Go the Distance!

After a fantastic weekend, I spent today resting my aching legs. I'll post my race report for the National Half Marathon tomorrow (I mean, seriously, what's Monday morning for if not for doing non-work related stuff?)

However, today was about a different sport that's near and dear to my sport: baseball. Today is Opening Day for my Washington Nationals in their new ballpark, Nationals Park down in DC. If you look back far enough in the archives of this blog, you'll find numerous posts about baseball and the Nats back when I originally carved out this space on Blogger's servers about a year ago. Initially I envisioned a blog dedicated solely to the Nationals and while I love the Nationals and have ever since the old Montreal Expos brought baseball back to Washington after more than three decades away. But I found that being in Baltimore made it exceedingly difficult to follow the team in the same way that other Washingtonians could (i.e. in person!). I went to see the Nationals when they came and whopped the O's last season here in Baltimore. I have similar plans for the series in May, in fact.

About that time I started to run more and thus, the Baltimore Running Project in its current form came to be. However, Opening Day is something of a religious holiday for baseball fans. We have a ritual that we follow and dedicate much of our day to the event. For me, this means my annual viewing of Field of Dreams, the quintessential movie about baseball, realizing your dreams and embracing new beginnings. It's also got a lot to do with the inevitable baggage that fathers and sons create during those first 18 years of life and parenthood, but that's for another blog, I suspect. For me, Field of Dreams is perfect for Opening Day. Just as Ray is filled with regret from his years past, so to are those baseball fans whose teams aren't from New York or Boston and who can't afford to buy a pennant or ring each season. We regret that our teams didn't do better or draft stronger or trade smarter. And, as Ray and Terrance Mann discover, you can always do something today to pursue dreams of yesterday. Just as we as fans can look to our teams and the new season for new hope and the chance at improvement, if not outright victory.

More than any of that, though, it's a movie about baseball and what it means to some people. Some kids grow up with baseball, both athletically and spiritually. It becomes a part of our psyche and remains a comforting constant throughout the various stages of our lives. Every time I see a baseball diamond, I'm transported back to Little League. The smell of the ball and glove are enough to take me back in an instant. It's hard to describe or compare to other sports. All sorts of people love baseball. Athletes love the obvious parts of the game. Math geeks love the statistical precision of the game and the unique way in which almost every part of a player's or team's performance can be measured and, in theory, compared to one another over literally decades. Theologians compare Americans' (and Japanese, Dominicans, etc etc etc) love of baseball to religious zealotry and explore the game's similarities to the world's religions. I would definitely prefer going to a ball game to going to church any day!

This season's Opening Day is also special for us Nats fans because we have a new park to call home. It's been fantastic to see the way baseball has been embraced by so many parts of the Washington area. Of course there's a fan base here that has been thirsting for a team for decades. But I think the team also has a management team that is committed to seeing the team thrive rather than simply extracting revenue from the fans...although I have no illusions about ownership's commitment to profits as well! The city of Washington, after realizing that the upside of having a Major League baseball stadium in the District as opposed to another FedEx field in PG County or Fairfax County, has embraced the team, ponying up north of $600 million for Nationals Park.

So it's been very exciting to be a fan of the National from the beginning and to see the incremental improvements that have been made over the past three years. I've TiVo'ed tonight's opening game against the Braves so I can watch it tomorrow (I was out for much of it tonight). Even though I disagree with most of his policies and his administration, it's always awesome to see President Bush throw out the season's first pitch. It always gives me chills because it's almost like we have the unofficial seal of approval from the President. This is Washington's team and, as a result, it's the President's team. That sounds weird, but it's true. How many other teams get the President of the United States to throw out the first pitch each season? Oh none? Yeah, that's right. say what you will, but George W knows how to throw a decent pitch from mound to catcher, which is something that most people couldn't do, especially in front of a crowd. I suspect next year when Opening Day rolls around we'll see what kind of throwing arm President Obama or Clinton II has. John McCain's injuries from the Vietnam War probably prevent him from throwing a baseball.

What, you thought I was bringing politics into this blog?! Shame on you.

Anyway, as I said, I'll have my full race report posted tomorrow sometime.

This is it! Don't get scared now.

Words of wisdom from Kevin McCallister (a.k.a. Macauley Culkin...horrible butchering of his name, I apologize)

I'll be leaving shortly to go pick up Annie from school so we can head down to DC for the half marathon and her performances. I'm nervous and anxious to get on the road and start the weekend! It' hard to believe that after months of planning and training and getting up before dawn to go run in the cold and wind that my goal is less than 24 hours away. This time tomorrow I'll have completed the half marathon, with the medal to prove it. It's been an interesting experience training on my own for this race. While I have no illusions about my time tomorrow, the fact that less than 9 months after deciding to get off my ass and start to get fit again, I'm able to run 12 miles and have the confidence that I can run 13.1. The National Half Marathon is the culmination of the first phase of this life change for me. If I can prove to myself that I can run 13.1 miles, than what's to stop me from running 26.2 later in the year? Why can't I continue to get stronger and lower my times? This Spring and Summer will be dedicated to truly adopting a healthier lifestyle (less Diet Coke and candy, more cross training) and getting my running to the next level when I can complete a full marathon.

