm going to see how things feel tomorrow morning and try to get some really easy miles done. I also need to incorporate some stretching and continue with the icing regimen I've been on lately to treat the muscle after I run for the next few weeks up until the half marathon.

Regardless, it is appearing that the Baltimore Half might not be an improvement over my time at the National Half back in March. It'll be a good race and I fully plan on being ready. But I know I won't be as ready as I should be, which is frustrating because I have only myself to blame. I'm already thinking about what comes after Baltimore and how I need to get my ass in gear. Thankfully, it'll be after the wedding as well, which has taken a toll on my energy levels. In fact, with the end of October, my life will become a little less stressful as we'll have moved to our new apartment (that happens next week, actually) and the wedding/honeymoon will be over. That will only leave training and the CFA before the holidays, both of which will require my full focus and attention.

However, I may not be able to run the Richmond Half on my birthday if Annie's performance falls on that date. We'll see but it would be tough to run the race, drive back to Baltimore and then drive up to PA for the performance. That's a very long day and it would be easier to just find another half marathon to run this season and let Richmond go. I would imagine I will have another opportunity to run a half marathon on or near my birthday in the future.

Injury! Oh the humanity!

2008-09-09T10:30:00.001-04:00

Sunday was my long run day and I decided to go ahead and do 9 miles rather than my originally decided 8. I've got 5 weeks until the Baltimore half marathon and I'd like to get my distance up to 10 miles or more prior to that. So, I chose to go 9 instead of 8. This was actually not a bad decision as I made it all 9 miles. The distance didn't cause my injury, but certainly running that distance wasn't good for it.

So I was about 4 miles into my run when I stopped at Federal Hill park for a water break. I rehydrated and then started running again. It was at that point that I had a fair amount of pain in my right inner thigh. It faded as I kept running, but was always there each time my right foot hit the pavement, it hurt. It never got excruciating or even bad enough that I had to stop early or slow down. So, somewhere in the early miles of my run I strained my right groin muscle. By the time I got back to the apartment, it had tightened up nicely and made going up and down stairs uncomfortable. I showered and iced it for about 15-20 minutes before tkaing some ibuprofen. That seemed to help it calm down, but yesterday morning it was so stiff I had trouble walking up and down the stairs at the office. I was limping down them! Yesterday was a rest day anyway, so no worries there. I took it easy and tried not to burden the muscle throughout the day.

This morning I woke up early to head out for my run. I didn't feel any stiffness or soreness so decided to go ahead and try running to see how it felt. As I walked down the stairs to the street, however, I could feel some twinges in the muscle. And when I started to run, I got about two blocks before I realized it wasn't going to happen. Granted I didn't stretch it out at all, and tha might have made it stiffer than usual. But each step I took sent a new zing of pain up my hip. So, rather than push my luck and risk making it worse than it is, I turned around and came back home. I showered and then got back into bed with my ice bag resting on my leg and slept for another 45 minutes before getting up for work.

So, on the good side, I can walk comfortably today (yesterday I was walking gingerly but fine) and stairs are no longer painful so the strain was minor and my body is healing as best it can. Another day off should help it heal up nicely. I'm hoping that by tomorrow morning I'll be able to run again because I have the Run to Remember 5K on Thursday morning and it would suck to have to not run until then. Even so, I don't anticipate being fully recovered for a week or so, and will incorporate some stretches into my routine to keep it loose and prevent aggravation. I just wish I could have my ice bag here at work to use during the day!

I Fail!

2008-09-05T22:41:00.002-04:00

Didn't get up this morning to get my run in so I suck. But I was just so damn tired! I need to get to sleep earlier OR find a way to force myself out of bed in the morning.

However, tomorrow I have to be up early to take Annie to the bus station so she can get to New York for an audition so I will come back and head out for a run. Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hanna is supposed to be here tomorrow afternoon so it should be an interesting run tomorrow morning. Probably just rainy with a light breeze. I don't plan on running in the afternoon when the rain is supposed to really pick up and the winds kick up to about 30 mph!

Hopefully, the weather will clear up enough by Sunday morning to allow a 9 mile run in the morning as well.

Finding a Balance

2008-09-04T11:46:00.003-04:00

This morning I got back to my training schedule for the Baltimore Half Marathon. I was briefly concerned yesterday to find out that the half had sold out. I thought that maybe my entry form had not made it in time, which would have sucked. But thankfully, I checked my confirmation online and indeed I am registered to run on October 11th FOR FREE! I think this year they're expecting something like 17,000 runners for all the various races, which is awesome! The running festival was one of my favorite weekends of the entire year last year and I think it'll be even better this year since I'm running the half.

I did 4 easy miles at about a 9:15 pace. Not too bad considering it was humid and warmer out this morning than it has been. Tomorrow I will do another 4-5 miles at an easy pace before taking Saturday off to do some cross training. Tropical Storm Hannah is supposed to make its way up the coast and be here by Saturday morning. However, by that time, it will probably be just a big mess of rain and wind that will make the day gloomy. With any luck it'll be gone by Sunday morning for my planned "long" run of 9 miles.

This morning, as I laid in bed trying to will myself to get up and go run, I had the thought that maybe I could actually get up later (around 6 AM rather than 5) and still get my runs in without being late to work or rushing through my shower, etc. I tried that this morning and ended up being 10 minutes late to work and rushed! So, I have settled the months-long debate about whether getting up earlier would give me more time and actually be worth the pain. While getting up at 5 is awful and too early, 6 AM is too late. I think that if I got up at 5:30, I'd have enough time to get 4-5 miles in each morning and be back at the apartment in time to get ready for work.

This is also going to be true when we move north about a mile and a half because my walk will be about 15 minutes longer than it is now, which means leaving 15 minutes earlier for the office. So, that extra 30 minutes will help make my morning a little less hectic.

Now I just need to work on a new route from our new apartment for my morning runs!

Back from the Queen City

2008-09-02T17:04:00.002-04:00

After 5 days of intense wedding planning, I've returned from Cincinnati tired but feeling good about the wedding status. We got a lot accomplished each day and stayed on schedule (Annie made an itinerary for our trip) which was good. She stayed in Cincinnati to get some more things done since I had to get back to the office, and will return home on Thursday evening. In the meantime, I have my own laundry list of things to get done. All of them center around preparing for our move on the 20th.

We're moving out of my small studio apartment in the high rise in downtown to a ground level, 1 bedroom apartment in Mt. Vernon. Of course we need more space now that she's back in Baltimore after the summer, but we also wanted to live in a real neighborhood and we both grew tired of our building. For example, none of the three elevators were working this morning when I left for work. I live on the 29th floor so it was a long walk down. I pray they're working when I leave the office in about an hour. But it's absurd that in a building with 30 floors that all three elevators should stop working at the same time. Especially for the rent that we pay. So, we're anxious to be rid fo our managed property.

To get ready, I've put the apartment on Craigslist Baltimore so I can transfer the lease and avoid paying the rest of the year's rent. I've had 6 or 7 responses and three people are viewing the apartment tomorrow. Hopefully one of them will apply and take the apartment off my hands.

In addition to this big project, I'm waiting for our new property management company to receive our security deposit so we can get that lease signed. Our target move date is September 20th, so we have some time left. But I have U-Haul reservations to make, all my stuff to pack, an apartment to clean (Annie is heading up this effort, thankfully), some nicks and scratches to repair, etc. So there's lots to do before we even move any boxes onto the truck!

In running news, Annie and I both ran the Cheetah Run 5K at the Cincinnati Zoo on Sunday and had a great time. I'll write a separate post for the race report, but since the whole race wasn't chip timed and I forgot my Garmin in Baltimore, I don't have an accurate time to present. But it was tough to run all out due to the narrowness of the course and the number of runners. More details to come on that.

This week, I will get back to training for Baltimore tomorrow morning with an easy run. I've mapped out September's training as well, so I have a plan to stick to. Next race is the Run to Remember 5K on September 11th. It's a relatively small race (1,000) through downtown Baltimore (i.e. pretty flat) so I'm going to try for a PR at that race.

Running Free, Running Wild

2008-08-27T14:23:00.002-04:00

Don't know if that's the name of a song, but it should be. Maybe a kick-ass AC/DC or Velvet Revolver (before they broke up) version would make its way onto my iPod.

Anyway, today I officially registered for the Baltimore Running Festival with my compnay serving as my corporate sponsor. I think if I multiplied the satisfaction I get from running the half marathon for free by about 30 million, I'll feel like Michael Phelps. At any rate, I got my entry form from corporate communications this morning and promptly filled it out and sent it off in the mail. It went out this morning and should be in Elkridge (the administrative HQ of the Baltimore Running Festival) by tomorrow. I'm so happy to finally be registered for the race, as the half is now more than 90% full. My entry should get me signed up just in time! The marathon is more than 90% full. The half has a limit of 7500 runners, while the marathon has a limit of 4000. That doesn't count the relay teams (750 teams of 4 runners each) and the 2500 in the 5K (the 5K is barely getting any play, though, with just 6% of the limit, 150 runners, signed up right now). In other words, Saturday, October 11th will see literally thousands of runners navigating the streets of Baltimore.

I remember running the 5K last year and how much fun I had. I was still pretty new to running at that point and had set the 5K as my third racing goal (after the Run to Cooperstown 5K and Bay Cafe 5K) for the year. The 5K was packed last year, and I would bet that once September hits that it'll fill up quickly as I can't imagine people wanting to run another race that weekend when they could run the main running event in Baltimore for the year. I remember not really knowing that in a race you should run your ass off rather than treat it as another training run, but that is something I've worked on all year as a result. I also remember watching the half marathon begin and seeing how excited people were as they set off. It was seeing that excitement that helped me set the goal to run the National Half Marathon that following March.

Hopefully we'll have weather like we did last year (cold in the morning, but sunny and a little breeze). I would really like to set a new PR for 13.1 miles and surpass my inaugural effort at the National Half back in March. The course itself is pretty flat, with the only hill coming out near Patterson Park. I am going to adjust my long run route to hit that hill every week so I can prepare and not be worried about it come October 11th.

Since I don't have to pay the $70 entry fee for the half marathon, that frees up some money for the Richmond Half in November. That will require an overnight trip as well, so if I hadn't been able to get into the Baltimore Half for free, I wasn't going to shell out another $60 for Richmond as well (and pay for a hotel room, gas, food, etc). However, I'll set aside a little money each pay period and should have the estimated $150-200 I'll need for the entire trip, including race registration. Annie is going to be performing up in PA that Saturday, so I don't think she'll be coming with me, but that's OK, as I'l going to go bare bones (can you say, Super 8?) and it's only a 24 hour trip anyway.

As far as training, I dragged myself out of bed this morning and got a simple tempo run in. I did one mile as a warmup and then did 2 miles around 8:00/mile before ending with another mile cool down. I was surprisingly not dead after running that fast pace (for me) for 2 miles and it felt good to get my pace down in that range. My legs are sore today, but they'll be fine. I will more than likely take tomorrow off, as we're flying out to Cincinnati in the late morning.

Michelle Obama vs. Bunnies

2008-08-26T10:05:00.002-04:00

This is the battle we last night while watching TV. After I finsihed my nightly CFA studying, we turned on the TV to see what was on (not a lot, thanks a lot Olympics for killing the competition the last two weeks!). I initially turned to one of the myriad channels carrying the Democratic National Convention this week. Apparently Michelle Obama was supposed to speak (after Ted Kennedy, among others) last night. I'm only marginally interested in politics, if at all, mainly because politics in the U.S. has become a game of the lowest common denominator and essentially legalized bribery. Each candidate tries so hard to appeal to the "average Joe". Unfortunately, it's tough for wealthy, well-educated people used to telling others what to do on a daily basis to realitically appeal to working poor, uneducated people who are used to being talked down to by wealthy, well-educated Type A people their entire lives. Some examples of this idiocy:

- George Bush doing just about anything on the campaign trail. He was excellent at making people think he really gave a damn about their lives in Missouri or wherever they're from.

- John Kerry being videotaped off of the Vineyard wind surfing or (later) attending a Red Sox game. There's nothing wrong with loving to wind surf. However, it's not exactly an everyman's sport. It's a cousin of sailing, which is what yuppies like to do (spend a ton of money on a boat and then sail it around for no real reason off the coast of Maine or Long Island..fun?). Also, he could not have looked any more awkward at Fenway surrounded by Red Sox Nation. Obviously more used to the skyboxes than the bleachers. And then there was the tape of him making a feeble attempt at throwing out the first pitch. He lost the election because of that pitiful throw, I'm convinced.

-Hillary Clinton doing shots of whiskey in some podunk town. That faint sound you heard in the clip was the sound of a presidential campaign dying.

The Obama's made over $4 million last year (the McCains made $6 million or so) so let's stop with the "average Joe" routines. Maybe the average Joe will buy into

Anyway, that's the last I will talk about politics on this blog, I assure you. It just depresses me. But, this all by way of saying that instead of watching the DNC circle-jerk, we watched The Girls Next Door at Annie's request. I have to say, I'd much rather watch Bridgette (sp?) than politicians so I was fine with the programming change.

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In running news, I got out for 5 miles this morning. I ran out to Ft. McHenry and back. Since the fort doesn't open until 8AM, I could only run to the gates, which lops about a mile off of the usual 6 mile run out there and back to the Inner Harbor. Nothing too exciting but the weather was great for running; probably the best all summer. It was breezy and dry, probably in the high 50's with some cloud cover. Great conditions. I'll post the splits later tonight when I get home and upload the run from my Garmin.

Vacation over...time to refocus

2008-08-24T15:34:00.002-04:00

I took Wednesday through Friday off from work this week so Annie and I could spend some QT together and it was worth it. We got a lot accomplished and had an eventful, but also frustrating, day going to Philadelphia to pick out our wedding bands yesterday. Long story short, it took us 5.5 hours to get from Baltimore to Philadelphia due to 4 traffic jams on I-95 and a fiasco with SEPTA taking credit cards on their regional rail. Eventually we made it to the jeweler and got our rings picked out. They'll ship them to us in about 2 weeks.

