What Cha' Dooooin'...

Nada actually...in the run category anyhow. Got a 3 miler in on Sunday, but mileage will suffer this week as I've got a ton of diggin' to do in the backyard. Taking out a portion of a hill to put in a patio that will connect the patio and the pool deck. So I'll be swingin' a grub ax for exercise for the next couple of days. :-) Spent 6 or so hours today doing just that, and MAN that's an upper body workout! lol.

Mike F. - Oh yeah, fantasy football season is almost upon us! Actually, I've already had a draft....My second year in Eric's Mouseguest league (I'm the AC Kungaloosh). Totally forgot the draft was Saturday evening...got on-line at round 10..DOH!! Computer picked some okay players, but I'll have to work at it once again. I've got the insufferable Matt Hasselbeck on my team once again. I can't get away from this guy! I've had him on my team for 5 out of the last 6 seasons. Over/under...Hasselbeck at 20 TD's? What's that you say? PUT IT ON THE BOARD!! ha! TMR and Neil Revitson are awesome! :-) Not to mention Pod Vader....

Perhaps I'll get some diggin' pictures for y'all, so I have some proof that I'm not just slackin' off on the running.

Thursday

Shorter run than planned due to a meeting running late, but a good run. Still a little tight, but stretching through it. 3.72 mile total.

Mile 1: 8:17
Mile 2: 8:05
Mile 3: 8:31
Mile 4: 5:51 (.72/mi)

Quickie...

Think it's a good idea to keep posting my lap times (taking the idea from MGreene) as it's keeping me honest about putting in a good workout.

Run from yesterday:
Mile 1: 8:33
Mile 2: 8:26
Mile 3: 8:34
Mile 4: 8:35
Mile 5: 4:41 (.52/mi actually)

Solid...consistent... Noticing the humidity was out of the air later in the day...looking forward to that for sure!

Moons over My-Hammy

Not much to report, hamstrings are tight from the run on Sunday that's about it. Going to do my best to stretch today and see how it feels for a late afternoon run. Work is going to have me running ragged for the forseeable future, so if I slack off in postings or comments on everyones blogs....that's most likely why!



No pirate pics yet, but I'm working on it.... ;-)

Tired Monday...

Good 5 mile run yesterday 8:39/mi average, a little slower than the previous two runs but that was the plan. Just tired and in need of a rest day, whew.

Mile 1: 8:14
Mile 2: 8:16
Mile 3: 8:40 (Felt a tweak in the hamstring, but mellowed out after a little bit)
Mile 4: 8:47
Mile 5: 9:15 (Two killer hills in the last mile :-))

Awesome guest appearance on AATM, Deb! Love your midwest accent/charm ;-) Is it me or does it feel like Team Voice is taking over... "Next time on All About the Team Voice....." LOL

I Want To Fly Like an Eagle....

In more ways than one! Huge Philadelphia Ealges fan....E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!! (yeah, and I can spell too! ...sometimes..) and our very own "Mike and Mike" (G and F) consistently inspire me to "run like the wind"...or is that "ride like the wind"? Hmmm In any event, I gots to get fastah (the "ah" in there for you Heath ;-) Total Boston thing.. Anyhoo, before I make this post so unreadable that y'all just git up and leave, I wanted to share today's run results!

Decided to run a quick 5k instead of loafing off on the computer while eating lunch.

Mile 1: 7:30
Mile 2: 7:57
Mile 3: 8:10
Mile .1: 0:51

24:30 for my 5k. I'm pretty darn happy with that result as it was sans headphones, in some pretty humid weather, and with all the crazy hills in my area. Been working on not using headphones during my runs for safety and to look a little more professional. :-) The headphones really helped me as I've got that whole crazy asthmatic breathing thing going on when I run hard and the music distracted me enough to where I didn't shut it down thinking I was hurtin'. With as much work as I've put in, by my standards, I think I'm now able to get by the crazy breathing and produce some good times.

So there it is...my one minute update that takes like 10 minutes to read!

PS - Still not MikeSpeed as he's just off the charts now!!!! Jeeez!!! ;-)

Just another day..