For now, however, I'm going to concentrate on running as well as I can in this race tomorrow. I've worked hard to break my bad habits of oversleeping, procrastinating and finding excuses not to do something and I hope that my work pays off tomorrow.

I'm not taking my clunker of a laptop with me but will hopefully have a race report written tomorrow night after I get back from seeing Annie in the Condensed Mikado. While I don't have a digital camera to take along (it's on my list of purchases to make soon!), I plan on spending the money for the official pics they'll be shilling after the race to mark the occasion and will post those whenever I get them.

Now it's off to the marathon!

To Fuel or Not to Fuel

We're into the final countdown (cue the obligatory clip of Europe's anthem to awesomeness) until the National Half Marathon. I'm in the process of finalizing the details of the weekend. I need to get directions to the hotel and then get directions for Annie to use to get her from the hotel to the theatre for her performances and back again. I also need to find a place near the hotel for us to eat Friday night after she gets back...preferably somewhere that serves carbs by the ton! Annie's sister is competing in a triathlon on Saturday down in Manassas, VA so we'll need something with lots of healthy protein on the menu as well. Italian is a good choice.

I also want to finalize my race strategy, although the overarching strategy will be to simply finish the race! Nonetheless, analyzing the race course and elevation map will be helpful in accurately apportioning my energy over the entire length of the race. Moreover, it'll help to prepare me to know at what points I can kick into a higher gear and when I need to slow down and conserve energy for the hills. While there's a water station around the 5.5 mile mark and again around 12 miles, neither of them have GU gels, which means I'll need to carry my fuel with me AND know at what point to use it. Preferably I'd like to refuel once at the 5.5 mile station and again at the 12 mile station just for safety sake. Better to top off the tank, right? Initially I was thinking I'd just fuel once, and I actually may end using just one gel or shot block pack since each water station will also be providing Gatorade. So, I could use water at 5.5 miles to chase the gel, and maybe use Gatorade sparingly up to 12 miles (it'll probably not be the powder variety, which means it'll have more sugar in it than I'm used to) and see if it replenishes me enough to make a second fueling unneeded. I think keeping the Gatorade to a minimum will be the wisest thing to prevent any stomach issues.

In terms of weather, right now Weather.com is calling for a high of 53 and a low of 39 with 30% chance of showers. Weather Underground is forecasting a high of 52 and a low of 38. So, on average I think it should be great weather for running. I'd prefer it to be about 10 degrees warmer so I could wear a T-shirt, but being able to wear shorts is great so I'll leave well enough alone. So long as it isn't terribly windy, things should be just fine.

I got a nice 4 miles in this morning since it was a balmy 48 when I woke up this morning. I'm still debating whether to get up to run tomorrow morning or to give myself two full days before the race. They're calling for rain tomorrow, so that means there's at least a 50% chance it won't rain at all tomorrow. Weather Underground is calling for only a 30% chance of rain at 5AM with temps in the 40's so getting a final 4 miles in before the Big Day might be worthwhile to keep the pump primed. We'll see.

Final Long Run Before the Half Marathon!

Happy belated Easter to all you Jesus freaks out there and happy belated Purim to those readers who are members of The Tribe. If you're Muslim or Miscellaneous, happy belated (insert appropriate religious or secular holiday of your choice here). Don't want anyone to feel left out! As Ralph Wiggam says, "Everyone's a Winner!"

So, it was a nice relaxing long weekend with some activities thrown in to keep things interesting. I ran on Friday morning (not super early though because I had the day off thanks to U.S. markets being closed for Good Friday). I did an easy 6 miles out to Ft. McHenry and back. It went well and, in a sign that I'm gaining more endurance, my legs were only slightly sore afterwards. An hour after I ran, they weren't sore or tired at all. Great news for my recovery times.

Saturday I didn't even bother setting an alarm so I could sleep as long as I needed. We got up and went to look at some apartments, as we're looking to move to a larger place that allows dogs so we can adopt one. If you live in or near Mt. Vernon in Baltimore and have a huge apartment you'd like to rent for like no money, I'm your guy. Since we did the viewing, though, there was no real time for running beforehand and I hate showering then running and then having to shower again. But that was fine because Sunday was going to be a busy day.