So, today is Sunday and I haven't run since Thursday, but I am OK with that. I didn't really have the motivation to get up early on my vacation days anyway. I think I much better served sleeping in each morning instead to recharge for the coming months. We're going to a BBQ being held by my boss this afternoon and that will mark the end of my vacation until October when I am out for the wedding and honeymoon.

So, tomorrow will begin my intensive training for the Baltimore Half Marathon, which I found out on Friday that I would be able to run for free thanks to corporate sponsorship. Totally sweet and it saves me something around $60. I'm also going to run a 5K in Cincinnati next Sunday through the Cincinnati Zoo, which should be fun. In essence, the racing season is right around the corner and my goal is to be in reasonably good shape for Baltimore and then in very good shape for Richmond in November before going into the holiday racing season (turkey trots, Zoo Zoom and the Celtic Solstice in December). It'll be a challenge to do that with the wedding and honeymoon in late October, to be sure. And then there's the CFA in early December which will require daily attention until exam day.

So, tomorrow will start my program, such as it is. We're flying to Cincinnati on Thursday for a long weekend away, so Thursday will be an off day, followed by two training days and then the 5K. Next Monday I fly back (Annie is staying in Cincinnati a few days to get more done) so that will also be a rest day. That's the plan, at least.

In other news, the Olympics have concluded and my TV viewing schedule can now return to normal. I don't think I've watched much else besides the Olympics over the past two weeks, so I will miss the overdose of sports for the next 4 years (I'm not as huge a fan of the Winter Olympics), but London is quickly approaching...sort of.

Sizzling...but not technically

2008-08-21T12:17:00.002-04:00

After taking Tuesday and Wednesday off to enjoy my vacation and the lack of an obligation to get up and go to work for 11 hours a day, I got back out on the roads this morning. Granted it wasn't at 5:45 AM but rather a more reasonable 10:30, but no matter. I got 5 miles in and they felt a lot better overall than the 6 I ran on Sunday.

While the weather hasn't been horribly hot the last two weeks here in Baltimore, the sun has remained intense and tends to make it feel warmer than it really is when you're out running. It was no different today, as I felt the sun baking me as I ran, but in my mind I knew it was no more than 76 degrees out. Thankfully, I've wisened up and took a water bottle with me as I ran, which helped keep my mind off the perceived heat and actual thirst.

I started at the Inner Harbor, per usual, and ran out to Ft. McHenry and back for a nice 5 miler. I kept my pace slow so I wouldn't flame out midway through. Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 9:30
Mile 2: 9:27
Mile 3: 9:46
Mile 4: 9:33
Mile 5: 9:38

Relatively consistent save for that slower mile 3 thanks to the "hills" of the bridge leading from Locust Point to the fort going both ways. Pace was very slow, but then again, I am very slow.

Overall, not a bad run. In other news, my company is sponsoring the Baltimore Running Festival in October so I should be able to run the half for free! Kick ass. I may run it slow but I won't feel that I wasted my $60 or so.

Baltimore - A Serengeti for Runners

2008-08-18T17:16:00.005-04:00

That should be the city's new motto. It would definitely be more accurate than other mottos such as:

- Charm City (makes no sense)
- The City that Reads (spend 15 minutes in the Gallery mall and you'll see this is a joke)
- The Greatest City in America (seriously, this can be found on several broken benches around downtown...I assume the irony is lost on the City government)
- The City that Bleeds (a play on words from number 2 but more accurate)
- Baltimore: Get in on it! (admittedly not a motto but a slogan, but still bad and unimaginative)

With all the other problems in Baltimore, I'm not going to hold my breath for more water fountains anytime soon. Apparently it takes the city 10 years to figure out what to do with a homeless population that lacks health care, education, jobs, and general welfare so if they can't get an idea of how to solve this huge problem, I would actually think something like installing more fountains would prove monstrously difficult.

In the Inner Harbor (tourist central) and Federal Hill (yuppie central) there are four (FOUR!) water fountains. One is in Federal Hill Park. There are actually two along the Inner harbor promenade but one doesn't work and the other one I have yet to try, but for which I have low expectations. The other two are actually not in a neighborhood at all but are in the Ft. McHenry National Park, which is only open after 8 AM and is about a mile down Fort Ave, through locust Point. Outside of that, noone thought of installing additionla fountains in any of the parks in Federal Hill or along the Inner Harbor. I guess the builders wanted to make sure that thirsty tourists went to Starbucks and spent $27.95 for an iced coffee instead of quenching their thirst at the city's expense.

But, this is Baltimore, and like I said, there are bigger problems than water fountains to deal with first. Sigh.

In other news, I got a 3 mile run in on Saturday, followed by some swimming (I'm going to try to increase the amount of non-running exercise I do). Then on Sunday I did 6 tough miles. This morning I ran 4 miles (I did 6 on Sunday so I could get 4 miles in today). Annie is flying back from Colorado tonight, and since her plane doesn't get in until 10:45, I know I won't be in any condition to run tomorrow morning so I have planned on taking a rest day and sleeping in until 7.

I'm on vacation Wed-Fri this week, so I plan on getting runs in on each day, and then taking Saturday for cross training before taking a long run on Sunday. At some point this week we might go to Philadelphia to get our wedding bands and we have a few other things that we need to take care of as well. I'm going to try to talk her into going to see the Dark Knight with me or going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival (we've been talking about going all year so this would be a great time to go and people watch. Those actors take the festival REALLY seriously!). Should be a good end of the week!

Better Safe Than Sorry

2008-08-14T12:45:00.002-04:00

This morning everything worked as it should. I had taken yesterday off as well because my left hamstring was still tweaked from my hiking on Monday afternoon. Since this past winter when I caught a cold and then made the mistake of running a day later because I felt OK (even though I KNEW not to run when the cold is below your neck!) and then was in bed the next two days, I've resolved to always take the "better safe than sorry" approach to injuries or sickness. So, I took yesterday off and tried not to feel too guilty about it. The extra day was a good move, as I feel totally fine now.

So, I woke up a little early this morning (mind you, I set my alarm for 5 AM, anticipating that I will hit snooze 3-4 times, which would put me actually awake around 5:30...sick, I know) and started to get my running gear on when I suddenly realized that I didn't have my Body Glide. It's sitting in my pack down in the back of my Jeep in the parking garage 4 floors underground. Well, like my experience with injuries and sickness, I learned the hard way to stick to a chaffing prevention routine. Since starting to consistently use Body Glide before each run, I have had no issues. So, I was distressed when I found that I'd have to run without that protection. While the odds of having any trouble were small, I reverted to the "better safe than sorry" approach and just undressed and got back into bed. While getting 5 miles in was important this morning, if I had run into chaffing issues afterwards, it would have ruined my entire day and that, to me, is just not worth it.

I'll bring my pack up tonight after work so I have my Body Glide for tomorrow's run. Then I should finally be able to get a run in this week!

As frustrating as it is, forcing myself to stick to the better safe than sorry rule has worked out well thus far.

Back Early

2008-08-12T21:56:00.003-04:00

I returned early from my camping/hiking trip for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which is that I hiked all of my distance in 2 days rather than the 3 I had set aside. So, I was back here in civilization much sooner than I anticipated. But, it's all going to come up Millhouse. A guy I work with had left two weeks ago for his vacation to Vietnam but he's stuck there because the one road into and out of the small fishing village he and his wife were staying in was closed due to a typhoon hitting Vietnam. So, he's still there without an estimate of when he'll be back to Baltimore.

Since I got back early, I decided to seize the opportunity and volunteered to work the rest of the week in exchange for moving the remaining vacation days to next week, when Annie will be back. This way, I get points for being flexible and a team player at work and Annie and I get 5 straight days of QT, which we really need after a summer apart.

So, I'll be back in the office the rest of this week and then Monday and Tuesday and then get Wed-Fri off next week. Should work out just fine.

I've also had to adjust my workout schedule. I'm still sore from my hiking, but I think I should be OK by tomorrow morning. I'll do an easy run tomorrow, speedwork on Thursday and either a recovery run or fartlek on Friday depending on how I feel. I am still undecided on the Full Moon Run on Saturday night, but am now leaning towards skipping it so I can get a quality long run in on Sunday instead. We'll see.

Happy Otakon 2008

2008-08-08T13:49:00.002-04:00

This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year in Baltimore. It's Otakon 2008! What's Otakon, you might ask? Well, from what I know, it's a convention devoted to a style of Japanese anime and manga fiction that is held once a year in Baltimore. Basically, thousands and thousands of fans descend upon Baltimore and go to the convention center to meet other afficionados, buy anime stuff and generally go on a two day anime binge. During that time most of them are wearing costumes of their favorite characters that they've made at home and they proceed to wear them as they mill about the Inner Harbor and downtown. While most of these people are teenagers or college students, there are always a few creepy adults wandering around as well in full costume.

Needless to say, it makes for great people watching. Just sitting and watching tourists and office workers who have no clue what's going on walk aroudn with the Otakon people is hilarious. The looks of bewilderment and a little fear is very entertaining. For those of us who live in the city and have experienced this before, it's like a little festival celebrating weird and eccentric people.

Their devotion to anime is supreme, as evidenced by the fact that there were people milling about in full costume this morning when I was out running. Mind you, it was not even 6 AM and they were out and about. By the time I finished my 4 mile fartlek run (more on the actual run below), there were hundreds of them walking about, freaking out the hobos and commuters alike. By the time I got to the office, there was a line snaking around the Baltimore Convention Center of people waiting to get in to the convention. Go to Google Maps and search for the Baltimore Convention Center to see just how big that building is and you'll have an idea of how long this line was.

Thus far the best costume I have seen is somebody (I couldn't tell if it was male or female) who was dressed in black pants, a brown trenchcoat that was buttoned and tied. They were wearing a black fedora and around their head was a pillowcase with the face of a jack-o-lantern drawn on it in magic marker. They were being led around by other costumed people in their party, which makes me think they didn't have the forethought to cut eye holes in the pillowcase. Unreal.

Anyway, I left the anime people in the Inner Harbor and ran into Harbor East and Federal Hill this morning for my first attempt at a fartlek run. I did a 1 mile warm up before alternating between fast and slow paces every quarter mile for miles 2 and 3. I then ran 1.5 miles to cool down. Overall, I was pleased with this, although I think I will begin to do half mile increments to get more out of the fast portions.

The weather was terrific this morning as well, 64 with a breeze and little humidity. Just about perfect for running.

Tomorrow I will do my long run in the morning (early to avoid the Otakon crowds) and then spend the rest of the day preparing for my trip to Shenandoah. I'm going to leave early on Sunday morning to have plenty of time to get there and get my bearings before setting off. Tomorrow I need to go to REI to buy a flint, a Power Bar or two and a small First Aid kit. I am debating the usefulness of buying a trail pillow...I might splurge on one. I also need to go to Wal-Mart and get some dried fruit or other snacks that will give me energy on the trail.

Tonight I'll be packing everything up to make sure I know the best place for everything. I have plenty of room right now, even with the huge dinners I bought at REI a few weeks back that I intend to use as the main source of my energy for the week. I'll be taking only a few pieces of clothing (other than what I'll be wearing on Sunday, of course) to minimize the load.

The best thing is that after I get back to the car on Wednesday, I can drive 10 miles to a campsite and pay $3 for a 15 minute shower before I have to drive back to Baltimore for 3 hours. That will feel wonderful after 4 days on the trail (although in my defense, I don't smell when I sweat, but I would prefer to smell like Nivea for Men body wash, all else being equal).

So, I will post sometime tomorrow afternoon once I get back from my errands to recount my run before leaving on Sunday morning. Still haven't signed up for the Full Moon Run, but I can wlays do that on Friday as it's only $10.

Slow

2008-08-05T16:09:00.003-04:00

Another weekend flew by as summer is quickly approaching fall. Saturday morning I woke up early and got my 8 laborious miles in. I've finally accepted just how much fitness I've lost since late March when I ran the National Half Marathon. I took it nice and slow on Saturday for my "long" run and it was still a tough slog. Hopefully it'll get better as August and September pass so I'm ready for the Baltimore Half.

By the end of the run, my legs were definitely tired and I knew they'd be sore, but I was happy to find that they never got really sore and felt OK by midway through Sunday. That's good news for my body's ability to recover from the longer distances. My ultimate goal is to continue to increase my mileage past the 13 mile mark to about 15-16 miles for my long runs. That will take me the remainder of the running season (late November or early December).

But, as for Saturday, no real problems. I think my pace will improve as I do more speedwork during the week and get better at it so I get more out of each workout. Speaking of which, I am going to do some tomorrow morning since it's Wednesday. The rest of the week should be speedwork tomorrow, easy recovery run on Thursday, and perhaps a 2 mile fartlek/tempo run with some easy pacing (1 mile) on each side on Friday.

I've decided to go ahead and leave for Shenandoah NP a day early, so will be heading out on Sunday instead of Monday. That means that my long run will have to be on Saturday. In other words, I will finish my week at (hopefully) around 25 miles and then head out to hike 17 miles over the next 4 days. Then I'll be back in Baltimore to get some runs in before the Full Moon Run next Saturday! It'll be a very active vacation, to be sure. I may decide to take next Friday completely off to rest for the Full Moon Run, even though it's not a race (just a fun run in the pitch black of night...) so my body can take 24 hours without running/sprinting/walking/hiking/climbing, actually.

Weekend

2008-08-01T16:23:00.002-04:00

I always look forward to the weekend, and this week is not different.

Last night I went out to a happy hour with some people from work and was at the bar until about 9. By the time I got home, I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. As a result, I felt terrible this morning, not so much from a hangover but just exhaustion from the week, and did not get out for my 5 miler. While it felt great to get that extra hour of sleep, once I was awake, I wished I had gotten up to run. To compensate, I am seriously considering getting some real cross training in at the gym later tonight after dinner. We'll see.

