August Update - Final

Ended the month with the following...a couple more miles and pu/su's.

120.33 miles run
2 miles x-train.
Sit-ups -570 Push-ups - 802

September won't start as nicely as I've got to drive to PA tomorrow and head back home Friday (into a hurricane apparently...). Daughter's B-day Saturday, the big 6. Hopefully the weather will be clear by then so the pool party can commence. :-) Going to try and get a couple of miles in while on the road. I hear our office down there has a great gym, we'll see if I have time. I've got the mileage fever though, so I'm sure I'll figure out a way to get some in.

Yes Matt, it was ALL you buddy! Seriously though, talking about the daily plan definitley helped me execute.

August Goals...Achieved...

Quick update -
113.13 miles run (goal was 110 for month)
2 miles x-train.
Sit-ups -520 Push-ups - 757
Weight - 193.7 (goal was to maintain 194)

Best mileage month for me since I began running in 2008, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. Was a nice progressive increase in mileage from June to now and I'm injury free as a result. Goal for mileage running was 110 and it looks like I'll finish close to 120 (which was my Sept goal). So this is good, my body is responding well to the workouts, but now I need to get into the next phase and begin working on the short recovery running. The plan will be to start fairly small early Sept and then increase the B2B mileage. Since I haven't really trained this way before I'm going to take it fairly slow and see where it takes me. In other words, I'm not going to run a Goofy by the end of September...or probably not at all till January. Will plan one B2B that gets me close though as I need to understand how much fatigue I'm going to feel. Plenty of Endurox R4 will be used over the next couple of months! LOL

Swing and a Miss!

Due to the weekend schedule, I had to go for the long run today. Felt just alright about it, but figured I could muscle my way through it. Well, I guess I underestimated how much my legs needed the rest cause after mile 2 I was starting to get that whole body tired feeling... I lasted 6.31 and that's all folks. Really should have waited till tomorrow, but no worries, still feel great about this past week (will post the numbers, but think I was over 30 miles). If the schedule permits I might make another "run" for the 13.1 next Friday...

Totals for the month are right around 80 miles running, will check my spreadsheet and update later if need be.

Is everyone booked in hotels for January? I haven't done it yet, was waiting for annual passholder discount announcement for that timeframe, but hasn't come out yet. Should I just book the Pop or somethign and update it if the discount comes out? Far from an expert on this topic... I suppose an alternate would be to book a moderate and then downgrade if the dicount doesn't come through or isn't what I want it to be....Advice?

Updated: Yeah, I might have overdid it for me this week, just checked and put in 36.21 miles for the week. Probably about 12 miles more than I was planning, no wonder why my legs were spent today. :-)

Possessed..By the Mike-Speed...

I tell ya, I've been trying out these new Brooks Ravenna's and I'm not sure if it's the shoes or what, but I've been running like I stole something lately! Oh wait...maybe I did steal something...nah..or did I....nah...

Put in a 7 mile escalation run yesterday where you keep upping your pace every mile till you've hit the roof. I don't think I hit the roof, but I ran out of time... Anyhoo, I was running a 6:47 mile at the end and didn't feel bad at all. Of course, I probably couldn't sustain that at this point, but it was very encouraging to know I could get up there. I averaged right around 8 minute miles overall, still not bad at all and something I haven't gotten back to since January. Today I put in 6.35 and ran most of it around 8 or 7:50ish. The shoes are defintiely helping, they are much lighter than the Asics 2150's and more of a curve style at the toe. I'm sure there are technical terms for this, but you won't find that on this blog! LOL.

On the buddy front, Matt is doing great! He put in a monster 6 miler yesterday in the heat and has been pushing towards recommiting himself to weight loss. I'm darn proud of him. :-) He's got alot of work to do prior to December when he'll be sporting his thinner self down that aisle for graduation, but I've got a good feeling about it. Buddy or not, I'm going to be all over him like stink on a monkey till he achieves that goal for December, he deserves to succeed.