We got up early so Annie could go sing at Easter services. I got out the door and on my way for my 12 miler around 9:15. It was a little cool to start out, but the great thing about running in the early-mid morning is that as you run, the temp goes up and it doesn't stay cold for long. I'll insert my route using my Map My Run site later, but I finally got to run out the Patterson Park and surrounding areas. It's really nice out there although a little too far removed from the office to walk everyday to work. I made myself start out slow so I could build my pace and not get too tired too early. My splits (which I will also insert later) were basically negative, with some exceptions. I ate my Shot Blocs around mile 6.5 (Cran-Razz) and felt good pretty much the entire way. I only took an extended walking break when I hit the hill on Fort Ave, which lasts about a half a mile and came at about the 10.5 mile mark. Even still, I stopped only to cross the street and then kept going. Overall, I was really pleased with the run, even if it wasn't really fast. Better to complete the distance than run half of it fast and conk out.

My legs were quite sore afterwards for the remainder of the day but feel only slightly fatigued today. Luckily I've been sitting at my desk much of the day and have given them plenty of rest! I felt some tightness around my knee when I was going up and down the stairs today, but nothing terrible, just normal wear and tear after running for almost 2 hours. Annie and I drove down to Bethesda in the afternoon to meet my parents, grandmother, aunt and step-brother for Easter brunch at Benihana's. It was really good, although I could have eaten two entrees due to my run. In fact, I was hungry again by the time we were about halfway home in the car! I got home and ate a big bowl of raisin bran and a piece of cookie cake. YUM! All in all, a good Easter Sunday.

So I think I am ready for the half marathon this Saturday. I'll run an easy 4 miles tomorrow and Wednesday and that will be it before Saturday so my legs are totally ready for 13.1 miles. As for tonight, Annie has rehearsal so I will spend my evening resting my legs some more to complete the recovery and generally taking it easy. I've built my Play Money bankroll at FullTilt Poker to $17K but think I need about $25-30K before moving up to larger tables. Maybe Ill work on that tonight, although I had a bad run of cards over the weekend.

Splits:
Mile 1: 9:23
Mile 2: 9:35
Mile 3: 9:46
Mile 4: 9:53
Mile 5: 9:46
Mile 6: 10:01
Mile 7: 9:48
Mile 8: 9:34
Mile 9: 9:42
Mile 10: 9:45
Mile 11: 9:40
Mile 12: 9:34

T Minus 7 Days and Counting

I had a good run this morning of 6 miles out to Ft. McHenry and back. Nothing too exciting to report. Since the markets are closed on Good Friday, I didn't have to go to work today, so I was able to sleep in a little and didn't get out the door until 10:30, which was nice. I wanted to get a little more distance in today since I'm probably not going to run tomorrow (crappy weather is expected) and will be doing a 12 miler on Sunday morning.

With just over a week remaining until the National Half Marathon, I'm starting to get anxious. I don't think I'm in any danger of not completing the race, but I also don't want to struggle to complete the 13.1 miles. Last week's long run was solid and I think I won't have too much trouble adding another mile this week. With the adrenaline of the half marathon, I think I'll be more than capable of going the distance. I think most of my anxiousness stems from the approaching test of my preparation and my overriding goal over the past few months. I've been thinking about this race since setting it as a goal back in November. And while my preparation has not been iron-willed the entire time, I think I've been good enough that completing the race won't be a problem. Certainly it's not as if I still doing long runs of 7-8 miles. By the same token, I was hoping to have gotten a few more 12-milers in before the race, but luckily with the half marathon there seems to be a little more flexibility in training distances since there's not as far to go in the final race.

At any rate, now that I'm down to a week, the nerves are starting. I'm sure I'll be REALLY nervous on race day but it'll be (hopefully) a constructive nervousness that fuels me in the race.

So, tomorrow I don't have any plans to run, but I feel fine today after 6 miles so I may get 5-6 more in tomorrow and then do the planned 12-miler on Sunday morning. That should more than cover the calories I'll consume at Benihana's on Sunday afternoon! Without running tomorrow, my weekly mileage will be 22.6 miles so I may run tomorrow if the weather cooperates to push it closer to 30 miles total. We'll see. March weather around here is unpredictable so maybe the weather won't be as bad as they're forecasting...or it could be worse who knows?!

Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow

I went to bed too late on Monday night and as a result, woke up feeling really tired on Tuesday morning. In retrospect, I should have just gotten up and out the door because it was an ideal morning to go running: high 40's, little wind and overcast but no rain, etc. There was no reason not to get out there and get 4-5 miles in before work. But, I went back to sleep like a sucker. And when I woke back up at 7, I didn't feel any more rested than I had when the alarm went off at 5:35, so that's what I get for being lazy, I guess.

This morning, I again awoke feeling tired, but this time I willed myself out of bed, having remembered yesterday's embarrassment. The weather was only a little worse today: mid 40's with a little wind and showers. I got out the door (late, AGAIN) and got 4.5 miles in before running out of time. I didn't get back to the apartment until after 7:15, which put me way behind, AGAIN. I was hoping to get 5 miles in today, but no luck.