Tomorrow I will get up early and get my long run in before heading out to the country for my cousin's wedding. While I am happy to attend (with the full expectation that he and his wife will be at my wedding in October), it will consume a large swath of my weekend. I'm going to minimize that by going out tomorrow and then driving back late Sunday morning. I want to stop at the Bed Bath & Beyond in Hagerstown and spend an hour or two adding to our registry in the areas that do not require Annie's stylistic opinions. I would also like to be back in Baltimore early enough to go to the gym before it closes at 4PM, but that is not a firm goal at this point.

In other news, I was browsing some running blogs yesterday and came across one guy who had a pretty neat idea. To chart his running progress, he created a map online and periodically posted his mileage in the form of virtual progress from New York to San Francisco. It took him a couple years to get there, but now he's running up the west coast (virtually speaking, of course) towards Seattle. Pretty neat idea and one that I have shamelessly adopted for my site, although with proper credit, of course. I think I will probably make entries on a monthly basis (maybe semi-monthly) so I don't have hundreds of dots on my map making it hard to see my progress. I'll also have a progress entry on the sidebar here.

With that, I'm off. I'm dying to get out of the office for a few days and will post on Sunday upon my return from the hills of West Virginia. Hopefully my country cousins will not behave too badly at the wedding tomorrow. Hopefully.

Faster?

2008-07-31T13:11:00.002-04:00

Got out the door this morning to do my weekly hill sprints. I bumped it up to 6 this week without really feeling like I was going to keel over and die or anything. I take that as a good sign and encouragement to keep at it. I think that maybe next week I'll do some flat speedwork on Key Highway to mix it up a little. I ran a nice 1 mile warmup this morning and then did 6 X ~0.1 mile hill sprints. I didn't have time this morning to download them onto the computer so I don't have any times or caloric burn stats, which I have decided I need to start recording on here again. I got lazy with that as well. Tomorrow's workout will consist of a nice 5 miler along the usual course. Nothing too strenuous because I have to do my long run this Saturday since I'm out of town on Sunday morning and will want to sleep in one day this weekend.

I registered for the St. Joseph's Medical Center Run to Remember 5K on September 11. I didn't find out about this race until the day of last year and thus missed it with great regret. It goes through downtown Baltimore and around the Inner Harbor, as most Baltimore city races tend to do. They hold it every year on 9/11, which is kinda cool. It'll be at 7AM, so I should be able to run it and be at work by 8:30. Only cost me $23 with the Active.com ripoff charge included.

I am getting closer to making a decision on the Full Moon Run on the 16th. I may shell out $10 to move my campsite reservation back a day so I can be back in Baltimore a day earlier and thus get two runs in before the race on that Saturday night. However, I am loathe to spend money uneccesarily, especially for a trip whose greatest attribute is its cheapness (taking the one time charges of the gear out of the equation, the entire week long trip will cost me around $150 including gas and park fees). However, having that extra day in Baltimore might be worth $10.

Finally, this week's theme for Runner's Lounge Take it and run Thursday is "Look Back, Look Ahead". I didn't remember setting goals for myself back in January, but a quick look through my archives proved me wrong. Here are some of my resolutions and the status on them:

1. Run at least one half marathon: Done! I made it through the National Half Marathon back in March and have plans to run the Baltimore Half in october and hopefully the Richmond Half in November.

2. Run my first full marathon (tentatively Baltimore in October): This one is on hold for at least the next year as the CFA is quickly consuming what free time I have. I barely have enough time to get in shape for the half!

3. Improve to a sub-8:30/mile pace: In progress. I'm consistently running an average pace of about 9:00-9:20, which is OK all things considered. Speedwork and tempo/fartlek running and getting to the gym for non-running exercise will all help me get this resolution down.

4. Reduce my consumer debt by at least 50%: To date, I've reduced my consumer debt by about 40% overall, so I will demolish the 50% goal by December. The wedding/honeymoon has put me back some, but it's a worthwhile expense and one that I can pay off by passing the CFA in December. All in all, this is not a running resolution, but the less money I have to send to Visa, the more I can spend on races and shoes. I should be consumer debt-free by this time next year.

To this list I would add some amended resolutions:

5. Pass CFA Level I in December (in lieu of b-school or law school)
6. Incorporate strength training into my workouts.

There were some other resolutions that won't be met simply because my plans have since changed (i.e. I won't be going to law school ever, and business school isn't for a while yet) but they've been replaced by new ambitions. Overall, I think I am making great progress on my resolutions (both old and new) and should be happy with my end result come Decemeber 31, 2008.

Tired

2008-07-30T11:46:00.002-04:00

I fully intended to get some speedwork in today but that idea fell through when I awoke this morning and was just as tired as I was when I went to bed the night before. It seems that I always go to bed later than I want and that I run out of time each evening. By the time I get home from work and fix dinner, it's between 7:30 and 8:00. Then it's at least an hour of CFA studying, taking me to 9:00 at which point I should start to get things together for the next day (lunch made, running clothes laid out if I'm running the next morning, etc), but usually I just want to chill out for a while. Then it's 10 and I'm behind the 8 ball to get to bed, which usually doesn't happen until closer to 11. That leaves just 6 sparse hours for sleep, when I would really prefer 8. But going to bed at 9 PM just seems obscene to me so in bed by 10 is more realistic.

Anyway, last night I was watching a special about the professor from Carnegie Mellon, Randy Pausch, who recently died after fighting pancreatic cancer. He's most famous for his "Last Lecture" at Carnegie Mellon, which I would encourage you to check out on You Tube. The interview was definitely worth staying up late to watch. If I ever have to face accelerated certain death (because really, we're all facing certain death if you think about it) from cancer or some other malady, I would hope I could do it with as much Zen-like strength as he did.

They talked to several people who had been inspired to embrace their lives after being diagnosed with their own illnesses or having confronted some other seemingly immovable obstacle in their lives, and I think they captured Randy's real message. It's not really dying with grace or dying well, but about what you do with the time left, that matters. To paraphrase John Keating, he squeezed the marrow out of life without choking on the bone. You could actually see him doing this at the end of the interview, when he spent the day at the Pittsburgh Steelers' training camp catching passes from Hines Ward and kicking field goals and talking to the players. As he was standing there, he looked around, savoring the moment with the look of a man who has the luxury and the terrible burden of knowing exactly when he is going to die and filling the pages in between with as much happiness and as many dreams as he can. Awesome.

Now, I realize that for most of us, it's not so easy to embrace that aspect of our minds. Without something as horrible as cancer staring us in the face, we always latch on to our more tangible responsibilities (bills, jobs, etc). I'm no different as you don't see me quitting my studying for the CFA so I can devote more time to my dream of visiting every major league baseball stadium at least once. But I think Randy is most inspirational to me because he never lost sight of those dreams (including being a professional football player) even as cancer shortened his life.

Anyway, it was worth watching and missing my workout this morning. I'll be out doing my sprints tomorrow, of course. Chasing my dream of that 7:00 mile pace that is so damn far away right now!

Embarassing

2008-07-27T19:47:00.002-04:00

Once again a combination of laziness, foolishness and weather have humbled me. I initially was going to wake up early and get my run in before the day got too hot, but once again I went to sleep way too late and thus overslept, not rising until just after 8 AM. By the time I walked out of my building, it was near 80 and just about as humid as it's been this summer in Baltimore. Ugh.

The run itself was horrid and I was reminded what running just two days a week for several weeks in a row will do: nothing. I didn't gain anything from those weeks of slacking and in fact have lost quite a bit of fitness; very discouraging. I eventually just stopped and walked the rest of the way back to the apartment; there was no point in running as I wasn't getting anything out of it.

It seems that whenever I try to get back into a training routine, something comes up to distract me and my effort flags. I just need to make it a priority AND start going to the gym on my off days to improve my anaeorbic capacity, which is just atrocious right now. My legs weren't getting tired today and making me stop, but rather I felt I couldn't get enough oxygen to my muscles and my core was getting tired. Of course, I'd stop and walk for a few minutes and feel fine, which was even more frustrating, but proof that my legs are in fine shape and that it's my actual fitness that is severely lacking.

So, I'm going to strive to get 4-5 days of running in and then complement that with mornings at the gym on the stationary bike or in the pool, etc. Anything to avoid feeling like crap on my runs! I'm tired of it!

Refocusing

2008-07-26T20:46:00.002-04:00

Annie returned from Opera in the Ozarks last Saturday and we've spent the week hanging out and getting her ready for her next summer program, Emerald City Opera, out in Steamboat Springs, CO. She left today (we drove down to National airport and I dropped her off) and she's now in Denver awaiting her flight to Hayden, CO, which is about 20 minutes from Steamboat Springs. She'll be out there for three weeks and then will return to Baltimore for the forseeable future.

All this has taken away from my CFA studying and workout schedule, which is OK. I'm well enough ahead on CFA stuff that I'm not overly concerned, and really, taking time off from working out to spend with Annie is a no-brainer. Now that she's gone for a few more weeks, I can refocus my efforts on training up for the fall. I have about 5 weeks until the Cheetah Run in Cincinnati (August 30th), and three weeks until the Full Moon Run. Now, I haven't registered for the Full Moon Run yet, because I am debating whether I'll be in any shape to run it. For one, I have three weeks to really get back into running form, which is semi-possible. It's not a timed race or anything quite so intense, but I'd like to be able to do the full 7 miles without sucking wind at any point. Also, the race is on August 16th, which is two days after I get back from my vacation. I won't have any chance to run that week, although I will be hiking with 30 pounds of gear on my back, so that is it's own exercise, I suppose.

So, tomorrow I'll head out for a 7 or 8 miler in the morning to get back on track. I would normally spend the afternoon by the pool relaxing, but I have tons of work coming due in the early part of this week, so I will be spending my afternoon in the office trying to play catch up and stay ahead of the deadlines.

Mountaineers are Mostly Fat

2008-07-24T10:18:00.002-04:00

That's the verdict from a recent study of the nation's obesity rates. Thankfully, my home state of West Virginia came in second and was not the state with the highest concentration of lard. That honor goes to Mississippi, which is completely unsurprising. Just about everyone I have ever seen identify themselves as Mississippians is fat. In fact, most of the people I have seen identified as being from the South, have been at least overweight. Amazingly, almost 70% of the populations in the top 10 are overweight or obese...that includes children as well.

I remember another study that attempted to quantify the monetary effect that this chronic obesity epidemic has on the U.S. economy per year and while I can't remember the exact amount, it was in the hundreds of billions of dollars, which is just depressing. Thus far in my short life I have been blessed with a high metabolism and the ability to eat junk food without too many consequences. I know that won't last forever, but that's part of why I run...to stoke the furnace that is my metabolism so I can eat whatever I want and go out the next morning and burn it off or turn it into muscle. I also don't want to be obese and face all the health problems and lifestyle problems that goes along with it.

Thus, I went out and did some hill sprints this morning, upping my number to 5 for the next two weeks. Tomorrow I'll get another 5 miles in as well. This way I will be able to burn off today's lunch. We're going out to eat because one of my colleagues is leaving the firm at the end of the month to go to the University of Chicago to get his MBA. Our choice is Andy Nelson's BBQ out in Cockeysville, MD. I plan on enjoying a beef brisket, corn bread, taters, beans and a side of Memphis dry rub ribs. Oh, and a sweet tea for good measure. So it was imperative that I go into today with a calorie deficit and that I hit the road hard tomorrow morning to burn off what has to be thousands of calories I will intake today.

And in recent root beer news, I tried the Whole Foods store brand (365? Is that the brand?) root beer last night and have to say I was pretty pleased all things considered. I mean, it was twice as expensive as Sam's Choice, coming in at $2.49 for a six pack, but then again, Sam's Choice is always the low price. But Whole Foods makes theirs with cane sugar, which is something you usually don't see in mass-produced canned root beers. It had a nice birch flavor and the cane sugar was not too much as to make it overly sweet. A solid option if you don't feel like shelling out $5 for four Boylan's or Virgil's, which are the other two brands our Whole Foods stocks.

I also tried Boylan's Birch Beer the other night when Annie and I went out for pizza. It also uses cane sugar and was very good, although it didn't really stand out from IBC or Whole Foods. Given a choice between, say, Boylan's and Whole Foods, I would go with Whole Foods because it tastes just as good and is cheaper. But, Berghoff's remains my all time favorite.

And with that, I'm off to gorge on brisket and pork!

Catch up

2008-07-23T09:24:00.002-04:00

Per usual, life got in the way of my running and I didn't run for 4 days. I was in Springfield, VA attending my aunt's 65th birthday party on Friday and Saturday and by the time I returned to Baltimore, it was about 95 degrees out, which is too hot to run enjoyably. I picked Annie up from the airport Saturday evening and then slept in on Sunday because I had been up ass-early all week and then again on Saturday morning to eat breakfast at the hotel. Monday morning I remember my alarm going off and hitting snooze, per usual. But then I didn't hear it go off again and woke up on my own after 6 AM, which it s too late to go running and still make it back to shower and get ready for work on time. Bummer.

I got up yesterday and did 4.5 miles without too much trouble. The air quality was horrible and the 4 days off slowed me down, hence the shorter run. Last night, after a full day of work and CFA studying, we went to dinner with Annie's sister and her new boyfriend. They've been itching to go out to dinner with us for a while, and even agreed to drive up to Baltimore from Northern VA for the event, so we couldn't say no. We ate at XS, a relatively new Japanese restaurant up near Penn Station. It was pretty good all around. Annie and I split Vietnamese spring rolls as an appetizer. She had "King King" sushsi and I had chicken Yakisoba. I finished off with a piece of Boston Creme Cheesecake, which was very good.

So, we didn't get back until 10 last night and got to bed about 11:30. This morning, I didn't hear my alarm at all until 5:50, when I realized it was in my nightstand drawer. No idea hwo that happened, but it probably involves me hitting snooze and putting it in the drawer subconciously while half asleep. Very weird. So, again, I awoke too late to get a workout in. It's very frustrating, but I am determined to get speedwork in tomorrow morning and another run in on Friday.