Might be off tomorrow or I might get my long run in, trying to work out the schedule with the wife....I'll post and let y'all know how it went. Would like to put a half in, but anything over 10 will do...depends on how much time I've got to do it (and partly the weather).

One more thing. Steph is back on-line so head over to her blog and give her some encouragement! http://theeyeofthetigger.blogspot.com/2010/08/back-to-start.html

Mid-August Report

Half way through the month and I feel pretty good about the mileage build-up, but something is still missing. Got an 8.7 mile run in this morning under cloudy skies with a temp of 77. Think that I need to get back to the gym for some weight training. When I started it up early November last year it really gave me a boost in my training as well as my overall per mile time. This week is going to be tough at work as I've got people flying in from a couple of places to be heads down in a conference room working, but will see what I can do.

Run miles for August thus far - 52.90 (might be off by a tenth) with a bit of swimming thrown in there. Haven't put in miles on the bike but will look to do more of that in the second half of the month to give the run muscles a rest. Goal is 110 miles running for the month, and get a 13.1 mile long run in. Shouldn't be an issue unless this week goes badly at work (not anticipating it though).

Been pretty quiet on the Team Voice front, hoping that everyone is just too busy running and no time for the computer. :-) I've been chatting with my buddy Matt who put in a nice 6 miler today, WooHoo! I know it's tough to get that kinda mileage down in that ridonculous heat, but he's committed for sure. Keep up the great work, Matt!

Ain't it funny....

How one minute you resign yourself to the fact that your body needs a day off from running and the next you're walking out the door in your tech-tee ready to roll! That's what happened to me today. Couldn't get the body to feel like doing anything, so I was going to rest, but Emeril rang my doorbell and BAM! I was out the door for close to 4 miles. Helped that the weather was overcast and low 80's....

Anyhoo, hope everyone is going through the same thing. Virtual 10k coming in a couple of weeks.... Is this the Corn-fest run part tres?

Answers....

Found a couple of articles that gave some great information about training for Goofy and fuelling for a quick recovery.

http://running-advice.com/blog/?p=768 - Training

http://running-advice.com/blog/?p=2726 - Nutrition for quick recovery

5 miles today puts me at 36 running and couple more walking/swiming. Still hot here, but nothing like it was (or IS down south).

I love it when a plan comes together...

So had a couple of minutes and was pulling together my spreadsheet for January. Nothing fancy, just an easy way to see activities for those couple of days at a glance (parks, flight info, ADR's, etc.). The question of the day is "what is the fueling strategy for Saturday after the half-marathon?". Gotta get something in quick to replenish the depleted muscles right after the race and I'm thinking that I should be fuelling often during the day/evening with small meals (easily digestible). Either that, or just find the nearest buffet and chow down! LOL

No workout today, feeling like junk due to allergies and just need to relax a bit. 30.95 miles in August so far, will get back to it tomorrow.

Never Show Surprise, Never Lose Your Cool....

Coughlin's law... just watching a little "Cocktail" and I've all but run out of tag lines....

Just over 26 miles in the month so far, feeling good about the month and the steady build up of miles based on July's 90 mile performance. Shooting for ~110 or so and will get a short recovery double long run at least once to kick off a monthly occurence as we move into real Goofy training territory.

Gotta watch the snacking in the evening, the major achillies heel as of late. However, I'm happy in that I'm back down to 195 after hovering around 198/199 for a while (over 200 for a bit there....). Time to push towards making 192 my maintain weight and then down towards the end of the year. I had always targeted 188 as the weight I want to run the Goofy at. I know I shouldn't have a time goal for that race, but since it's still far off....I'm wanting to complete the whole deal in less than 6hr 30min. Crazy? nah, I actually think I can do it based on where I think my half time will be and given what I think I can do for the full (if I don't have ITB issues again). Either way, I'm going to have a blast running this thing, but for me, the time thing does motivate me. I figure, if it motivates me to stay healthy and get the mileage in...then it's a good thing.

