Tagging, Updates, and Football Oh My!

To start off I was tagged in a previous bloggers post, and I said I would do it as well.  Well I am keeping my word so here it is!  The rules are I post 7 random facts about myself, then I tag 7 other blogs.  Should be fun!

1. I have lived all over the world, including Germany.
2. I was a top ranked video game player when I was 16. I sure am a nerd! :)
3. I wrestled for 7 years.
4. My favorite color is Green.
5. I use to think my career was going to be a magician.
6. I was denied entry into the Air Force for being too skinny.
7. I have broken both of my wrists within 6 months of each other!

Now, onto the tagging!
Earn Your Donuts
Long May You Run
For The Love of The Run
Watch MeGo Run
There Are Two Sides
Run With Jill
Geeks in Running Shoes
DC Rainmaker

If you haven't checked a blog on this list out, I would!  They are all very good, and informative.  I really like Geeks in Running Shoes, but maybe that is because of my inner geek!

Some Updates:
My knee is still bothering me, and worse now.  I haven't ran since Thursday but it still becomes sore when I don't move it for extended periods of time (such as sleep).  I plan on sucking it up and going to visit the doctor because I think I may have torn my meniscus, according to the internet.  Lets hope the internet is wrong!  If anything that will just give me more time to write on here, and also to work on my upper body/core strength!  Because honestly, given the choice between running and other workouts, I choose running every time.  Its time to give the other workouts some love too!  I did some push-ups today and my arms felt it.  I definitely need this...

Football Rant:
If you are a football fan like myself, you will know today was a crazy day in football!  The packers finally fell, and to the Chiefs of all teams!  No offence if you are a Chiefs fan, but they are sub-par this year.  That was a magnificent upset, take THAT Green Bay muhaha!  Also a shout out to the Colts for getting their first win of the season, I was a little worried they would go without a win and that would be a shame.  The there is my team, the Broncos.  Tim Tebow has been making some huge news these days, so the Broncos v Patriots game was pretty hyped today!  Sadly it ended up with a loss for the Broncos, but at least the Raiders also lost keeping them in the lead.  Lets go Broncos, make the playoffs!  Well that ends my football rant!

Some Questions for You!
- What are some of your favorite blogs to read, running or otherwise?
- Favorite sports team?

Now to Focus on Running!

Finally done with finals! *happy dance*

Just finished my last one yesterday afternoon.  Then I packed up and drove home and had a good long sleep.  I never realize how sleepy stress makes you until it wears off.  I am super excited because this gives me the next five or so weeks to focus solely on running, fitness, and being well!

I had a realization as I slowly ran today.  We had absolutely no rain this summer when it was over 110 almost everyday, and now we have had nonstop rain for the past 2 weeks.  I am not complaining, because I love the rain.  In fact, I even go to rainy mood when listening to music or studying!  But I would have loved it more if it were to have come to cool us off over the summer.  But the good news is, it looks like we shouldn't shrivel up like we originally thought was going to happen over the next 5 years.  

Now onto my run!  It was a simple 2 mile run, back on the path I ran over the summer.  To summarize it, it is a flat path out and back. Flat, in Texas? Crazy I know!  But it was a pretty peaceful run.  It was like all the stress of the last 4 months were washed away and I was a new runner!  Sadly, it didn't wash away that nagging in my knee.  I did stretch before it this time, and it made it so I went all 2 miles without having to stop, but it did creep up late in the run.  I am going to the chiropractor after this weekend though!  Overall was a pretty slow pace because I did the 2 miles in a little less than 20 minutes, but I shouldn't complain, at least I was able to get out there and run!

I won't be able to blog this weekend though, which is both good and bad.  Bad because I really want to put some more time into this blog over the break but good because I am going to go see my cousin graduate from college!  I always find it inspiring to see someone accomplish something you are also striving for.  Its like they are telling you that it IS possible, even if not directly.  So I should be back on Monday and ready to write!  Something else I have noticed is the lack of pictures on my blog.  I am not a great photographer, in fact the only camera I own is on my phone, but I think I am going to try and take some more pictures to make this more than a wall of text for everyone.

But to break the monotony of this text, here is some music!  The artists name is Ellie Goulding, and I think her music is pretty catchy!

Until next time, have a safe weekend, and happy running!

Final Countdown

Life, always getting in the way am I right?

Still here, still running, still trudging through finals week.  We have all been here at one point or another.  Whether it is High School finals or College finals they all suck.  My one complaint about College finals would be the fact that I had two finals on Saturday, which threw off my long run for the week.  Darn integration and graph theory...

Anyways, this is more of a short post saying that I am in fact not disappearing like last time (ohhh 2 months or so).  Instead I am putting all of my energy into getting those A's I talked about in the last post.  I am so so close...48 hours until sweet sweet freedom!  I do hope to get in another 3 miler tomorrow though.  It looks like the rain is finally clearing up!  And it was a fantastic 60 degrees today!