Annie flies out to Colorado on Saturday so I have to take her down to National Airport that afternoon, so I'll probably take Saturday off from running so I can be fresh for Sunday morning. I missed my long run last weekend so I need to get back towards a schedule!

Sprints + Long Run = Sore Monday

2008-07-15T14:59:00.002-04:00

This weekend I learned a valuable lesson: running sprints one day and then a long run the next is not the best idea at this point. While it didn't hobble me in any way, doing two intense workouts back to back definitely tired out my legs and they didn't really feel OK until midway through yesterday. And even still, there was extra tightness to work out this morning when I got on the road for an easy 5 miler. But, the stiffness went away after about a mile and this afternoon my legs feel fine. They should be just fine for a tempo run tomorrow morning.

This Friday night I have to drive to Springfield, VA for my aunt's 65th birthday party. My parents are springing for a hotel room for me, which is totally sweet because a.) driving back to Baltimore from Springfield at midnight after a full day of work and then celebrating would suck and b.) there's an open bar and it would be a shame to miss out on it because I had to drive home at the end of the night. However, this does mean that I won't be running on Saturday morning, which is probably just as well since I do want to get in a quality long run on Sunday. The good news is that I'll be leaving the office early on Friday so I can miss as much of the Washington rush hour traffic as possible. If I can leave Baltimore by 3, I'll be happy.

So, my goal is to do a tempo run tomorrow, easy run on Thursday and some speed work on Friday before taking Saturday off. Sunday's long run will be around 8 miles, more if I feel like it, but after going a month or more without a solid 10 miler or greater, I need to rebuild my distance from the ground up.

Got my Supply Back

2008-07-12T23:46:00.002-04:00

Thankfully, my refill arrived today in the mail, so I won't be having a massive cardiac event on the roads of Baltimore tomorrow morning. Although, it took a full week for it to arrive, which means that a.) I need to order my next refill twice as early as I think I need to and b.) Medco needs to hire more people so they can fill prescriptions faster. Thankfully my condition isn't so bad that I can't survive (literally) without my medicine for a few days.

Anyway, I'm dosing back up on my meds and should be OK for my long run tomorrow morning. Today I slept in a little and then went out to kill two birds with one stone. I headed out around 10 AM to try my hand at hill sprints. I need to get faster, and one of the ways I'm going to do that is to spend one day a week on interval training. Unfortunately, there's not a track near downtown Baltimore because, well, it's Baltimore and not suburbia. That leaves me with only a few options for speed training:

1. Find a relatively long stretch of road on which to do level intervals. Not a bad otpion and one I will probably experiment with in the coming weeks. But I would think you need a street at least 0.25 miles long with only one or two banking turns (like a track) for it be work. In Baltimore, there are streets that fit this bill, although you then have to factor in intersection traffic, location, and pedestrians. At 6 AM, these should be limited.

2. Do hill sprints to maximize training over a shorter distance per sprint. This is what I have opted for today, and it worked out fairly well.

So we'll see how it goes. Doing speed workouts in the gym on the treadmill sucks, as does running on treadmills in general for me, so anything I can do outdoors is a plus.

Tomorrow is a packed day overall as I'll get up early to get my long run in, then come back to shower and change and head to the office for several hours of catch-up and then CFA studying before treating myself to visiting the tent sale going on down in Harbor East. Falls Road Running is one of the vendors and if the deals are right, I'm on the lookout for a new pair of running shorts. It'll be a nice reward for spending the morning and early afternoon at the office on what should be a day of rest were I not married to my job.

Say Yes to (Prescription) Drugs

2008-07-10T15:46:00.002-04:00

That was the moral of this morning's run. It seems that every time I think I re-order my heart medicine, it takes longer than it should to get the refill in the mail. I save a ton of money by doing it via mail, but it's tough to know when I need to order a refill so as to avoid running out of pills before it arrives. This is what happened this time around. I ordered my refill on July 5th and it wasn't shipped out until yesterday morning. In the meantime, I've had to ration my meds and in the process, missed several days' worth of doses. In day to day life, this isn't a big deal. But when my heart rate gets above 160 or so, it has a detrimental effect on me, which I rediscovered this morning. Almost from the instant I started this morning's run, I felt sluggish and winded. My heart was working overtime since it didn't have the usual dose of medicine to prevent the skipping.

After just 2.5 miles, I was done. I could have kept going, but it felt like I was running through some thick soup (and it wasn't all that humid out this morning) and was getting short of breath. So I cut my run in half and walked home. Thus, the moral is to order your meds well in advance so you don't feel like a 75 year old cardiac patient when you go running.

I got 5 miles in on Tuesday morning without any problems, but I had just stopped taking my medicine at that point so I had a built up reserve in my body.

I took Wednesday off because I woke up exhausted. I went back to sleep for another 90 minutes and felt much better the rest of the day. Good decision!

Tomorrow I think I will try a new workout and do some hill sprints. There's a fair sized hill by Federal Hill Park that is about 0.10 miles long, which is just long enough to make a sprint worth the while. Doing 4 of those after a 2 mile warm up followed by a one mile cool down should make for a good workout. The weekend is pretty open at this point, so I will see about getting some cross training in on Saturday and then the long run on Sunday morning.

Back from the Holiday

2008-07-06T17:03:00.002-04:00

I always have the best running intentions going into a weekend at my parents' house in West Virginia. Alas, they always end up remaining just that, good intentions. The story was the same this weekend, as I fully intended to get a 5-6 miler in yesterday. However, when I awoke yesterday it was raining and then I went back to bed and that was all she wrote. So, no running this weekend but I'm OK with that, as I enjoyed some home cooking and quiet time away from Baltimore.

However, I now need to get back on the ball and continue my good progress from last week. That means a 5 miler tomorrow morning, I swear! It's supposed to be humid and hot this week, but that's par for the course in Baltimore in July. I'd like to run Monday and Tuesday, take Wednesday as off/cross training, then run Thursday and Friday. Saturday would be another cross training day followed by the usual Sunday long run. This is my goal for the week. That would come out to be about 30 miles for the week. Am ambitious goal, I know, considering how poorly I have been adhering to a schedule since April. But there's no better time than now to impose some structure.

Unfortunately, pulling long hours at the office and studying for the CFA have to be crammed in there as well.

Relaxing Weekend

2008-06-30T15:23:00.002-04:00

Rather than trouble myself with actually accomplishing a lot this weekend, I instead made doing nothing my top priority. Considering that most of my weekends in July and August are already booked, I'll take every chance I get to sit around and waste time while I can.

Anyway, Saturday I got up and went to REI and got a pair of hiking boots that were on clearance, further continuing my streak of not paying full price for any of my new camping gear. I came back and spent the afternoon sitting by the pool and catching up on some reading. Sunday morning I got up and was running by 7 AM, however it was already 75 with dewpoints in the high 60's, which made running laborious. I got 7.6 miles in, which wasn't too bad and I think I am getting steadily more acclimated to the weather, as I wasn't totally exhausted after this run, although it was tough to get enough oxygen to my muscles.

I'm taking today off, per usual, and will head out tomorrow morning. My hope is to run every morning this week since I won't be able to run this weekend due to being out of town for the holiday. So, I want to run the next four days in a row to make up for missing Saturday and Sunday. I'm not driving out to WV until later Friday morning, so I'll be able to get up and run per usual, with no traffic to worry about since it'll be the 4th.

On the racing front, I think I am going to make another change in my schedule. Rather than run the Pikesville 5K next Sunday (the 13th), I think I am going to sign up for a 5K in Cincinnati on August 30th, when we'll be out there doing wedding stuff. It's at the Cincinnati Zoo, so it would be a cool race to do. It's also $5 cheaper than Pikesville, and I still get a t-shirt, so it looks like a solid play.

Also, I think I am going to run the Full Moon Run on August 16th out on the NCR Trail. It's at 9 PM and the only light you get is a glo-stick, but the trail is actually flat and gravel (it's an old railway line) so you won't trip over a root or rocks or anything. Should be a pretty cool event and fits well with my vacation, as I will be back in Baltimore from camping on the 14th.

So, that gives me two races in August, one in September, one in October, and possibly one in November if I decide to run the Richmond half. That doesn't count the Zoo Zoom, a Turkey Trot and the Celctic Solstice in December. It's shaping up to be a very busy Fall!

I also should be getting a book I ordered from Amazon called Weight Training for Runners, or something similar. I've been wanting to boost my strength, but have no idea how to start or what to do in the gym, so this book should at least give me some good starting points to help me get stronger and thus, faster. It'll also feel better to actually use my gym membership again!

Pulling a Curt Schilling

2008-06-27T21:35:00.002-04:00

This work week I got two runs in, which is less than I wanted, but there's always next week. I'm going to get up early tomorrow morning to get 5 miles in, so all is not lost for the week.

Sunday's run was hot, as I woke up early and saw that it was still in the mid 60's and cloudy and decided to get another hour of sleep since it looked like it was going to wait a little while before heating up. Then I woke up around 7:30 to find a sunny, humid day waiting for me. Nice. But I got my 10 miles in, which is relatively encouraging, and then made my way to Alexandria for the birthday brunch. The brunch was good, but the "buffet" was actually only a partial buffet. You could order an entree from the menu and then eat from a buffet of salad, fresh fruit, danishes, bagels and cheese. I think that's what they call the "overpriced yet under delivering you're paying for the supposed atmosphere" buffet. So I was not totally thrilled with parting with that $25.00. Given my druthers, I won't be requesting we eat at that place again. But it was nice to see my family and spend some QT with them.

Anyway, Monday I took off and Tuesday I think I just turned my alarm off. I got out the door on Wednesday morning out of pure shame for skipping Tuesday. A solid run in a humid but cool morning. After Sunday's run, I noticed that my shoe had rubbed a spot on my heel raw and it was sore, but not bleeding or blistering. So I let it go and forgot about it until I was out on the road on Wednesday morning and it really started to hurt. Well I got back home and my sock and shoe surrounding the raw place was blood stained. Awesome. And my heel was pretty painful. So I poured some detergent on the sock to keep it from setting between now and laundry day (this is also known as Male Stain Treatment because we just don't invest in Stainstick or similar things) and bandaged my heel after my shower. It's healed up nicely thus far. But this is the first injury I've had from running that has drawn blood so that's pretty awesome. I may keep the sock as a memorial to my toughness/dumbness.

Yesterday I got out the door as well, although it was hotter out and still as humid. I taped my heel in an effort to prevent further injury and for the most part it worked. But by 3 miles, it was starting to bother me and so rather than really screw up my foot for a week or more, I turned around and trotted back home a few miles short of my daily distance. Sure enough, the area was quite red, and my sock had more blood stains, but I actually think that was from the stain on the inside of my shoe, because the tape wasn't red. Anyway, today it feels fine and looks like it's healing and should be healed enough to run on tomorrow.

Tomorrow, as I said, I will be getting up early to get my run in before Baltimore turns into a sauna. Then I will probably come back, shower and lay around until about 10 before heading out to REI. The pool in my building opens at noon, so I'll head out and get some sun and catch up on some reading for work in the afternoon. Should be a relaxing day before the long run on Sunday morning, which I plan on NOT doing at 9 AM when it's hot as hell outside.

I Accept the Challenge

2008-06-21T21:09:00.003-04:00

Several things to report in this post, not in any particular order:

1. I have made some slightly less tentative plans with regards to my racing schedule over the coming months. I will in fact be running the Pikesville 5K in roughly three weeks' time. I will be mailing my registration form on Monday (once I can print it out for free at work and mail it off because I refuse to pay the bullshit "processing" fee that Active.com levies). I will more than likely take August off from racing as I'm going on vacation for a week (hiking 20 miles in four days with a full pack in the mountains should compensate!) and then we're going to Cincinnati for Labor Day. I'll run the Run to Remember on September 11th here in Charm City and then focus on the Baltimore Half Marathon on October 11 and Richmond Half on November 15.

2. I did not run this morning, as I had originally planned, but I'm mostly OK with that. Instead I sat out at the pool for a few hours and tried mostly successfully to avoid getting a bad sunburn. I only burned on my legs a little but nothing embarassing that people will stare at come Monday. Tomorrow morning I'll get my butt out of bed early and get 8-10 (hopefully 10!) miles in before coming back and getting ready to head down to Alexandria for my grandmother's 85th birthday brunch. It's an all you can eat affair, so I want to get 10 miles in to really build my apetite. I view all you can eats as a challenge. Almost as if the restaurant owner is goading me into eating $25.00 worth of food, which is like 35 pounds or so. Well, Mr. Owner, I accept your challenge and hope you've made plenty of eggs, ham and hash browns.

3. Tasted a few more root beers lately and was mostly happy with them all. Here are my thoughts:

Dad's Root Beer: Heard a lot about Dad's, most of it good. Not bad overall. Made with cane sugar, which made it nice and smooth going down. There was, however, an initial taste of menthol right at the beginning before the actual root beer flavor hit. Took me a few sips to figure out that it tasted and smelled a little like Ben Gay. Not terrible, but not really a standout either. 6 out of 10.

Stewart's: I am a big fan of Stewart's Oranges and Cream soda, first of all. It's the only thing I'll drink on those rare occasions when I frequent a Cracker Barrel. I'd never tried the root beer before and I ahve to say, I'll stick with the O&C. The root beer just wasn't all that fantastic. It wasn't bad, but it was definitely not worth the trouble. A friend of mine warned me that Stewart's did not taste as good as they would like to think, and I believe he's right. 6 out of 10.

Barq's: I said I would try to reacquaint myself with this brew and I found my opportunity last night when I stopped at Burger King for dinner after work. I have to say, this definitely beats Mug and Sam's Club for best canned root beer thus far. Solid taste that isn't too sweet and thus allows one to enjoy more than one (or one large soda from a fast food joint). A little too carbonated for my liking, but I realize this might be from the syrup/soda water mixture. A solid staple for your fridge if you're not interested in spending $4-6 for a four pack of something better. 7 our of 10.