Another good run yesterday, similiar to Tuesday's run. Started out with a co-worker, split off and picked up the pace. Little faster/longer this time, will post the splits later on (sitting on my other laptop). From what I remember it was something like Mile 1) 9:58 2) 9:35 3)8:17 4)8:24 5'ish) 8:21pace (ran 4.76 total I think). The important thing is that it felt much more comfortable than the prior run (on the breathing) even though it was much hotter out...whacky weather here in the NorthEast.

Signed up for the Hartford Half-Marathon. Would have really liked to go for the full, but just not in the cards in terms of time to train for such an event. It's all good, I can focus on my half marathon time and be more ready for the distance come January. Next years goal will include a full marathon though. :-)

Kudos to everyone on T.V. for the awesome performances on the Cornfest run! I'm amazed at how far everyone has come with their training. It continues to inspire!

Back to Work...

Good run today. 4.52 miles, the first mile and 3/4 with a co-worker, but he didn't want to do more than 3 so I split off and ran the rest alone. He's rehabbing his foot so we don't run any faster than 10/min miles, but was able to pick up the pace a bit when I broke off from him.

Mile 1 - 10:06
Mile 2 - 9:35
Mile 3 - 8:34
Mile 4 - 8:31
Mile .52 - 4:25 (8:29/mi average)

Lungs are coming back a little, still felt some fatigue when in the 8:30 range, but not uncomfortable.

Thanks for the support/comments, Deb and Craig! Helps to have good people on your side ;-)

Don't I feel Sheepish....

I've to be honest here with all of you Team Voice folks....I felt like I failed miserably on the Cornfest run.... Treated it like another Saturday morning training run instead of like a real race (which was the point of the simulation, right?). Stayed up too late the night before enjoying a couple of adult beverages not really thinking it would effect how I ran Saturday. Well, couldn't have been more wrong. Totally blew it and was just lucky to actually finish the 6.2. However, all is not lost here! I'm a "bright side" kinda guy, and have learned a valuable lesson here. Either that I need to keep up the running workload regardless of what else is going on in my life, or that I need to temper my expectations after taking any kind of time off from running. I'm feeling a little of both as I honestly just didn't have the time to run the two weeks leading up to the Cornfest race, but should not have expected that I would have been in peak shape as well (thus changing my overall plan for the race). In any event, my backyard is almost back to workable shape, and the double systems audit is over! Now I can get back to the running schedule and workload that I was used to. Another positive coming from the long time off from running (and reduced workload prior) was fresh legs. My legs and body haven't felt this good since I started running in February. However, the lungs need to come back to form....sometimes I forget that I have asthma....which is an AWESOME thing...the forgetting that is...So here's to not letting up on the workload and trying to further reduce the overall average time of my laps!

Corn Scratch Fever!!!

Going out in a few to run the run of the year! Crowd's cheering....CORN, CORN, CORN, CORN....or perhaps they want the band? KORN, KORN, KORN, KORN....... either way, it's on like Donkey Kong!

Will post results later on, good luck to the rest of y'all! (Update: 57:56 for my 6.2mi cornfest run)

Good article I read on black toe, since y'all seemed interested :-) http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/injury_archives/black_toe.html

Black Toe Fever

Quick post, got a meeting in 4 minutes.... Anyone else get the dreaded "Black Toe"? Got one on my pinky toe, lovely. Doesn't hurt at all, so that's a good sign, at least from what I've read...One article mentioned that it's sometimes a sign that one has stepped up their running (distance/speed). In any event, I'm ruling out the shoes based on the information I've found, but will still mention it at my next "fitting" which is pretty soon as the mileage on these has added up pretty darn quick.

Only a mile on the treadmill last night due to exhaustion, so just getting THAT in was a testament to will! May take today off to rest before the Corn race tomorrow...but we'll see..the weather today is VERY condusive to running....cool, overcast.....