It was a strange morning, though. When I got the harbor, I noticed there was a nice collection of trash that seemed to have washed up against the piers. Ah, Baltimore! So beautiful with the gangs and drugs and crime and trash in the water. I started off on my usual route but thought that the water level looked to be a few feet higher than usual. I assumed it was just an unusually high tide, even though the tides aren't as pronounced in the Inner Harbor as they are out by Ft. McHenry. I kept running and came back to the harbor and finally realized what was wrong. Due to a very high tide (I'm guessing), the water level in the harbor HAD gone up and had washed over the portion of the pier that serves as a boarding area for the water taxi. It slopes to a point where it's only about 2 feet above the water. The tide had come in and over that level, pushing the trash slick up onto the brick paths. Nice! It was the same story in front of the Maryland Science Center. It also could be the beginning of a cataclysmic weather change like in The Day After Tomorrow...but probably not. I had never seen that before so it was weird.

I've also noticed that there are more and more runners out in the morning now that the temperature is getting above freezing more often. I always wonder how far they're running and if they're training for a race or just running as part of a general fitness regimen. Hopefully the roads won't get clogged with runners in the mornings once May rolls around.

In National Marathon news, I think all of our plans are set. I have our hotel reservations, travel schedules, logistics and other details under control. Annie's sister is competing in a triathlon that day down in Manassas and her younger brother is visiting that weekend, so we'll all get together after Annie's performance for a late dinner full of delightful carbs and protein. Something like Italian or Mexican would be ideal.

So, tomorrow I'm hoping the weather will be OK for another 4-5 miles. I have Friday off since the markets are closed on Good Friday, so I'll get maybe 6-7 miles in that morning. I'm debating on which day to do my long run (Saturday or Sunday) because Saturday is supposed to be crappy weather compared to Sunday, but we're meeting my parents and family for Easter lunch on Sunday afternoon so I'd have to start my run around 8 AM to have enough time to run, shower, rest for an hour or so and then head down to Bethesda around 1 PM. We'll see how things shake out. Sunday is looking better all the time.

Shamrock 5K Race Report

Today's race was a great way to spend my St. Patrick's Day weekend (since I'll be at stinking work tomorrow). But, I have to say that it was not all that great of a race from a purely running standpoint.

The race was scheduled to begin at 1:15 at the corner of N. Charles St. and Franklin St, which as luck would have it is about three blocks from my apartment. So I didn't even leave my apartment until about 12:45 to give myself plenty of time to get down there and mill around a bit to get the lay of the land. It was a blustery day, but nothing terrible in the grand scheme of crappy Baltimore weather. About 45 with winds around 15 mph. The sun was in and out of the clouds, so that made it feel a little cooler than it really was, but overall a decent day for a race.

As I was relaxing before the race, I could see tons of people in their green Brooks technical shirts walking up Charles St. towards the starting area. I had heard that 4,000 people had registered for the race, but I had no idea just how big 4,000 really is. Anyway, I got to the starting point and just kinda stood around waiting for the gun to go off. The brochure said that we'd get splits at 1 and 2 miles and for some reason I equated that with not needing to take my Garmin or a watch along. I don't know why, but sometimes I make no sense. At any rate, my Garmin has trouble finding satellites in downtown Baltimore due to the tall buildings so I would probably have just taken a watch. But no, I didn't do that and then got there and realized that with 3,998 people in front of me, I'd be crossing the starting line way later than the clock's starting time. Which would throw off the splits I'd get along the way, which would mean I'd have no real idea what my time was. Awesome. A masters from the London School of Economics and this is the result.

The gun went off at what I presume was a time close to 1:15 but it took me about 4-5 minutes (I had to count the minutes in my head as I waited) before I crossed the starting line. Even then, with 4,000 people (OK, the end number was about 3300) running, the street was really crowded and I wasn't able to run much faster than a nice jog. I had to dart in and out of traffic and around people and dodge people who were walking in the middle of the road, etc. That was pretty much the theme of the race: jog & dodge. And yes, I know that's what I should expect at such a large race but seriously, when there are people who lined up near the front and they're walking after a quarter mile, it's really frustrating. There were lots of people running who had no business trying to run 3.1 miles. I mean, I'm no Olympic runner or anything, but walking 2.75 of the 3.1 miles really isn't worth the $30 entry fee to me. Plus you'd have someone running and then they'd just STOP in the middle of the road. I nearly ran over some lady that way and I saw it happen once or twice to others. People would also be walking and would weave from side to side, making it a nice little guessing game for anyone wanting to pass them. That slowed me down as well because several times I'd nearly run into someone and jump to my left, only to get stuck behind three runners jogging along at their own pace and creating a traffic jam. It's a theory of mine that people walk/run/jog in much the same way as they drive. People who drive as if the road was specifically built for them and their Dodge Caravan usually run a race with that same mentality. One woman and her friends were jogging in a line and she was on her cell phone talking to other people to ensure they had beer lined up after the race.