I was at the Wal-Mart today and picked up a 12 pack of A&W for $3, so I will try that out and compare to Mug, Barq's and Sam's Choice. While the specialty brews like IBC and Frostie are preferrable, it's tough to find them in large quantities at reasonable prices. So, finding a solid canned backup is key. I also still have yet to taste my bottles of Berghoff's and A.J. Stephans, both of which I have heard are excellent.

Housekeeping

2008-06-19T11:46:00.003-04:00

It occurred to me yesterday while I was sitting in an all-day meeting that I had never updated my blog following the Survivor Harbor 7 miler back in the early part of the month. So my widget had been reading countdown complete for about 10 days now. I took care of that and adjusted my other lists, etc. I haven't uploaded my latest runs to my log, which is why it says I have not run any miles this week. But rest assured, I got another run in this morning. I'm still coming up just shy of 5 miles, so will have to further tweak the route tomorrow morning.

Due to the cancellation of my trip to Denver, I won't be running the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon in August. That leaves a long gap between now and my next race, the Baltimore Half Marathon on October 11th. I haven't decided when my next race will be. I am strongly considering running the Pikesville 5K on July 13th as a barometer race to see where my fitness level is at that point. Then again, I may use all of July as a training month and find a race in August to do. Right now, I have several races I'm considering:

- Pikesville 5K (will probably do this race as I haven't run a 5K since March)
- Annapolis 10 Miler (supposed to be a terrific race, but it's $50 and may fill up before I come to a decision)
- Philadelphia Distance Run (half marathon in September; very popular and crowded...this would be three half's in three months so I will probably not do this race)
- Some other race in Cincinnati at the end of August (we'll be out there then so it would make sense)

We'll see how things shape up. For now, I'm just trying to get into a habit again and establish some sort of rhythm. This weekend will be sort of busy with my grandmother's birthday brunch on Sunday afternoon. I've decided to just keep my long run on Sunday morning so I can relax on Saturday and sleep in a little later. I need one morning to relax!

Solid Effort

2008-06-17T11:47:00.002-04:00

The weather has really turned plesant for mid-June in Baltimore. The end of last week was muggy and hot (not heat wave hot, but still near 90) so it was welcome relief when thunderstorms rolled through on Saturday night and dried out the air and lowered the temperature.

I met my parents in Frederick for a Keys game on Sunday evening for Father's Day and we had a great time thanks to the temperate weather. I had my fill of ballpark food (Italian sausage with peppers and onions, beer, chili cheese fries, soda and soft serve ice cream) and we enjoyed some good minor league baseball. I have to say that the Keys have pretty good food, too. I think it's better than what you can get at Camden Yards. Certainly it's better priced than here in Baltimore, but that's to be expected. I got a 24 oz Yeungling beer for $9.00, which is a great deal when you consider that a crappy 8 oz watered down beer at Camden Yards will set you back $6.50. And it's not that far away from Baltimore...it took me about 50 minutes to drive out there and back total and that's from downtown Baltimore to the stadium in Frederick. We sat 4 rows from the field (on the visitor's side since the Potomac Nationals were playing!) for $11.00 per ticket. Can't beat minor league baseball, in my opinion.

So, with the weather cooperating, I got out for a solid run this morning. I changed up my route to allow a stop at the top of Federal Hill park to use the water fountain up there (a clutch find!) and as a result, I keep coming up about .25-.40 miles short on my runs (my usual length is 5 miles). Tomorrow I intend to scrape another half mile out of my route to get to 5 miles. However the air was drier and it was about 60 degrees out, so it felt much less burdensome to run.

On another note, I have finalized my plans for vacation in August. I applied for my backcountry permit for Shenandoah National Park, so I will hopefully get the permit back in about two weeks. That saves me the time of having to get it when I actually go to the park in August. I've bought most of the gear I wanted and got some hot discounts on it as well. For example, I got a $120 tent and $150 pack for $99.95 and $119.00 respectively. Then I got free shipping AND found an online code to get an additional 10% off my order. So I ended up saving like 30% on my order total. Not bad. I also talked LL Bean into giving me free shipping on my sleeping bag and sleeping pad, saving me a cool $8.00. Most of my stuff should be arriving today, too, which is awesome. I'll be able to take my tent to my parents' house and practice putting it up and taking it down over July 4th. My next task is to find some comfortable hiking boots that won't cost me an arm and a leg. I may need to make a trip to REI to scout out a pair and then find them cheap online.

My goal is to run the rest of the week but take Friday off. The family is having brunch down in Alexandria on Sunday afternoon, so I may move my long run up to Saturday morning this week to uncrowd the schedule on Sunday. No need to cram a bunch of stuff into a weekend day, right? Right.

Sleep over Fitness

2008-06-15T12:14:00.002-04:00

The best laid plans of mice and men...

I had fully intended to get up early this morning and get a nice 10 miler in to start my day, but that was not meant to be. First, I was up late planning my camping trip in August out to Shenandoah National Park and thus, lost several precious hours of sleep on the front side. I woke up at 6 AM feeling awful, but that's nothing out of the ordinary as no matter how long I sleep or what time I wake up, I always seem to feel bad until I actually get up out of bed.

It was a cool 68 degrees out this morning and while it was humid, it would have been fine for running. But I was too tired and haven't slept in for a few weeks now, so I turned my alarm off and went back to bed for another 5 hours. I must have really needed it! So, now I feel much better, fully rested and all. There's always next Sunday for long runs.

Now, it's off to get a shower and then spend the afternoon studying CFA material before heading out to Frederick for a Keys' game with the parents for Father's Day.

Brews and Miles

2008-06-13T21:29:00.004-04:00

OK, so the title of this post sucks but I wasn't in the mood to sit around and think of a rhyming title that was catchy.

I once again was unable to meet my mileage goals for the week, but there's always next week! I'm going to get another 5 miles in tomorrow and then a long run of hopefully 10 miles on Sunday so it won't be too bad of a weekend. I'm going to drag myself out of bed early tomorrow too so I don't wilt from the humidity.

This week was busier than I anticipated mainly because I had to finally bite the bullet and book the expensive honeymoon. I have been putting this off for literally months because I didn't want to think about spending that kind of money on a single trip. However, it's one of those expenses that's really not optional and so it had to be done. Our past vacations have been self-planned expierences, and while I prefer that to pre-packaged tours, a honeymoon is different. We both had agreed that we didn't want to do much planning once we got to our final destination, and so the logical choices were a cruise or an all-inclusive resort. After doing some serious research the last week and a half and running many price comparisons, I came to the conclusion that we'd be spending the same amount for a cruise (the cruise and airfare) as we would to go to an all-inclusive. However, with tips, most alcoholic drinks, logistics and off-ship activities not included in the cruise price, the all-inclusive made the most sense. So, I booked use for a week at an all-inclusive in the Caribbean and we got a very nice deal on a Honeymoon suite with concierge service, so we aren't staying in a broom closet. It's pricey, but it'll be worth it.

And, if I pass the CFA Level I exam in December, my firm gives me $4,000 cash so that would pay for the trip by itself...no pressure!

With that done, we're one giant leap closer to finishing our wedding plans. Thank goodness! Maybe now I can concentrate more on running and training and enjoy the summer.

In other news, the last two weeks I've gotten on a root beer kick. I don't know what sparked it, honestly, but I used to hate root beer and then I LOVED it and then I got away from it (went to Sprite, then Coke, then Dr. Pepper, then Diet Coke and now favor Coke Zero) and am now back to it. I've started searching out new root beer brews wherever I can find them, although getting beyond Barq's, Mug and A&W can be tough here in Baltimore. We stock Mug at work in the kitchens, so all is not lost, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. To that end, as I try new brews, I'll post about them here, although in short order, as there's really only so much one can say about a particular root beer, no matter how good it may be. To date, here are my thoughts in brief:

Mug
Made by Pepsi Co and available everywhere. Not bad for a canned root beer that is produced by the ton. Pretty carbonated and you can really taste the corn syrup in each sip. Can be too sweet to drink more than one at a time, although I think this migh have more to do with my own tastes (I like Coke Zero because it lacks the sugary taste) than anything else. Classic root beer flavors here, but nothing remarkable and the taste quickly fades into carbonation. Overall, 5 out of 10.

IBC

Based on my limited experience, this is one of my favorites. Not too fizzy with a creamy, smooth feel and taste. Solid root beer flavoring here but not overwhelming. Solid option if you're debating between this and any of the canned stuff. 8 out of 10.

Sparky's
This is a beer brewed in California, and they've started shipping it to select markets. I found this one at a Fresh Market off of Greenspring Ave thanks to a co-worker's tip. Way too much birch spice here for my taste. It tastes like you're eating pure wintergreen flavoring. It has a nice wintergreen smell to it but that's because the flavor is overwhelming. There were hints of smoother accents in the background, but they were killed by the birch. Couldn't finish the entire bottle, sadly. 3 out of 10.

Sam's Choice Root Beer
Available at your local Wal-Mart, so basically every 3 miles or so. I bought a 12 pack on sale for $2.83 (that's about $0.24 per can!) on a lark. And you know, it wasn't half bad. Definitely better than Mug, which came as a surprise. Typical middle of the road root beer flavoring with just a tad too much carbonation. But didn't taste as much syrupy sweetness in this as I did with Mug. I could have easily had two of these in one sitting if I wanted to and not feel gross. This would be a nice third option root beer if you're at a Wal-Mart and don't want to spend $3.99 or more on Barq's, etc. Again, a very pleasant surprise here. 6 out of 10.

Frostie
Thus far, my favorite root beer. Very smooth, slightly vanilla flavor initially with no overwhelming wintergreen assault. Not a ton of carbonation, which helps the flavor linger for a while. The only downside to Frostie's is that the flavor does fade a little quicker than I'd like. But it keeps you coming back for more! Could definitely drink a few of these at a picnic, etc. Apparently you can buy this in cans from Costco, although I have yet to confirm that. If so, this would be a great staple for the fridge, as I've heard they price it at $4.00 per case! 8.5 out of 10

That's all I've hit up thus far. However, I bought bottles of Berghoff's, A.J. Stephans, Dad's Original, Stewart's and a can of Dr. Brown's at the Fresh Market to try in the coming days. I ahve to limit myself to one per day though! I'll also buy some Barq's soon to get an updated impression.

In the meantime, I will end this very long post and turning on the Nationals game, as I don't want to watch the Orioles play the crappy Pirates when I can watch my Nats try to beat lowly Seattle!

He Chose...Poorly (Survivor Harbor 7 Race Report)

2008-06-09T16:20:00.003-04:00

After a very busy week at work and then an equally busy weekend at home, I'm back at the office for another Monday posting. Hopefully this week I can post more than once! Annie got in on Thursday so it was nice to see her, if for only a few days. I dropped her off at BWI this morning before work and she's now safely back in the Ozarks, where it's oddly enough about 20 degrees (at least) cooler than it is here. The last few days have been brutal: high 90's with tons of humidity. This is July weather, not early June! I knew it would be bad for the race on Sunday and I was not disappointed. It was a crisp 80 degrees when I left the apartment at 7:00 AM and warmed up another 6-8 degrees by the end of the race. I knew it was going to be awful and I knew that I wasn't acclimatized to the heat yet, thanks to my laziness and the sudden heatwave.

I got to the starting line around 7:50, already soaked from my short warm up run to the site. I had just enough time to grab my chip, down two cups of water and stretch out the calves and Achilles before the race began. I stayed in the back where I knew I'd be somewhat safe from the humiliation of having 500 people pass me over the coming 7 miles. To be honest, the first 3.5 miles were fine and I felt OK, all things considered. Then the wheels came off. The heat and humidity were too much for my still adjusting body and generally lazy training routine. I ran much of the way but took frequent walk breaks, which inflated my pace and made me increasingly frustrated. By about mile 5, I was over the race and ready to just be done. I don't care what anyone says, running in those conditions is not fun. It sucks, actually. There's nothing refreshing about struggling through 7 miles in that weather. By the end of it, you're dehydrated, sore, pissed off, soaked with sweat and water, and generally feel awful.

The only consolation I drew from it was that I didn't totally quit and walk off the course, which is something I would only seriously consider if I were injured or really ill, etc. Nonetheless, doing a race this early in the summer, when the weather has the penchant for turning muggy and steamy, is probably something I won't do next year. In fact, as I shuffled along the Inner Harbor, I came to several realizations:

- Running in the cold January morning sucks but struggling through the swamp-like June/July morning sucks even more because you look and feel horrible. Fall and Spring runs are my favorites and those "shoulder seasons" are the best time for racing for me.

- Starting a race at 8 AM is probably too late in the summer. By the time we started, the sun had been up for about 2 hours and had already started to heat up Baltimore like an oven. Summer races should probably start at 7 AM or earlier. It sucks to be up that early, but hey, the alternative is crawling across the finish line.

- The majority of my races need to be in the Fall. Thus, Baltimore and Richmond are good choices for me and my environmental tastes. However running some shorter 5K's in the summer would be beneficial, I think.

- I need to get my mind right and start really training. That means running 4 times a week at least, the other two days at the gym cross training. Also, I want to figure out a way to boost my speed and increase my strength.

In other news, I don't think I will be going to Colorado for vacation this year, as airfares are horrendous. Car rental rates are nearly as bad and add gasoline to that mix and you've got an overpriced trip. It's just not worth the expense to go out there, when I'm sure I'll have another chance to see Denver and surrounding areas down the road.

However, I think I will instead just take a 3-4 day camping trip out to Shenandoah National Park in August while Annie is in Colorado and save about $1,000. I can live with a local vacation if it means we can afford a nicer honeymoon come October. We'll see. Annie is hesitant about me going out there by myself, but then again, I'm a Boy Scout and have been out before so I'm not all that worried.

Sleeping In + Heat = Embarassment

2008-06-02T14:18:00.002-04:00

That's the equation for this past weekend because on both Saturday and Sunday I got crushed by Mother Nature. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense to me, but it still sucks. If you run in 75 degrees with 50% humidity or greater, you will suffer. Saturday it was north of 75 and high 80's in humidity...nice. Sunday was mid 70's and 50% humidity.