Long distance "8:00's" here I come!!! LOL

Back to Running

After almost a week off from running, I was back in action last night (sans headphones, Mike G ;-)) A good 4 miler in a light heat with a decent breeze. Wasn't worried too much about time as I knew it would be a little off after a week of no run (averaged 9/min miles). With all of the upper body work I got in during the week I still feel good overall and not like I really missed out. Actually, my legs felt VERY fresh, no aches and pains to start as I normally do. Perhaps I needed the rest..... Anyhoo, will continue to get back on track and ready for the Children of the Corn race this Saturday! Think I signed up for the 6.2mi. Then it's back to training for the Hartford Half Marathon on Oct 11th. Didn't get out to the Sea Legs Shuffle this past weekend as I needed the weekend to work on the yard. Looked like a great race though, will try to get out there next year.

Football is back! Well, sort of... Caught the first few minutes of the Colts/Skins last night. Gotta get myself prepared for the fantasy football season now! WooHoo!

No T.V. and no beer make Homer something something....

Zippy post today... Haven't run since Sunday as my backyard is in shambles and I'm buried in a double systems audit at work (keep your fingers crossed...). When they asked if I wanted both of my projects audited at once I was like "sure, sounds like it'll save us time down the road" yeah, more like double torture! LOL Anyhoo, enough of my troubles. I'm going to try and run on the treadmill tonight, otherwise I won't be able to get out till Sunday.

Failed miserably on my July goals with the one bright spot being the 10 second shaving off of my mile average for the 10 mile race (8:55/mi average at half marathon; 8:45/mi at the 10 miler). I'm good with that though and plan to keep this moving forward in Aug! Thanks everyone for your support! I don't say that enough, but it's a HUGE factor in my success for sure!

Oh, and embarrassing photo's from the Blessing of the Fleet 10 Mile race at the following link...just enter in bib #632 http://www.capstonephotostore.com/search.php?eventnum=169 This was a "Team Pfizer" run, thus the lovely Pfizer singlet....

The Fleet Has Been Blessed...

Just a quick note to let y'all know how I did in the 10 miler. Well, honestly, I'm not sure how I did! LOL No chip timing on this one and there were around 2700 people....kinda jumbled at the end of the race. Took about two minutes to get to the start line and then the first couple of miles to get outta the "pack", but overall I felt and ran well. The time when I crossed was 1:27:05 so I figure I actually ran it somewhere between 1:25:00 and 1:27:05... Pretty much exactly what I was shooting for.

Will try to get more detail up soon!

Two days till race day!

Two more days and I'm off and running in the "Blessing of the Fleet" 10 mile race. Getting out for a 3 mile run later on today with a co-worker, but plan to keep it a light one at that. Want to keep myself fresh for Friday evening. Weatherwise it appears that it's going to be sunny and somwhere in the mid to high 70's around 6pm. The first couple of miles being along the water and then heading inland for a loop prior to finishing back by the Narragansett pier. Spent many days in the area during summers growing up, so it'll be familiar territory for sure.

Seeing as how I ran the half-marathon at an 8:55 pace, I'm shooting to bring that down a bit but not sure really where I want to be. Perhaps in the 8:45 range.... First evening race for me and I'm guessing it's a little different on the body than the morning runs. Anyone have advice specifically for evening runs v. morning? Heading down to the folks place in that area Friday morning and will try to take in a quick nap if possible. I've noticed that my energy level on my evening training runs isn't as high as those I get in the morning. Maybe a nap will help...who knows. Food intake times will be different as well since the monring routine probably won't cut it.

Anyhoo, I'll let y'all know how I did as soon as possible :-) May not be till Sunday night/Monday monring since the folks don't have internet access at that house.....perhaps there's an open wireless network that I can tap into... ;-)

Ho Hum...

Well, didn't hit my goal for the weekend (12 mile run). Had to get up early Sunday to get out and to it, but didn't. Stayed up too late Saturday evening hanging with my wife and couldn't drag myself out of bed Sunday morning. Not killing myself too badly here though cause it was time well spent in my opinion. Anyhoo, got 3.5 in on the treadmill last night, variable speed to try and simulate my outdoor run, but at least it was something to show for the weekend.