Anyhoo, great Team Voice meet today, really like talking with y'all. Looking forward to the virtual run at the end of the month.

Last note, NBC re-aired the 2009 Ironman World Championships yesterday during our meet, totally bummed that I didn't DVR it! Only got the last 30 minutes... Here's a link to a great video on YouTube though, if this doesn't get you pumped up I don't know what would! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROsDCzDRRI

5k Championship....

That's right folks, I'm going to run in the national 5k championship race, not because it's easy, but because it is hard.... anyone, anyone...Kennedy reference? no? Oh, fine... Anyhoo, yes, I'm going to Providence in September to run the CVS/Caremark 5k which happens to be the National 5k Championship race (or some I'm told). It's a "Team insert major pharmaceutical company that I work for here.." running event and I thought it would be a good way to get me motivated for speed work. The run is September 19th I think, so I've got a little time to get my run on, and try for a PR. Says the course is flat and fast, but so don't they all (except for the Colchester Half Marathon, but don't get me back on that one..). Best 5k time for me is 24:17, but I do think I could do better with a little work. So stay tuned on the training front, but I'm already starting to get some speed back based on the miles I've been putting in.

I'm still debating as to whether I'm going to participate in the company sprint triathalon. I've been swimming more lately, but it's in a couple of weeks and I'm not sure if I'd be ready. As it is, I found out today that work is going to severly interfere with my running schedule over the next couple of weeks, but won't bore you with the detail. I'm just ticked off, annoyed, anxious, etc. all in one at this point, but know I'll get through it.

Hope everyone is doing well, haven't seen much on the blogs in the past couple of days....c'mon people, I'm checking daily now and want to know how y'all are doing!!!!! Jonathan and his buddy Amanda are the exception, they entertain me daily. ;-)

When is now? Sooon.......

I owe y'all a trip report/recap, but it's not going to be today. Have a ton of documentation to get reviewed and time is a-wastin'.

July turned out to be a decent mileage month, despite the 10 days in Disney. Just a tick over 90 miles running and a few more miles swimming for the month. Weather here in CT has gotten very condusive to running and I'm hoping that trend continues into August.

Apologies to Eric, my buddy, as I've been absent the past few days getting back into the work swing :-(

I must be in the front row...

In the true spirit of Bob Uker, we got upgraded to the front row (sort of). Our hotel room at Animal Kingdom Lodge turned into a 1BR suite at the Animal Kingdom Villas, sweet. Kids are loving the animals from the giant balcony, who wouldn't! Off to the Beach Club Villas tomoorow and hoping that our studio turns into anothe upgrade...not banking on it though. :-)

Got a 5K in this morning, puts me at 67 or so run miles for the month. Lorraine's turn tomorrow then off to the studios for EMH. My favorite park. I'd post pics from my phone but forgot how to e-mail my blog....

On the Road Again...

Probably not the first time I used Willie in my title line, but it's fitting. As in, I'm on the road back to shape for distance running. Didn't realize just how far away I was from February when I could do a half marathon for my long run over the weekend and feel like I only ran 5. Got out the door around 9a (80's already) and planned 10 miles. The body felt much better than the 8 miler from last weekend and I was able to get all the mileage in +1 walk mile at the end. The heat wasn't fun for sure, and I tried to keep in the shade as much as possible. Hate to say it, but I can't wait till fall! I'd rather run in the cold than in this stuff...you can bundle up in the cold, not much else you can do in this.

Anyhoo, I've got the following folks for Mama Melrose Jan 7 so far (will add Matt if he ends up making it):
Justin +1
Rae +3
Me +0

Total of 7 so far on a 10 person reservation. No worries, I'm going to call and see if i can make it 15 as I think there are a few more of you out there that would like to do this. Was a great time this past January, kinda felt like an old Italian family eating dinner (I've got some experience with that...).

Update - I raised the ADR to 15 people. The new time is 4:55p.