Like I said, looking back, it follows that I should have a learning curve when it comes to running in the heat. I had to get used to running in the cold weather by waiting until later in the morning to run on the weekends and wearing the appropriate attire, etc. It's only logical that the same is true for running in the heat for the first time. While I got out the door at what I thought was an appropriately early 8:30 AM, this is in fact too late by about 90 minutes, if not more. Most sources on the web suggest running as early as possible, if not earlier. In fact, if you want to run on Saturday, go ahead and get out there on Friday just to be safe.

Seriously, the earlier you run, the better. Again, this makes perfect sense to me. I thought that's what I was doing and if it was February, 8:30 would be an ideal time to head out (sun's been out enough to warm things up a little, no traffic since it's early, etc). But in late May, not so much. This is undoubtedly why I had such a fantastic run during the workweek last week...it was about 57 degrees out! It was also 6:00 AM.

Both days I took plenty of water along and refilled at water fountains along the way, so my hydration is not a problem. The time of day is the culprit here. So, that means my weekends will not be for sleeping in, but instead will be peppered with afternoon naps, which I'm OK with, actually.

So, tomorrow I may get out to run. The reason I say may is that they're installing new windows in my apartment tomorrow and I need to have everything moved away from my windows before I leave for work. I could simply get up earlier and run then come back and shower and move my furniture so we'll see. I have a goal to run the rest of the week and then hit the gym on Saturday, but that may change depending on my schedule. Once these windows are installed, my life will be much less hectic as my apartment's feng shui will have returned.

Nonetheless, I need to get my ass to bed earlier at night so I can get up earlier the next day, bottom line.

Waiting for Lunch

2008-05-29T12:41:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here at my desk listening to a meeting taking place in the conference room (which is called a "teaming area" in corporate parlance these days)waiting for it to begin so that it can end. This meeting got lunch delivered for it, which means that any leftovers become public property at its conclusion. While I've brought a sandwich today, per usual, I'd much prefer a deli sandwich and dessert instead. I can just leave my sandwich in the fridge and enjoy it tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'll drop a quick post about this morning's run. Last night I went against the grain and instead of setting my alarm for the latest possible time I could wake up and have enough time to run, I set it for 5 AM on the dot. I figured that if I started the process of hitting the snooze button earlier, I could end up getting up on time for once. And you know what? It totally worked. I hit the snooze button three times, which meant I got out of bed around 5:30 (8 minutes per snooze) and was able to take my time getting ready and was running by 5:55. I got back to the apartment before 7 and was able to make ti to work right on time. Perfect! Now we'll see how it goes tomorrow morning to see if this was just a fluke.

The run itself was very good. I sped up as I progressed (I think; I haven't loaded my time into the computer yet) and felt stronger at the end than at the beginning, which is a rare feeling. There were a good number of people out today as well, although the number increases dramatically around 6:30...before that, it's just the early risers out and about. I'll post my splits this evening when I get home and can get into Training Center.

Tomorrow is another 5 miles, followed by either spinning or some other cross training on Saturday and then I'll try another 10 miler on Sunday morning.

I'm starving now, so I think I will go ahead and eat my sandwich and then possibly get another sandwich after this meeting if I can. I have to eat before I pass out!

Sunday's Long Run Splits & Map

2008-05-26T21:26:00.003-04:00

Almost forgot!

Mile 1: 9:20
Mile 2: 9:33
Mile 3: 10:00
Mile 4: 10:22 (ouch!)
Mile 5: 10:01
Mile 6: 10:04
Mile 7: 10:03
Mile 8: 9:40

Long Run 05-26-08
Find more Runs in Baltimore, Maryland

Wrapping Up Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-26T16:59:00.003-04:00

With Annie in Arkansas until the 5th, this weekend was all about getting caught up and I have mostly accomplished that. This is a long post, as I post my thoughts on the new Indiana Jones movie here as well.

I've done OK with catching up on sleep, although I'm a night owl and going to bed early on non-work nights is a tough task. Still, I feel rested for going back to the office tomorrow.

I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull yesterday afternoon and was not as disappointed as I was expecting. I had read a review earlier in the week that basically said the movie was only watchable because Harrison Ford stayed true to the Indy character. I was not expecting to really enjoy the movie. But in point of fact, it was not bad at all! Certainly, I would not rank it above Raiders of the Lost Ark or the Last Crusade (perhaps the single greatest adventure movie ever made, in my opinion), but definitely better than the Temple of Doom. I'll try not to reveal too much of the plot, in case you haven't seen it yet.

The pros:

1.) A seamless replacement of the Nazis in 1930's with the Soviets in the 1950's.
2.) TONS of symbolism and imagery hearkening back to the past three movies.
3.) An intriguing storyline that, while outlandish, is not totally made up as the crystal skulls and the other-worldly theory of their creation actually exist.
4.) Shia LaBeouf was not as annoying as a sidekick as I was expecting. I couldn't handle another example of Shorty from Temple of Doom. Mutt is a decent sidekick and can take care of himself.
5.) The return of Mariam Ravenwood is worked in just fine, in my opinion. I'm not looking for Oscar-worthy stories, here, after all.
6.) Cate Blanchett is very good as the nemesis here, ably following in the footsteps of Beloche from Raiders and Walter Donovan from Crusade.

My cons:
1.) Too much CGI! I remember seeing a comment from George Lucas about how computers and bigger budgets allowed him to do lots of things with the later Star Wars movies that he wasn't able to do the first time around. While that's great, it can be overpowering. The first three Indiana Jones movies were fantastic because CGI effects were kept to a level that was just enough to really make the movie pop. I like actual explosions and stunts, but maybe I'm old fashioned. Some of the sequences were bordering on silly, which is similar to some of the sequences in Star Wars, oddly enough. The part with the army ants is a case in point.

2.) The ending was just OK for me. Neither Blanchett's character nor Ray Winestone's character get a satisfying come-uppance. And really, the Soviet colonel doesn't either. Certainly not on par with the Nazi colonel's death by falling tank in Last Crusade or the Nazis' death by angelic fury melting in Raiders. Also, there wasn't as much history and mythology in this one as I would have liked, but maybe that's my history degree talking.

3.) Ray Winestone and John Hurt's characters are largely superfluous to the story and Winestone's character is never leveraged to the same degree as Dr. Schneider in Last Crusade. His flaw never really makes a big difference in the overall flow of events.

Overall, not a bad movie and I would suggest any serious Indiana Jones fan go see it to at least form your own opinion. I only wish they had made this movie in 1995 instead of 2008 to keep it fresher. But I was a history major in college because of Indiana Jones, so I'm probably biased.

Yesterday I hit the pool at the gym and swam for a solid 30 minutes. It was a lot more taxing than I remember! But I was pleased with the result, although I have no idea how far I swam, as I don't know exactly how long the pool is...maybe 25 meters? 30 meters? Nonetheless, I'm planning on going back tomorrow morning to stretch my aching muscles.

Today I went for my long run but again made the mistake of not going to bed early enough and thus not waking up early enough. I got out about 9:30 AM, which in March and April is plenty early temperature-wise as the temp never gets above 60 or 70 at most. However, summer is upon us here in Baltimore (early Summer, that is. High summer with the choking humidity and stagnant smoggy air are just a month off I think) and the temperature was already in the high 70's when I stepped outside. It got well into the 80's with some intense sunshine as I ran, which just killed me. As you can see from my splits below, I took my time and stopped several times to either enjoy some shade or drink some water. My goal was to hit 10 miles today but I only made it 8 which, all things considered, isn't half bad.

I'm going to post my run from Map My Run below, which I used to do but then got out of due to laziness. However, some highlights from the run:

1.) I found an operating water fountain out on the eastern edge of Patterson Park! The water was pretty cool, but not cold and was a godsend. I will definitely incorporate that into my long run routes.

2.) I ran out to the Masonic lodge I am hoping to visit in early June. A little tidbit that not many people know about is that I am indeed a Master Mason and Brother Freemason. My grandfather was a Mason and when I returned from London in 2005, he encouraged me to look into it, which I did and found it fascinating. I spent the better part of a year studying the various degrees, etc, and was raised to the degree of Master Mason in July of 2006. Unfortunately, I haven't been attending lodge since moving to Baltimore because there's only one lodge in the city. I attended communication at a lodge up in Towson last summer, but it just wasn't a match for me. The brothers were all very nice and hospitable. The "welcoming committee," which is a triumvirate of brothers who greet visiting brothers and make sure they are actual Masons by asking them several questions that only a Mason would know, was OK, although there was an older brother who got snippy with me and the other visiting brother because we had both been raised out of state and our knowledge was slightly different from what a MD Mason would possess. Perhaps that soured me from the outset?

At any rate, the meeting took forever and the brothers did not have as solid a grasp of ritual that I am accustomed to, so I never went back. Plus it's a 30 minute drive out there! Too far. I'm really looking forward to visiting this new lodge in a few weeks and hopefully finding a new home lodge. I ran out there to see where it was and the parking situation, etc.

3.) On my way back from Patterson Park/Canton, I discovered the Baltimore Waterfront Promenade, which I'm sure everyone else in the area already knew about. Basically it's a trail that winds along the Baltimore waterfront, theoretically from South Baltimore to Canton, although I don't think this is entirely true. I know it begins in Canton and goes all the way around the Inner Harbor but it stops at the Rusty Scupper. When they complete construction of the Ritz Carlton, I assume the trail will run in front of it and then continue along the southern waterfront. For all intents and purposes, however, it stops at the Rusty Scupper now. Nonetheless, it's a nice alternative to running through "central" Fells Point and might be longer than the straight shot up Aliceanna St.

So, overall, not a bad weekend. I'm going to spend the evening catching up on my reading for work (company briefings, articles and other things). I have a small hankering to watch the Last Crusade now too, so I might do that. I've seen that movie about 200 times!

Finally Some Nice Weather!

2008-05-24T10:41:00.002-04:00

After a month of March temps and seemingly daily rain, the weather seems to have broken for a few days and given us a great Memorial Day weekend! Today was a beautiful day for running: cloudless, 60 degrees with a slight breeze.

I got up and headed out around 8:45 to beat the tourists that are sure to choke the Inner Harbor this afternoon. I did my usual 5 mile route, but not running for 7 days cost me some of my already limited fitness and I had to stop a couple times and be satisfied with 4.8 miles. However, my pace wasn't horrible all things considered. This week was just nuts at work and with Annie leaving so I really need to focus from here on out.

Tomorrow I may actually go to the gym and swim/bike rather than do my long run. Then I'll do my long run on Monday morning since I have Memorial Day off and it's supposed to be even better weather on Monday than today or tomorrow. We'll see what I feel like doing.

You Want How Much?!

2008-05-21T10:38:00.002-04:00

So I won't be doing the Baltimore 10-Miler in late June, but not for lack of desire. Rather, a lack of willingness to overpay for a race has led me to my decision. Remember when I said in my last post that I was hoping that there'd be an option for runners who don't want a fleece to sign up for the race at a discounted price (similar to the Celtic Solstice and Dreaded Druid Hills)? Yeah, that option apparently didn't enter the race directors' minds because the only option they give you is the full option, which costs $50.

Now, I like road races as much as the next guy, but $50 is a bit steep for a local race in its first year. I was willing to pay $80 for the National Half Marathon because it's an established race, is very well run, popular, and is relatively long-distance. You also got a full weekend of activities and a nice T-shirt and medal, etc. All well and good. I'll also shell out $60 or so for the Richmond Half Marathon on my birthday in November for the same reasons.

However, I'm not about the pay a high price for an untested product. Not only that, but the course we'll be running isn't fundamentally different from the Zoo Zoom (5 miles) or Dreaded Druid Hills (10K). The main difference is it leaves Druid Hill Park and goes out to Montebello Lake and returns. And who wants a maroon fleece with the race insignia on it in the middle of summer anyway? Probably a lot of people because I would imagine the race will fill up as there aren't as many 10 Milers around as you'd think. So long as they sell out, they'll keep the entry fee exorbitantly high. I'm hoping they get a paltry turnout so they'll consider lowering the fee next year. I doubt that will happen, but one can always hope.

So, I'm left with no races after the Survivor Harbor 7 Miler in early June for now. I'm seriously considering the Dreaded Druid Hills 10K, but need to really assess my hill training before signing up. This race is a very reasonable $10 without the shirt and $25 with the shirt so cost is not an issue here.

Annie left for Opera in the Ozarks today, which means I'm on my own for two weeks until she returns for her performances in College Park. That means I can get back to running more regularly and studying for the CFA. With her moving, our evenings have been consumed with packing and moving stuff the last two weeks so I'm glad that part is over for now! Tomorrow morning it's back out on the roads to prepare for the Survivor Harbor!

Washout

2008-05-20T08:53:00.002-04:00

Woke up this morning to a solid rain that has just started to let up. Oh well, I'll hit the roads tomorrow since Annie is going to be up super early to catch the Super Shuttle to BWI for her flight to Arkansas.

As an aside, I always find it interesting that when you're traveling to an urban area, like Los Angeles, for example, you always reference the city, but when you're traveling to a rural place like Eureka Springs, AR, you usually just say the state name. Maybe it's a recognition thing: why say the name of a town noone's ever heard of and then have to explain where it is, etc? Just saying Arkansas conveys the general theme of remoteness.

Anyway, last night Annie drove the car to an audition in Annapolis and when she got home she said that as she was driving up Charles St, she heard something pop underneath and then the car got really loud. Sounded like a busted muffler or exhaust pipe to me, which is not wholly unsurprising, as I've heard rattling for a few weeks now and the potholes in Baltimore and Washington are murder on a car if hit constantly. Sure enough, the muffler has broken off from the exhaust pipe leading into the engine block and is dangling beneath the car. When I started the Jeep, it sounded like I had a souped up engine in there! Pretty cool except that carbon monoxide leaks into the cabin when your exhaust pipe breaks.