Now, I'm no running snob. I don't adhere to some people's uppity definition of running as being any pace under 8:00/mile. I think that's crap and that if you're out running at 10:30 or 12:00 per mile you're just as ballsy (more so, I think) than if you're running 5:00. Running really fast in front of people is easy because it looks awesome and fun. Struggling to run in front of people is really hard because the risk of looking foolish or failing seems to be higher. If you take yourself so seriously that you take pleasure in separating yourself from other people by making light of their accomplishments because they don't run as fast as you, then I encourage you to get the stick out of your ass and try to relax and enjoy life a little more for all our sakes. Races should be fun above all else because very few people are going to run a 4:45 mile just for the hell of it. And it's mainly my fault for signing up for such a large race in the first place and expecting it to be like the Run to Cooperstown back in July. But I think that there needs to be some acknowledgement that there are certain unspoken rules of running in a crowd that should be followed by everyone, regardless of ability or speed. Just some common sense rules that will make everyone's race better in the long run.

At any rate, it was a decent race on a course I run almost every time I lace up my shoes so I knew exactly where it was hilly and where it was flat, etc. Had I had more space to run, that knowledge would have been more helpful.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this race, however, were the results posting. They're posted on Charm City Run's website. However, they're posted according to everyone's Gun Time, which for many people is much different from their chip time. For example, my Gun Time was 31:12, but my Chip Time was 27:49. However the five runners who had a Gun Time of 31:11 had Chip Times of 29:57, 30:39, 29:02, 29:02, and 29:02, respectively. That's absurd. Similarly, there's no way to take the results from the website and transpose them into Excel so you can find out how you really did. So, without doing some painstaking work, I have no idea how I really compared over those 3.1 miles to the other 3319 runners. I know that I'm under ranked by at least 21 spots, as the 21 runners who had faster Gun Times than me all had slower Chip Times. So while it says I finished 1680/3319 and 319/442 in my age group, I have to believe those numbers are wrong. I may e-mail Charm City Run and ask them if they have the results in Excel format so I can find out how I really did. Still, it's really annoying that they didn't organize the results by Chip Times. Why even have Chip Times in the first place if they're not going to be used as the real measurement of all the runners' performances? It makes no sense.

So, in summary, 4,000 people running 3.1 miles is probably too many for someone looking to PR or to at least test their endurance after winter training. Certainly it's not the right race if you're looking to get an accurate appraisal of how you did compared to the other runners in the field. I am going to reserve judgement on whether to run this race next year or not. At this point, I'd have to say No, but I like the cool green shirt and looking down Charles St to see thousands of people running was a very cool sight. We'll see.

Pre-Race, Post-Long Run Report

Just a quick entry here to review my last run as I "prepare" for the Shamrock 5K later this afternoon. And by prepare I mean watching Sportscenter and playing some online poker to rest my muscles. Hey, I turned $1,000 into $12,000 in 2.5 hours last night...unfortunately it was play money. Sad. :( There's no way I have the balls to put $1,000 of my own real money into online poker! I'd probably lose it all and then cry like a little girl.

Anyway, I did my long run for the week on Friday for several reasons. First, I had the day off and it was a good way of spending a few hours in the late morning/early afternoon. Second, the weather was pretty nice: in the low 50's with sunshine and some wind. I was able to run in shorts and a t-shirt for the first time in months! I even got a little sun on my neck from the sunshine. Third, Annie and I went to Kennett Square, PA (don't know where that is? Don't worry, no one else does either so you aren't missing much) for a singing competition. It was being held at this retirement village (seriously) so that made it weird. But we were in and out in about 40 minutes and back in Baltimore by about 5:15 yesterday so it was a nice excursion into NASCAR country. Lastly, today is the Shamrock 5K so it made sense to do the long run on Friday and take Saturday as a rest day to make sure I was fresh for today.

I got out the door late, per usual, and decided to run the route out to Ft. McHenry rather than running into Fells Point and Patterson Park. There's a less traffic along that route and so I would have less chance of having to stop for intersections, etc. So I ran out there and did 4 laps around the fort, since each lap is 1 mile, and then ran back to the Inner Harbor. I only missed hitting 11 miles exactly by .08 miles, which is pretty good for estimating using Map My Run. I took my time since I was going 11 miles for the first time in several weeks. No need to get injured or exhausted before mile 6, you know. I averaged a 9:30 pace and felt good throughout the majority of the run. I took some Shot Blocks at around 6 miles (1 hour of running, roughly) and they helped keep me going. My legs started to hurt around mile 10 and that really slowed me down. My knees and calves and thighs were quite sore, but I wasn't physically exhausted. Tired, yes. Totally spent, no. All of which I take as a good sign. Soreness means you're breaking your body down in such a way that the recovery will result in stronger muscles, tendons, etc. And being tired after 11 miles is normal while not being exhausted is a good sing that my endurance is gradually improving.