Rae - Lorraine is doing great on her training, thanks for asking. She did a mini-tri for practice last week and gained some good experience. She's improving in the pool every day, and has been very consistent with the biking (depite the 2 young'ns that run her ragged and make her want to nap instead!).

ADR for January 7th (Friday Evening)

Knowing there is some interest in Mama Melrose for an evening prior to the half-marathon meet, I booked something online. Right now it's a table for 10 (max you can do on-line), let me know if you're interested and I can adjust as necessary. The ADR is for 4:55pm on 1/7 (Friday).

If we get more than 10 confirmed, I'll call and try to increase the #.

Crapatar...

Sitting here watching Avatar, finally, and I'm like what the.... Sure it's creative and all, but really? All that money and record setting attendance for this? Glad I waited for it on Blockbuster!

What else, what else... I'm over 50 miles for the month, took today off to rest the legs a bit. Feeling pretty good about the mileage and think I should be able to finish off over 100 miles as long as I can get a 10 miler in over the weekend. Just building the endurance back up slowly but surely (and don't call me Shirly...old "Airplane" joke for those without a sense of humor ;-)).

Getting a new toy! Ordered a Kokay Playsport video camera. The thing can be submerged to 10feet under water, how much cooler does it get than that! I want to bring it to Disney for the Goofy to take footage, but we'll see how that all works out.

In NYC Monday/Tuesday for work and y'all know where after that.

Oh, and I talked with the folks organizing Team Pfizer for the New York City Marathon and it sounds cool and all, but I'm not sure I'd be able to meet the 2600 fund raising commitment, so I might pass this year and try next year. I've never raised money for an event like this so I have no clue how doable it is and I don't want to be left with that big of a bill! :-) I might change my mind, but for now it's on hold and full speed ahead on training for the Goof.

Runnin' Runnin' and Runnin' Runnin'...

Let's get it started!!! Hot Tub Time Machine fans out there? Saw that one over the weekend and I'll have to admit, I thought it was pretty darn funny. Probably just how great the soundtrack was, all 80's tunes.

Did a little Runnin' Runnin' over the weekend, about 11 miles total. Just shy of 9 miles yesterday in some hot/humid conditions (burnt face/head to prove it). Was a brutual run from a body perspective, just didn't have it. Took over 1:30:xx to complete, like I said...brutal. Had to stop and walk up a couple of the hills. The positive thing is that I didn't cut the run short as my mind was trying to talk me into.... At 40 run miles for the month, not bad.

Vacation is coming fast though. Lorraine and I will alternate early morning runs while down in the world, so I'll still squeeze out some decent mileage for the month, but don't want to overdo it since we'll be walking a ton.

Q&A with Stroller Boy...

Yes Amanda, I use my blog like e-mail More like a brain dump of anything I'm thinking of at the moment, no real rhyme or reason. IT-wise, I'm a business analyst by profession. Long time from doing any kind of coding or real hands on IT work...which is why I laugh when people think I can solve their computer problems! I'm like "ummm, I don't know, call the helpdesk?". Okay, I'm a little better than that, but not by much. More of understanding complex business problems and facilitate the requirements for enterprise systems.

Wow, now that I've bored the rest of you.....

So close to vacation/Disney...I'm already checked out a bit from work which is bad due to how busy it is. What can ya do.

Only about 30 running miles this month thus far done with shorter runs and only 1 day off. I want to take a longer run tomorrow and continue to build back up, but will take it slow as I don't want to be injured for the long haul. Lost about 2lbs this month now that the mileage is coming back (and watching the food intake). Just need to keep it up...going to be tough when we head down for vacation though.

Mike, no "more than words" for you! I did think of that when writing that title though, too funny.

The Extreme Strikes Again!