So, best case scenario is that they just weld the muffler back to the pipe and put a new coupler on the pipe (I'm willing to bet the old coupler broke months ago and sped up the pipe breaking). I'm taking it in to the shop for an estimate on Thursday morning. I've got some money saved in an emergency fund for this type of thing, but it still sucks to have to put more money into a 14 year old car. But I don't want a car payment right now, so an annual offering to the car gods will have to suffice.

Needless to say, the car won't be used extensively going forward. It just can't stand up to the pounding of being driven between Baltimore and Washington on a daily basis. The occasional use won't hurt it because it's in good shape for being so old, but daily commuting is out of the question, I think. With gas prices so high, I think that's economically practical as well as it now costs $50 to fill the tank!

Not having the Jeep starts a domino effect. I was supposed to attend a training class in Owings Mills tomorrow afternoon but had to cancel since I have no reliable transport, and now I'll have to move Annie's dresser on Saturday without the use of a rented dolly, as I can't drive to go rent one. Luckily, there's nothing else I need the car for between now and the Baltimore 10-Miler in late June so if the estimate comes in high, I can wait for a few weeks to save some more cash.

On the whole, yesterday was an annoying day, to be sure. Hopefully today will be better.

Swapping One for the Other

2008-05-19T11:57:00.003-04:00

So turns out the prospect of getting up at 4AM for a race that's a 2 hour drive away is not enough inspiration for me. I skipped the Delaware 10-Miler...maybe I'll do it next year. I was feeling guilty about it until this morning when I got an e-mail announcing the new Baltimore 10 Miler is going to be held on June 21! Registration opens tomorrow morning at 10AM so I will have to get on that. However, they don't tell you how much the race costs, although I think it will be similarly priced to the Celtic Solstice, which has two prices, one for those runners who want the "premium" (a nice-looking winter running jacket) and one for those runners who just want the race. I chose the lower cost because it was about 75% lower than the premium price and I don't need another running jacket. It sounds like this race is going to follow similar lines. They're offering a pullover fleece for this race, although it's not worded as something every runner WILL receive but rather something that every CAN receive. I assume that means you can opt out of receiving a fleece and save a substantial sum of money on the entry fee. If so, I'll go the cheap route and live without another fleece in my closet. The Celtic Solstice was $10 for non-premium entry, which is right up my alley. Hopefully the 10-Miler will come in around $20 (it's associated the University of Maryland Heart Center and hospitals love charging higher prices for things, hence my inflated price).

At any rate, unless the entry fee is too high, I'll be running this race. I was worried that I didn't have a decent race to run in the end of June, so this works out really well on that front. It's also in Baltimore, which minimizes travel time and expense. I'll just have to drive up to Druid Hill Park, which is like 10 minutes away. No biggie. The race is limited to 2,000 runners, which means it won't be a mad house either.

So, I wimped out on one race, but was rewarded by getting to participate in an inaugural race here in Baltimore!

Back from Cincy and Considering a Rain Check

2008-05-17T21:27:00.002-04:00

Just got back from our weekend in Cincinnati. Everything went according to plan and we got a lot accomplished in the few days we had there. We met with our priest (again), got the tuxedo rentals squared away (my parents will buy mine, but most of the bridal party will be renting tuxes), began looking at invitations, registered for our fine china at Macy's and Annie went a tried on her gown. We also got some other errands done in between all that.

Unfortunately, it started to rain about an hour after we landed and kept raining until the next morning, which caused the Reds game to be cancelled. But it was just as well because sitting in a baseball game in the rain is not the best way to spend an evening. But I did get my usual helping of Skyline Chili, so all's well.

Now we're back and I am seriously considering bowing out of the Delaware 10-Miler tomorrow. I've been looking forward to this race, of course, but we've got some things to move tonight, plus I'll have to wake up around 4AM in order to get to Wilmington in time to pick up my race packet and warm up properly for the race. It's a tall order and obviously my fault for not really thinking about that when I signed up for the race and planned our trip to Cincinnati. We'll see, but it only cost me $30 to register for this race so it's not like I'd be missing the $80 National Half Marathon entry fee. I can just as easily get up a few hours later tomorrow morning and run 10 miles on my own and have a much better afternoon (which includes attending the Nationals game at Camden Yards!!).

Three Games, One Week, Lots of Awesomeness

2008-05-14T09:07:00.002-04:00

Today is practically a Friday for me because tomorrow Annie and I are leaving to go to Cincinnati for a few days to attend to some wedding stuff. So I'm going to try not to fixate on the clock today and try to get some things done before I head out the door at 6 PM on the dot and not a minute more!

Last night my firm purchased 50 field seats at the Orioles-Red Sox game for us. One of the company founders is turning 90 (and still comes to the office each week, which is crazy!) and got to throw out the first pitch at the game so it all ties together. I went to the game and stayed for about half of it since it was progressing slowly and I really have no vested interest in either team. When the Red Sox or Yankees are in town, Camden Yards tends to be much fuller than during other series. Red Sox fans call Camden Yards "Fenway South" because so many fans fly down here for the games. Last night was no exception and I'd say about half the people there, if not more, were Sox fans.

Anyway, after the second inning I went to get some food because I was starving. The lines were really long thanks to the Sox fans so it took me an inning and a half to get through it. That's one thing I like about having a terrible home team here in Baltimore...you can go to a game on the spur of the moment because tickets are always available, and the park is empty enough that there aren't long lines at the concession stands. Anyway, I didn't want to have to get back up, so I bought a bunch of food. I got a big Diet Coke (wasn't feeling the $5.50 crappy beer that was less than 8 ounces), chicken tenders, fries and a big hot dog. It was actually cheaper than I thought, coming in at around $18 total. I proceeded to house that dinner spread in about 15 minutes, to the amazement of others around me. Whatever. I was hungry and really hadn't made up for my 1500 calorie deficit from Sunday, I think, as I'd been constantly hungry since Sunday.

So, the game was fun and I got home about 9:30, which was perfect. Another good thing about Camden Yards is that it's a 20 minute walk from my apartment.

Tomorrow night we're going to the Marlins-Reds game in Cincinnati using Annie's mom's corporate tickets, which are behind home plate and get us a complimentary (sounds much friendlier than free) coke and hot dog. Should be a good time, as the Marlins have suddenly become a good team and have swept the Nationals twice already this season. I'm looking forward to seeing them play. I'm also hoping Ken Griffey, Jr. plays so I can see him again before they trade him to Seattle.

On Sunday, following the race in Wilmington, I'm going to the Nationals-Orioles game in the afternoon! I'm really sad I won't be able to see the entire series this season, but getting to see the Sunday afternoon game will be great.

So, three baseball games in six days isn't too bad, really. Once the Orioles start playing at home more often, I'll go to more games since it's so close and I get a discount through the company.

On the running front, I got my 5 miles in today without any real issues. I actually was on time this morning getting out of bed and out the door, which was a nice change. I'll run tomorrow and Friday morning but take Saturday off to rest before the 10 Miler on Sunday. Should be a good time!

Fortuitous Laziness

2008-05-13T09:19:00.002-04:00

Nothing will cause your 10-miler to come back to haunt you like a restless night's sleep followed by a full day sitting at one's desk and not moving around. This is what happened to me on Monday. I felt great all day Sunday after the run, with only some minor soreness right afterwards, but that went away fairly quickly as I moved around.

However, the weather turned horrible on Sunday afternoon and stayed that way pretty much until last night. It was 24 hours of high winds and driving rain. The wind made my windows rattle loudly all night long, keeping me awake and unable to sleep through the night. So I woke up stiff and tired on Monday morning...Nice. Couple that with my usual Monday of sitting at my desk and working straight through until 6:30 and I was still stiff when I went home last night.

This morning, after a full night's sleep (thanks to the weather clearing up and wind dying down), I awoke to feel the stiffness still in my legs. Rather than tempt fate and an injury five days before the 10-Miler, I opted to continue sleeping and will head out tomorrow morning. Only after I woke up to get ready for work did I realize how fortunate I was to have skipped the run. Turns out our building didn't have any hot water this morning! So, while I was able to heat up some water on the stove to "shower" with and dunked my head in the icy water to wash my hair, had I gone running, I would have been forced to take an ice cold shower, something I really don't want to do!

So, this was the gods' way of telling me that it's OK to take today off and come back strong tomorrow. And to properly stretch and move around the day after a long run.

Another Long Weekend

2008-05-11T16:39:00.002-04:00

Earlier in the week, I had imagine that this weekend, finally, would actually be somewhat relaxing and give me more than a few hours to catch up from the workweek. But no, it's almost 5 PM on Sunday and I haven't been able to do most of the things I needed to do with my days off. About the only thing I did carve out time for was running, thankfully.

I had hoped to get Annie's desk and bed moved out of her apartment quickly on Friday night, but it took us 2.5 hours because we spent 30 minutes trying to get the elevator and the loading dock, which was supposed to be free at that time (Annie had signed up for it earlier, as we were instructed to do). However, the girl who had signed up for it before us, didn't even arrive until 6:30, so that screwed everyone's plans up. We were both not very pleased. So there went our Friday night. Nice.

However, I had intended to spend yesterday afternoon at the office trying to catch up but had to go to a party with Annie that took 50 minutes to get to and we ended up spending less than an hour there. So, we spent 2 hours driving and 50 minutes at the party. I'm glad that she's done with school because these sorts of illogical events permeate music schools and drive us both crazy. We both had other things we could have been doing yesterday so I don't want it to sound like I'm blaming her. She had to make an appearance as a graduate assistant, but it was just a silly idea to begin with. We had to leave right in the middle of the afternoon so there went my afternoon at the office. Nice.

I did get 5 miles in yesterday morning though, which was good. I made good time and didn't feel any soreness or other ill effects afterwards, another good sign. We made a little more progress on getting her stuff moved out of her apartment as well. I'll be really happy when that's over because I really don't like all the hassle that moving involves. You have to pack your stuff up, sell off what you don't' want, move it all to your new place and then unpack it again. It all takes WAY too long and I wish we could afford to hire people to move our stuff for us. But alas, we're not millionaires yet!

Today I woke up and got a few things done in the morning but was running behind when I got out the door for my long run. I got a really nice 10 miler in today, which I HAD to do if I was going to have any confidence in my ability to finish the 10 miler next Sunday. I didn't get back and showered and fed until after 2, at which point going to the office was pointless since I had cleaning to get done here so we could continue to move her stuff this week. Nice.

This week will be busy as well since we're leaving on Thursday for Cincinnati so we can meet with the priest again and jump through more hoops for the Catholic Church. Really looking forward to that. With only three days at work this week, I've got a ton to do, in addition to the moving hassles we have to tackle this week. Tomorrow night we have to deliver more of her stuff to people who've purchased things, but that's not happening until later because I'll be working late.

Needless to say, we'll both be happy to be rid of the moving hassles, although they'll come back later in the summer when we move into a new apartment. To have a weekend where running is the most activity I have to do will be a treat!

Weather Delay

2008-05-09T17:05:00.002-04:00

The weather here today was terrible. It started raining hard overnight and didn't stop until around 3 PM this afternoon. As a result, I didn't get my 5 miles in like I had hoped. My general rule is that if it starts raining when I'm out running, then I keep going, but if it's raining even before I start, I cancel. No sense in setting out to get soaked, really. This does not apply to snow, as I'll run in snow no matter what, so long as it's not too slippery due to ice, etc.

So, following my rule, I slept in till 7 today and will make it up tomorrow. I'll do 5 miles tomorrow morning, and then follow that up with my swimming and stretching I had originally planned.

Hopefully I won't totally exhaust myself tomorrow but I've been meaning to get back in the pool for about 6 weeks now so I have to make it happen. I'll post more tomorrow after I get back.

Getting Ready for Delaware

2008-05-07T10:24:00.001-04:00

Not much to report on the running front. I got about 4.6 miles in yesterday morning and it felt good. I took it nice and slow, which meant that I ran out of time before I could get to 5 miles, but that's OK. Tomorrow I'll head out for a 5 mile tempo run and will pick up the pace. I skipped the workout this morning in favor of running Friday morning instead. I'm also going to get a brief 3 miles in on Saturday morning before going to the gym to get some swimming done. All in all, I should hopefully hit something around 30 miles this week (including a 10 mile long run on Sunday morning), which would be a great start (or restart?) to training for the summer.

Several of the bloggers I read regularly ran their first marathons this weekend at the Frederick Running Festival so I wanted to congratulate all of them as well. I know from their posts just how much time and effort marathon training requires, especially with jobs, kids, and everything else requiring attention too. Now that their marathons are over, they're faced with the age old question of "What's next?" It's an interesting question that we all have to answer once we reach any goal that has required lots of work and dedication. Once the goal has been reached, it's almost as if there's a void where our preparation for the event once resided. I know that's how I felt after the National Half Marathon, which probably led to my lack of training in April.

For my own running, having races lined up is key. I need to have some goal to work towards in the future or else there's no incentive to do the training now. I learned that the hard way at the Apple Blossom 10K this past weekend, as I had failed to maintain my fitness following the half marathon. And really, even with the 10K lined up, I still found it far too easy to not get up in the morning and run. Maybe it was because I thought a 10K was a race that, like a 5K doesn't require as much preparation. Maybe I was just lazy. Regardless, I got my butt kicked by that course so if I don't want a repeat of that in Wilmington, I've got to get back on schedule.

That being said, choosing races and determining where I want my running to go for the Summer also demands that I take the rest of my life into consideration. There has to be a balance between running and work, for example. Being 26, this is pretty much all I do anyways! I get up and run, go to work for 10-12 hours, come home and read some CFA study material, watch some TV and go to bed. What little free time I have I want to spend with Annie (until she leaves for the Summer) or friends, etc. Basically, the only time I have available to run is in the morning, which limits how far I can run (seeing as how I'm not the speediest of runners). That means that for the time being, the half marathon is my maximum distance. I just don't have the schedule or time to do runs longer than 5 miles during the week and don't want to get up at 4 AM to make the time, quite frankly.