Overall, it was a good run. As you can see, I slowed down later in the run, so that's probably where I need to improve my pacing but I also think some of that extra time comes from slowing down for intersections because when I pause the timer, the pace goes way up since I'm stationary. Then it takes somewhere around 15-25 seconds of running for that pace to get back down to where it was before I stopped the timer. During that entire time, the Garmin is averaging those artificially higher paces into the overall pace for that mile, which probably inflates the split by a few seconds, at least. Maybe something like 5-10 seconds per mile would be a safe estimate depending on how many times you stop the timer. Just a little quirk of the Forerunner. I've posted my splits and other information below:

Time: 11:16 AM

Distance: 10.92 miles

Mile 1: 8:04 (WAY too fast!)

Mile 2: 9:30

Mile 3: 9:36

Mile 4: 9:43 (uphill most of the way here)

Mile 5: 9:49

Mile 6: 9:53 (running out of steam before gels)

Mile 7: 9:43

Mile 8: 9:50

Mile 9: 9:53

Mile 10: 9:55

Mile 11: 9:35

Total: 1:44:53

Calories: 1614 (boo yah!)

I'll post a race report for the Shamrock 5K later this afternoon. I'm hoping for green beer as a post-race reward!

Law of Diminishing Laziness

I managed to get out this morning and get some miles under my belt, but not as many as I wanted. I woke up relatively on time, around 5:50, and turned on the TV to see what the temperature was outside. Unfortunately, the Weather Channel sometimes doesn't give me my local forecast but instead gives me the three day forecasts for other large cities. It's pretty much worthless. If I'm traveling to Des Moines, I probably already know the weather forecast or I've watched the weather people tell me the forecast prior to this time which is supposed to be dedicated to my local forecast. Why do I care about the weather in other cities? Oh wait, I don't.

So, I turned to the local news, but their temp readings are either from BWI, which is always colder than downtown, or from their station, which is about 10 miles outside Baltimore. Again, worthless. So I sat in bed for too long trying to decide if it was too cold to run or whatever. Eventually I got out the door late again, later than on Tuesday, in fact. I didn't start running my route until after 6:30! I was so pissed for making myself late. I only got 3.5 miles in as a result. But they were fine miles and primed me for my 11 miler tomorrow morning. I'd like to get out the door by no later than 8 so I can get it done and get on with my errands I need to run in the early afternoon. My reward for completing my run will be picking up my race packet for the Shamrock 5K and getting my super awesome green Brooks technical running shirt. If it's really awesome, I may make that my second racing shirt (I have a bright yellow shirt that I like because it's bright and makes me easily identifiable). Anything that's different from the usual whites, blacks, reds and blues that most people wear to races. I was going to buy myself a Live Strong running shirt, but those things are $40. And you know you're only paying for the Live Strong and Nike brands. I got my own Champion brand yellow shirt that looks almost exactly the same (sans the Live Strong, of course) from the Baltimore Running Festival's Health & Fitness Expo back in October for all of $10. Boo-yah! I'm a professional bargain hunter; don't try this at home, kids.

Some of my other bargain running purchases:

- A normally $45 long sleeve technical shirt (Green) with a nice collar to protect me from the wind. Found it at the Sports Authority and got it for $19.99.

- Brooks long sleeve running shirt. Found it at Falls Road Running's Winter Post Marathon sale. Normal price was around $60. I got it for $35.

- I got my Road I.D. (a must-have for anyone running on roads) at a nice 20% discount.

- Black Nike Dry-fit cap. I found it at Dick's Sporting Goods in Cincinnati, OH for $24.00. Not bad.

- Running gloves. Got these bad boys in my Baltimore Running Festival race packet and they've worked great! A pleasant surprise. Since I didn't have to pay to register for the race (my firm's parent company is a major sponsor), I got these babies for free, which is an infinite discount!

- I got free shipping on my online order for already discounted compression shorts and running tights. Thanks Amazon!

- And finally, my crowning achievement to date (aside from the infinitely discounted running gloves): A blue REI winter shell that is a Lycra/spandex mix. Originally over $70. Discounted to $50 and then discovered by yours truly during their winter clearance sale at an additional 50% off! I ended up spending about $25 for that shell, which is a roughly 64% discount.

So, while I love running, I generally refuse to pay ticket price on anything running-related other than entry fees. Even then, I'll spend 41 cents on a stamp to save on the $2.00-$3.00 service charge that Active.com tacks onto each online registration. I'm saving anywhere from $1.59 to $2.59 per race! Even if I include a self-addressed stamped envelope and request a confirmation letter back, I'm still easily beating the system.

Postponed 24 Hours

I didn't run this morning as I had planned on doing because, well, I was really tired when I woke up. The weather was fine for running and all things being equal, I would have been out the door on time this morning. But twas not meant to be. Instead I reset my alarm for 7:00 AM and curled back into my covers. I must have been tired because I purposefully overslept this morning and didn't get out of bed until 7:30! That put my at work just shy of 30 minutes late, but thankfully I'm hardly ever late to work so I got away with it. Geez.