Not going to push it too much this week as the 10 mile is on Friday evening and I'd like to be fairly fresh for it. Will get out today after work, in the lovely humidity soup, for 3-4 miles and will try to mix up the speed a little as with last night. Kind of a mini speed interval workout with my normal run. Won't have time for too much more as I've got to get home for kid duty. :-)

Random Thoughts

Anyone watch Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel? Okay, so it's a kids show, but it's just hillarious. The show has invaded our home so much that my daughter has named our pool robot cleaner "Perry the Platypus". Perhaps I should buy it a cool secret agent hat now...

Running in the heat is difficult..... LOL

Why do I feel worse now that I'm in better shape...whereas I felt fine when completely out of shape....The aches, the pains, gotta love physical fitness! :-)

Body glide is your friend!!! ...but it won't pick you up at the airport.

I now understand what it's like to RECEIVE "the look" when talking about how many miles I run a day/week. That and the "why do you do that, again?"

I'm a converted "why do runners insist on running in the street when there is sidewalk..." person over to "why do cars insist on trying to get as close to me when I'm running as possible!!"

Road kill make for excellent cross-training as hurdles....

**3 miles on da'mill last night and the heel is fine, woohoo. Going for a 4 mile run today after work, hopefully the breeze off the water picks up cause it's hot out there. :-) Got the 10 mile course map I'm running next week. Looks good, fairly flat with some hills at the beginning of the course (between miles 2 and 3), but flat after that. It starts at 6pm, so hopefully the heat has worn off by then, or better yet, rain or overcast!

I'm Back...Sort Of

Hey y'all, great comments from the last post, thanks! Mike G. points out trail running and is definitley something I'm going to look into. I live adjacent to what once was a golf course, so I'm wondering what's been cooked up in there by runners/bikers, etc. If not, I'm sure the running folks around here have some locations they can point me towards. Anything that will reduce the impact is good with me. Had a heel problem develop early on Friday (bad work shoes...need some new ones for sure) which got worse due to my "long run" that afternoon. Only got in just under 9 miles and had to stop. One, for the heel throbbing, and two cause I ran out of time and had to head home to help with the kids. Dissapointed that I didn't get my 12 miles in, but also don't want to do something that will mess up the 10 mile race I've got on the 25th. Heel is feeling better today and will be ready to run on tomorrow. Might give it a light mile on the treadmill tonight when the kids go to bed to test it.

Pool deck has been poured and swimming has begun. :-) Have yet to really do some laps, but will get to it soon. Still alot of landscaping work to do around the pool, but hey, it's in and working! Around 6 weeks, not bad at all.

Haven't forgotten that I said I WILL get a 12 miler in this month....If it's going to happen, it'll have to be this weekend as next weekend is the race down in Rhode Island. Stay tuned... Still have aspirations of the Marathon in Oct...novelty hasn't worn off yet.. Gotta get cookin' on the mileage though if I have a prayer... If nothing else, it should help my "half" time!

Another Quick Post...

Hey y'all - Not alot of time for anything this week, but I promise to catch up on everyone's blog activity. Took another quick run yesterday, 3.57 mi, and have found a running buddy at work. Well, sort of. He's rehabbing his plantar faceitis (sp?) issues, so he plans to join me for the under 4 mi runs every now and then. Was nice to run with someone else, the mileage just flew by when someone was there to chat with. Anyhoo, looking to get a nice long run in this afternoon after work. Having a tough time finding a "safe" 12 mile route here in New London....10, no problem....12 is a little more difficult as it would take me into some shaddy neighborhoods...weird mix down here as there are million dollar homes and low cost housing within a block of each other. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid...I dunno...

Leg feels great now that I'm stretching more and have cut the mid week mileage a little bit. Will keep on that plan for July and try to crank it back up a little in August. Still want to keep the long runs and extend them every other week to see if I can get up to a 15-20 mile run.....if I can, then I may go for that marathon in October, if not, I'll stick to the half they do at the same time.

Quick Post

Finally, a pool picture :-)

Quick 3 mile run this afternoon, nothing exciting to report otherwise.