All of which is OK with me. I like the half marathon distance as it doesn't require 18 weeks of training but is still a sizeable distance to run. So, the half marathon will be the cornerstone race of my season and I think I will plan on running three of them before December (the Georgetown to Idaho Springs in August, Baltimore in October, Richmond in November). Adding in some other distances will keep it interesting and keep me focused between the big races.

Apple Blossom 10K Race Report

2008-05-04T21:09:00.003-04:00

Well this weekend was a valuable lesson learned, that being that running just twice a week for two week sin a row and not getting a solid long run in during that time does not make for a very successful 10K attempt. I finished in 1:01:00, which is much slower than I was hoping. However, while I certainly wasn't prepared for the weather (mid 60's and humid) and course conditions (rolling hills throughout with few straightaways), the majority of the blame is mine.

For some stupid reason, my preparation for this race was sorely lacking. Maybe it was the busy month of April or my own laziness (probably a combination of the two). Nonetheless, I was woefully undertrained for this race and it showed. Not only that, but in the day leading up to the race I failed to prepare properly. For example, I had heavy greasy Chinese food the night before for dinner and didn't get to sleep until too late. The morning of the race, I failed to eat anything beforehand for fuel, much less the Clif Bar I usually eat. I was too focused on the race itself and not on properly preparing for it, I guess.

At any rate, it was a struggle from the about mile 2, which didn't bode well for the remaining 4.2 miles. The race course was challenging, as I said, and had I been trained, I think it would have been a great course to run. Even struggling, I had a good time and enjoyed getting the Spring racing season off to a start in the mountains of Virginia. The Apple Blossom Festival is a huge deal for Winchester, VA, where the race was held, and the entire town stops to celebrate it during the weekend.

However, the main thing I'll take away from this race is to be be better prepared and to not overestimate my athletic ability again, even on a 10K. I have the Delaware Marathon 10-Miler coming up in two weeks and I think I'll be ready for it, as my fitness is not gone, just misplaced. With this kick in the pants, I think I'll be able to get two solid weeks of training in and get my endurance back up to par. Proper pre-race preparation will also help immensely, I think.

The rest of the weekend was relaxing and the weather was nice and Spring-like, so we had a nice time visiting my parents and getting away from Baltimore for a day. Tomorrow it's back to the grind again and back to the gym for some biking and swimming. Here's my plan for the week and I plan on sticking to it and not wussing out!

Monday: Cross Train (bike and swim)
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 5 mile tempo
Thursday: Intervals
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: Cross Train (spinning or swimming)
Sunday: 9-10 mile long run

It's ambitious, but I need to kick-start my body again from its slumber. I'm going to keep the paces down so as not to risk injury and will implement plenty of stretching to help on that front as well. I don't want to huff and puff across the finish line again on the 18th!

Run me Tender

2008-05-02T11:59:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to kill some time at work because it's Friday and my boss is working from home today (woohoo!). I've also gotten caught up on all the tasks that are due this week, and have hit that Friday afternoon lull where you're really just interested in going home and enjoying a few days away from the office.

To pass some of the time, I thought I would post an entry. I ran yesterday morning and did another five miles. I felt good during the run and didn't encounter any real problems until later in the afternoon when my right shin started to ache; a sure sign of shin splints. I could feel that my foot strike was a bit off yesterday morning, as the ball of my right foot was hurting for the first 2 miles or so. It eventually went away as I concentrated on getting a more square (squarer? that doesn't sound right) heel strike, which would correct the weird foot movement. However, I think that problem put a lot of unusual stress on my shin, causing the tenderness.

It was tender the rest of the day and in the middle of the workday I wished I had an ice pack at work I could use to help the inflammation. I did ice it twice last night and took some painkillers, which helped a lot. This morning the pain is gone, which is good news and leads me to believe that this was a minor case that I should monitor in the future. To be safe, I didn't run this morning and took the whole day off to rest up for tomorrow's race. That, some more icing tonight after we get to my parents' house, and a conscious effort to correct this occasional pronation problem should help treat the shin splints. Oh, and I also need to stretch much more effectively, as I think this contributed to the problem. Tomorrow I'll dedicate 10 minutes before the race to stretching and warming up. This is perhaps the weakest part of my running routine, as at 6 AM I'm not at all interested in taking time to stretch and need to get going to stay on schedule for work. But to prevent a more serious injury I'll have to start stretching more actively.

Since I forgot to take our digital camera with me to the National Half Marathon (although Annie did get one or two pics of me after the race, which I will put up once I get around to it), I'm going to make a concerted effort to take the camera with me tomorrow morning to take pictures before and after the race. My hope is to have some pics from each of my races this season.

And with that, I'm off to kill the rest of my day before leaving relatively early at 5:30 so we can head out for WV by 6:30.

April Showers Bring Me Down

2008-04-30T11:24:00.002-04:00

I went out for a run yesterday morning and it felt great to get back out on the road. I did 5 miles without much in the way of exhaustion, which is a great sign. I was certain that I'd get about 2 miles into the run and my endurance, such as it is, would crap out on me. But no. Although I didn't push it (I think I averaged around a 9:15 pace) and the cooler weather this week probably helped my body handle the exercise, I'm pleased with that result. Adding another mile, and dropping the pace a little bit is definitely within the realm of possibilities.

This whole week has been largely a bust in terms of enjoying Spring. Monday was a horribly rainy day with wind, etc. That brought a nice cold front through, dropping temperatures from the nice mid to high 70's we got last week to the low 50's. Tuesday morning it was about 45 degrees out, which isn't bad when compared to mid February temps in the high 20's at that time of the morning. This morning was even colder, with temps hovering in the high 30's. Even though it was otherwise a fine day to run, I went back to bed. I'm tired of running in the 30's. It's the last day of April and I shouldn't have to settle at this point. Early and even mid-April, I can admit that one shouldn't turn their nose up at 38 degrees. But now? Memorial Day is less than a month away and people are wearing winter coats. That's just not right and I won't be a part of it by bundling up to run. I'm taking a stand...like Ghandi, only like a million times more important (kidding!).

Anyway, tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer (mid 50's in the A.M.) so I'll get another 5 miles in tomorrow, followed by maybe another on Friday, as my legs had recovered from yesterday's run by noon time, which is a good sing that my body hasn't lose its memory for running!

Then it's the Apple Blossom 10K on Saturday morning. It should be a nice day for a race with temps in the 50's and overcast. It won't be like running the Frederick Half Marathon, but hey, there's always next year. And afterwards, I'm meeting my parents and Annie (who is going to stay in bed on Saturday morning) at one of my favorite restaurants, the International House of Pancakes, nearby to enjoy a post-run feast. That's so much better than a bagel and banana that I usually get.

On a related note, has anyone else in the Baltimore-DC area with Comcast service seen the recent ads for the Frederick Marathon on MASN during Nationals and/or Orioles games? They just started maybe three weeks ago and have gotten more prevalent since then. I assume they're trying to get people to come out for the event rather than get runners because, to my knowledge, the races are full or very nearly full. I guess it's an odd position for a race to be in because on the one hand, the benefit of airing commercials for the race months in advance when there are still spots left that new runners or just runners not in the know might want to take is probably outweighed by the cost of paying for the air time. However, by the time commercials are worth the money, your race is full and some touchy people will get pissed when they call to register and are told that the race is full. I think it would be worth exploring running ads in February and March one year to see how that differs from running ads heavily in mid to late April. I just thought it was interesting to see a commercial that makes it sound like you can still run the race even if you haven't signed up yet. What do I know? Maybe there still spots available.

Back from the Weekend

2008-04-28T12:04:00.001-04:00

The last two weekends have been disastrous for my running schedule. And the last three work weeks have been even worse. I think I've only gotten out to run once a week or maybe twice since the beginning of April, which is terrible. With my school's Alumni Weekend taking up the entire weekend (I was up at 6:45 AM on Saturday and then had church to attend Sunday morning), the last time I ran was Wednesday! I was hoping to get out this morning but the weather here in Baltimore has been horrible since about February. It's supposed to rain all day today but clear out overnight. So I need to run each day leading up to the Apple Blossom 10K to salvage some fitness. I need to do 5 miles per day with Friday as a rest day.

After this weekend, however, my schedule shoudl normalize considerably. Next weekend we don't have anything planned, as Annie is auditioning for the Baltimore Opera Chorus on Saturday. Then the next week we're going to Cincinnati on Thursday, coming back on Saturday so I'll be able to run a normal schedule, taking Saturday as a rest day before the Delaware 10 Miler on Sunday the 18th. After that, Annie heads out to Opera in the Ozarks on the 21st and I'm left with several weeks of training weekends to fill, which will be great. I am considering going to my school's Commencement on June 1st, but it's a long drive and I'm going to be back there anyway the next weekend for an Alumni Event that as a member of the Alumni Council, I have to attend. The next day (June 8th) is the Survivor Harbor 7 Miler so that will be a great race. So, as you can see, April and May and early June are busy months that conspire against my running schedule.

So, all that being said, I need to get back on the horse and just do it. I anticipate not being quite so exhausted in the morning since the busiest month of the eyar for us (April) is over and I am beginning my real push to get to sleep earlier than in the recent past.

1 and 1

2008-04-24T12:12:00.001-04:00

Thus far this week I'm 1 for 2 in terms of getting out and running, which isn't too bad all things considered. Monday I took off thanks to horrendous weather. Tuesday morning wasn't much better weather-wise. Wednesday I got out the door and got 5 solid miles in without any problems. Today, I hit snooze. I didn't get to bed until almost 11:45, which is terrible. I need to start going to sleep earlier but I just don't have enough time in my day to get everything done I need to get done. However that ends up screwing me over for the next day as I end up missing my run, which puts me in a bad mood (totally self-induced, I know) for the rest of the day.

Tonight I aim to get to sleep by 11 at the latest. I have to do about 90 minutes of CFA reading tonight but other than that, not much else. Annie is going to a recital tonight and then heading out with her friends to martini night so I'll have plenty of time to get things done tonight. Then I can get up tomorrow and get another 5 miles in before leaving for my prep school's alumni weekend.

Speaking of which, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get any sort of long run in on Saturday or Sunday. I have meetings and events planned on Saturday morning and then I really should attend the chapel service on Sunday @ 11 AM before driving back to Baltimore. So, my best time, I think, will be Sunday morning, but there's not really a convenient place near my parents' house to run so I think my choice will come down to running or going to the service. While the Alumni Council member part of me says I should be at the service, the rest of me says I should get a good long run along country roads in while I have the chance and then drive back to Baltimore. I could conceivably do both if I woke up early enough, but I didn't sleep in at all last weekend (as in waking up around 8 or 9 rather than 6 AM) and would like one day to rest up. We'll see.

In other news, I'm starting to think about what races I'd like to do during the Summer. With Annie in Arkansas and then Colorado for gigs, I have much of the summer to spend running and studying for the CFA. Right now, I've found the following races which look interesting. I won't do them all, but I want a long list that I can scale down later.

1. Sons of Thunder 10K, June 14, 2008 Damascus, MD (the name alone is enough)

2. Patterson Park 4 Miler, June 14, 2008 Baltimore, MD

3. Spirit of Gettysburg 5K, July 12, 2008 Gettysburg, PA (the race is on the battlefield, which is really cool)

4. Shenandoah Riverfront 5 Miler, July 12, 2008 Shenandoah, VA

And then of course there's the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon on August 9 out in Colorado.

So we'll see how the racing season shapes up. For right now, I just need to get my butt out of bed tomorrow morning and try to keep my momentum going.

This Week's Theme has been Acclimatize!

2008-04-20T13:54:00.002-04:00

Now that Spring is finally arriving and staying around, warm weather running is upon us once again. For me, this will be the first time I've actually trained outdoors because last summer I spent the season in the gym on the treadmill trying to run more than 2 miles without falling over. It wasn't until I got my Garmin 305 for my birthday in November that I got outside once and for all.

And just like November, I found out this weekend that my body can't just go from running in temps in the high 30's to temps in the mid 60's without some push back. Yesterday I got just about 5 miles in and it hurt! Now, I went out way too fast in the first 2 miles, which I need to work on for my racing strategy, so that probably had something to do with it. But it was in the high 60's yesterday morning when I got out and that temperature change took its toll. I didn't really run super slowly, but those 5 miles felt awful.

Today I wanted to get a nice 10 miles in before my parents arrive for lunch and with the temps a little lower, I thought I might reach it. But alas, no. It was still in the mid 60's (thanks weatherman for saying we'd be lucky to crack 60 today...it's 70 out right now so thanks for that forecast) when I got out and warmed up as I ran. It got more humid out too, as we're supposed to get lots of rain this afternoon and evening. So again, I was struggling by mile 5. I soldiered on and got to 7 miles before calling it a day. I'd walk for a while but my heart rate never was able to come back down enough and would shoot back up as soon as I started running. So, I think my body needs a week or so of these higher temps (even running in the morning when it's in the 50's will help) to acclimatize to the season.

On a better note, my new shoes feel awesome and will make their predecessors proud. I'm going to keep my old pair in case I just feel like running in them from time to time over short distances but with my new shoes, my legs don't feel nearly as tired or sore after 7 miles as they would with my older pair.

So, now it's off to the Rusty Scupper here in Baltimore where I'll meet up with my parents and get treated to a seafood feast! Then we'll go to Annie's recital at 5. After that, I'm off the hook for any family obligations so I'll return to my reading or CFA studying...probably a little of both.

My schedule for the work week is pretty stable but this upcoming weekend I'm going to my prep school's Alumni Weekend, which takes up all of Saturday and parts of Sunday. So we'll see what kind of runs I can get in while I'm at home. Once I have a better idea of my time for the weekend, I'll post my goal workout schedule for the week.

For Shame!

2008-04-17T17:35:00.001-04:00

I continue to fight my battles with going to bed on time. Last night was another night where I stayed up too late and thus, had little chance of getting up this morning for my interval workout.

Tonight, I aim to be in bed before 10:30.

Tomorrow I will do my speed workout and then push my easy run to Saturday where it'll be combined with some swimming. Then another 10 miles on Sunday and a renewed hope of actually completing my workout schedule for the week.