So, now I have to do 5 miles tomorrow morning, no matter what. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Tonight, Annie has rehearsal for her latest show, the Condensed Mikado (just add water!), in DC so I think I will make myself go to the gym and get some cross-training in. Whether that will be on the bike or in the pool, I've yet to decide. I may do some bike action, followed by some time on the squash court, but we'll see how I feel. I haven't been swimming in quite a while so that might be enjoyable as well.

Grade A Beatdown at 6:30 AM

Even though I didn't have time to post my workout to Running Ahead this morning, I assure you that I ran this morning. It was a great run with no real downside to it. The weather was perfect for running: 37 degrees with absolutely no wind and a little cloud cover to keep the warmth from escaping into space. It was the no wind part that I particularly appreciated, as it seems that January through about mid-March is the windiest time of the year. Not today though!

37 degrees might sound cold for running, but believe me, when you get going and warm up, you feel great! The cold air helps regulate your body temperature so you stay cooler longer and hotter...shorter? Basically I wasn't overheated until the very end fo my run and even then my body cooled off quickly but not so fast as to threaten hypothermia.

The only thing going against me this morning was that I woke up about 15 minutes late, which put me about 15 minutes behind the entire morning. I didn't get running until 6:25. Ideally I'd like to be on the road by about 6:10 or earlier to give me plenty of time to walk back to the apartment afterwards. As it stood, I had to run from the Inner Harbor back to my apartment after finishing the actual work out, which wasn't too bad, but not as relaxing as I prefer.

Another great thing about this morning's run: I picked up the pace AND totally beat this guy who was trying to pass me. I think my average pace was somewhere in the low 8:00's, which is awesome. I know that after 2.5 miles my average pace was 8:02...pretty fast for me. And while I was winded, I wasn't totally exhausted, as I was able to get a full 4 miles in without too much trouble. As I was running around the Inner Harbor after going through Harbor East, I could hear some footsteps behind me and knew I was being stalked. I kept my pace steady (I think; I didn't look at my Garmin) all the way past the Science Center and around the corner. His steps kept getting louder though so I picked it up just a tad and sure enough, the steps faded away. Now, tha could have been due to my heavy breathing, but I got to my stopping point by the Rusty Skupper with time to spare as he came shuffling up behind me. He must have run up into Federal Hill because after I stretched my Achilles and ran onto Key Highway, he was nowhere to be seen. He could also have gone behind some parked cars to heave and catch his breath and cry a little tear after getting whopped, I don't know.

I will get my butt up earlier tomorrow so I can get a full 5 miles in before work. Then it's a rest day on Thursday (I really need to start cross training with some intensity and regularity so Thursday is as good a day as any to do that). I'm taking Friday off so in the morning I will do my 10 ro 11 mile long run. Then I'm taking the Jeep up to Timonium to get an oil change AND to pick up my race packet and T-Shirt for Sunday's Shamrock 5K, which is the first race of the 2008 racing season! Right now Weahter.com is calling for windy conditions (see? I told you. Windiest time of the year) and a high around 49. I'm hoping that changes in the coming days and the temp goes a little higher so it's a nice day, but even 49 won't be bad at all.

Internet Celebrity I am

The local NBC affiliate in Washington, NBC 4, is the official media sponsor of the National Marathon and Half Marathon and they have a marathon website. I was browsing it last night and saw that under "Marathon Blogs" they've listed my own training blog! I couldn't believe it, but I guess they found it and put it up there since I'm a local runner. So now I'm officially an internet celebrity...I am expecting to be mobbed by adoring fans any moment now. You can check out the National Marathon's website here. Or you can check out NBC4's marathon website here.

I finally got back out on the road today after being sick the last week. It wasn't the prettiest run I've ever had, but I pushed through it and got some decent distance done without dying. However, it was one of those runs where it seems that the running gods are trying to get you to give up for the day. First of all, I woke up early this morning to find it raining steadily here in Baltimore. This despite the weather forecast saying that it would be at most a light rain, which is much easier to run in than a steady shower. So I went back to sleep for about an hour and a half to see if the weather improved enough to merit going out. It did, thankfully.

However, I got about a mile into my run and the rain started up again as a mist, then light rain and finally became a steady rain. But I wasn't going to turn around because by the time I got back to the Inner Harbor, the rain would have stopped. Sure enough, it let up about 5 minutes later. Then I had to cross the street and stopped my timer while I waited for traffic to clear. As an aside, Baltimore drivers are notoriously bad at obeying the pedestrian right of way at intersections. I can't tell you how many times idiots have turned into a crosswalk where pedestrians have the right away and act like they're not breaking a law. I almost got run over today as some woman drove right through a red light and turned. I also don't think they realize that if they hit someone while they're walking in the crosswalk, the driver is totally liable for insurance, etc. So someone hits me and they'll be paying off my student loans as a result of the lawsuit.