So my self nickname "The Extreme" led me to do something stupid again. Yeah, you remember that 18 below 0 (40 mph winds) 13 mile run this past winter.... 102 with a heat index of 105, 2pm run, why not!?! Okay, it wasn't 13 miles, but it sure felt like it. I just wanted to take a nice easy run in the new shoes outdoors and that was the only time I had available, so I did 4 miles. Just hot and sweaty, no physical illness or anything (maybe mental illness). First 2 miles weren't bad at all, but the last two were brutal! Lesson learned, go out early in the 90 degree heat or hit the treadmill.... it's all good, at least I'm getting the work in. :-)

Justin - Like the itinerary for Jan, but you have us leaving Epcot on Sunday to go to O'hana? Could we do that one of the other evenings and do something local to Epcot that night? then some fireworks and whatnot? Call me sentimental, but after we did that a couple of years ago I think I'm stuck to Epcot post race (or that last race anyhow). Something about drinkin' round the world to cap off marathon weekend just feels right. Still, I'm flexible. Wish I could say the same about the hamstrings.

Rae - I feel your pain. Doesn't seem to be much different weatherwise between the Northeast and Florida during the summer...brutal! How's the new Mustang? Why am I asking you questions on my blog? I haven't gripped the whole "technology" thing yet apparently...ya know, I mean, I only work in the technology department of a company... ;-)

Some like it hot...

Not quite "Amanda-weather", but it's in the upper 90's and pretty darn humid. Pool felt really good, even at 85 degrees.

Couple of chances to run this weekend, nothing over 5 miles as of yet. I was planning on a longer run, but my shoes are pretty well toasted (465 miles on them). Was able to get to Fleet Feet today to try on a couple of different pairs. Went in thinking I would just get the Asics GT-2150's, but the salesperson said she'd be quick (kids were waiting) and wanted to show me a couple of other models. Tried the Saucony Pro-Grid Guide 3, Brooks Ravenna, New Balance 760 (?) and the GT-2150's. New Balance felt weird in my left heel so they were out. Brooks felt light and like something to run shorter distances with (same as the reviews said), so it was down to the Saucony and the GT's. Both felt really good, but I went with the sure thing in the Asics. I'm going to go through a couple of pairs between now and January, so I figure I can try them next and then decide on what my race shoe is going to be. The sales person/girl said she's going to run the Goofy this year as well, kinda cool, she ran the full last year and apparently wasn't scared off by the cold. So aparently she's like the rest of us...nuts! LOL

No issue on the eating this weekend! Stayed true to my word and feel much better for it. :-) We'll see what I can get in for mileage this week, but based on the schedule, I think I can sneak in a few runs.

So who's doing all the ADR coordinating this year? :-) Or should we all try to "host" one ...might be a scheduling nightmare.. Sunday night will be the big one, for us Goofy folks anyhow.

Stay safe out there!

Independance Day.....

I'm decalring my independance from tyranical sausage, hot dogs, and fatty hamburgers!!! So, I'm sitting here, working for the most part, and thinking about the weekend...barbecue's and the like and considering I'm about 10 lbs from my Goofy goal weight I've declared war on fatty junk that will keep me from my goal this weekend! Sure, it's only a day or two of gluttony, but that's the point, if not now, when? If not me, who? If not what, where? Huh? Okay, I'm confusing myself during my own tirade... The point being that now that I've said it, I've got to stick to it this weekend and report back to y'all who'll beat me down if I'm not honest!!!

Work is still hellish, but in a good way, a challenging way. Happy to be employed given the on-going mess of an economy (Matt, the president was just joking, you don't need to go down to the shore and "suck it up with a straw"...if I know you, you'd siphon it into barrells and sell it! You smart guy you ;-)). As planned all along, July is my month to get the training for January going now that school is done. Not sure about the 150 miles though....Best mileage month for me since I started running was 125 I think....hit that a couple of times....Not to mention I'm going to be in Disney for 10 days of this month :) Oh, did I forget to mention that? LOL 3 days at AKL, and the rest at BCV. Probably going to be hotter than the sun down there, but who cares, it's better than here!

As Mike-Speed (or Walt) would say....Keep Moving Forward!