Anyway, I crossed the street and kept running down to Ft. McHenry. Only I never turned my timer back on and didn't realize it until I got to the fort, which means I missed about 1.4 miles of my run! But I just added that onto the distance from my Garmin.

Overall, it wasn't the worst run I've ever had, but it wasn't the best by far. Depending on the weather tomorrow, I may try to get another 3-4 miles in, but we'll see.

Back from the Dead

After 6 days without a run, I feel physically well enough to head out in the cold and wind of early March (January through MArch are the worst weather months in Baltimore: temps in the 40's with wind every damn day creating a nice 10 degree wind chill effect). My nagging cough is as good as it's going to get and I don't feel sick any more. However, I feel horribly lethargic thanks to the inactivity, which is alarming. I need to get back on the roads and in the gym.

To that end, I'll be going to the gym this evening to run 4 miles, even if it kills me. I want to hit 10 miles tomorrow, which I know is a lofty goal after a week off and two weeks without a long run. But hey, I'm 26 so I can beat my body up a little bit more than if I were a decade older.

My plan for next week will be to rest on Sunday and then get 5 miles in on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday of next week. I'm taking next Friday off, so I will use that day for an 11 miler in the morning. Saturday will be a rest day followed by Sunday's Shamrock 5K in downtown Baltimore. That will net me 29 miles for the week. I HAVE to get some quality miles in the next three weeks to get my body back for the National Half. I'm not so much worried about not making it 13.1 miles, but I'd like to do it in a half decent amount of time.

And with that, I am going to prepare to get out of the office and get to the gym. Annie is in DC per usual, so I'm not on any particular schedule this evening.

Getting Back to Normal

After taking the last two days off work, I'm feeling world's better and ready to get back to normal life. I went to work on Monday, but felt awful all day. I went home and laid on the couch all evening but didn't really improve much. Monday night I barely slept, although I didn't feel bad from my cold/flu; I just couldn't fall asleep. I think I may have had a touch of the flu because I felt hot most of the night and then cold at other times. At any rate, I got maybe 2-3 hours of sleep Monday night and made the decision to take Tuesday off from work to give myself the best chance for recovery. I literally slept from about 8 AM to 4 PM yesterday and woke up feeling a lot better. By last night, I was feeling much better.

I had already asked for today off from work several weeks back so it worked out well that I got sick this weekend. I thought about going to work today since I called out yesterday, but I thought that having another day off to more fully recover would ensure that I could go back to the office tomorrow feeling 100% AND I could get back to running tomorrow morning as well without worrying about making myself sicker like I did on Saturday. So here I am, sitting around not doing much today. I have some errands I should run this afternoon but nothing pressing. I slept fine last night and feel pretty much back to normal today so I think I have beaten my cold/flu.

In terms of running, I made myself stay off the roads after I stupidly ran on Saturday and made myself much sicker than I otherwise would have been. Had I not gone running, I probably would have been fine by Monday. So, in the future when I get sick, the last thing I will be doing is running before I feel recovered. As it stands, I'm going to get back to training tomorrow morning by running an easy 3-4 miles. Then I'll maybe run another 3-4 miles on Friday, a solid 5 on Saturday and try to finally get that 11 miler in on Sunday that I've missed the past two weeks. I'm behind on my training schedule, but I'm not really concerned, as my long runs are 10 miles now and I should be able to get to 13.1 so long as I continue to run regularly leading up to the National Half.

Hopefully this is the first and last time I will get sick this year; usually I get sick once or twice a year as the seasons change so I need to stay healthy for race reason!

Sick Leave

So my running yesterday had good and bad effects. First the good: the aches in my back and head are gone. I don't feel as tired as I normally do when I'm sick and my cough is mostly gone. The bad: my tender throat eventually morphed into a full blown sore throat by the time I got to DC for the Caps game last night. By the time it was over, I could barely speak or swallow without sharp pain. I didn't get back to Baltimore until almost 2 AM, which also didn't help. I took some aspirin, an Alka Seltzer Cold Night Time, and went to bed.

I didn't wake up until 11:30 this morning, but thankfully don't feel any worse. In fact, the only thing I can feel that's wrong with me is my throat, which makes me hopeful I didn't get strep. Annie is in DC again for more performances, so I can take all day today without speaking and rest my throat. If it doesn't improve though, I'll have to go to the doctor and get some antibiotics because I'll more than likely have strep.

As a result, I don't think it's wise to run until my throat improves. I'm taking Wednesdat off this week, so with any luck I'll feel well enough to do my 11 miler then rather than today. Three solid days of rest will hopefully get some improvement. I have three wekeends before the National Half Marathon, so if I can get 11 miles on Wednesday, another 11 next weekend and then 12 the weekend after that, I'll be fine. Thus, I need to get healthy as quickly as possible!