And thanks to Another Mile for the tag back!  I will have to play the game as soon as I am back at home this Wednesday :)

Burrrr

We don't have snow, but its cold!

It is officially that time of year again!  Finals are quickly approaching, the winter cold is finally setting in (hey, 40 is cold here in Texas!) and the annual Polar Plunge is this Thursday!  This is going to be one heck of a busy week.  Then I throw in the first week of marathon training and it become chaos!  Although, I guess I can't fully call it chaos because I will be able to handle it... I hope!

I am just going to talk a little bit about my run today though.  It was on a treadmill sadly, but it was for the best! Or so I tell myself.  It was beneficial for two reasons.  The first is that I was able to avoid the chilly weather, and the other was that I was able to force myself to go at a nice easy pace to keep my knee from pinching and me grimacing.  It was a 3 mile run like the training plan called for, and it took roughly 30 minutes to run to make sure I took it easy!

Wednesday and Thursday will also be 3 mile runs with a 6 mile on Saturday.  I really hope that my knee is all good to go this Saturday.  It will feel good to run after my second Final!  But before Saturday, there is another challenge.  Will I accept this challenge? Probably.  There is a T-Shirt involved.  So yeah, I am totally jumping into the freezing water!  I will defiantly take a picture of the event and said T-Shirt.  And if I plan it right, I can finish my run and jump in to ice my leg that way!

I hope that running and the Polar Plunge will help relieve some stress until next Wednesday, then I will be free!  Wish me luck, starting Friday is the longest week ever.  I hope to be getting tons of these (6 to be exact)

Muddy Fun Run

This week had gone by in a blur, so I figured I would wait until the end of my running week to talk about it all at once.  A quick breakdown of the week would be as follows:

Tuesday - 3 mile run
Wednesday - 2 mile run
Saturday - 2.8 mile run

Far from spectacular, but that is about 7.8 miles more than I have done in the past 2 months!  Although I did vary from my original plan which would have been 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.  The reason for this variation is that my right knee acts up when I start to run again after a long break.  I am starting to think that it is because of the years I Wrestled, because that was the knee that would get slammed into the mat more often than not.  But from what I remember this summer, as long as I take it easy and run until it bothers me then stop for the day, then I should be okay in a couple weeks.  That is good news because that means I will be healthy for the rest of the marathon training that I will be doing starting next week!  This time I swear I am going to stick to it too, for real.

Back to this title of this post though!  It has been raining non-stop for the past 3 days and my campus does NOT drain well.  And if you know my thoughts on the treadmill, then you know I was really sad to think I would have to visit it again.

Luckily the rain let up!  I was able to run outside with no rain! Yippee! The only downside (upside if you like this I guess) was that the trail I run on campus was thick and muddy.  I thought I avoided getting muddy by not running the warrior dash, but it seems I was meant to be muddy anyways! So in preparation, I dug out my old shoes from a couple years ago that I didn't completely run into the ground and used those.  I felt great running outside in the cool mist though, and I was sad I had to stop .2 miles short of 3 because my knee started to pinch sharply.  While I was running though I started to wonder about others and how they deal with weather, so I thought of a couple of questions:

Do you have backup weather gear?
What is the worst conditions you have purposely ran in?

The Six Basic Nutrients

As promised, I am going to expand this blog into not just a running blog (although that will still be the main topic), but also in a personal wellness and fitness blog!  The first stop on this wellness journey will be to define, and take a closer look at what makes up the food we consume.  What do we need to stay healthy?  What should we avoid?

I think to answer questions like those stated above the 6 basic nutrients need to be looked at closely.  In this post I will outline what the 6 are, and what I plan on doing to cover them.  I think it would be best to give each nutrient its own, in depth look.  I will do a mini series of posts over the next couple months to cover them all.  The first will be shortly after December 14th because I will be having finals all next week.  It might come out earlier than that if I have some free time.

Now onto the 6 Nutrients, in the order I will be writing about them:

• Proteins
• Fats
• Carbohydrates
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Water

I hope to do some research and write informal papers about them, so that they can be used as a reference for what these nutrients are all about.  Of course I also want to see how each of these nutrients will effect running, and runners and if there should be any variations to common "rules" because we are runners.

I am excited to get started on this project, and if you have any suggestions for points I should hit in my posts, feel free to let me know in a comment below!

Seriously?

I had made up my mind over the last few days that this time around, I would run just to run.  No schedule, no races, just running however long I felt that day.  Why would I do this you might ask?  Because I feel like that is where I fell through these last few months.  I would notice I didn't have time to run x miles one day, and I would feel discouraged and wouldn't run at all and thus, I became a couch potato.  So this time, I would run as often as possible, however far I could in the time I had!

Of course, that won't work...

I walked into my room today, and was promptly asked by one of my roommates and his girlfriend if I was going to run the Big D marathon in April with them.  Of course I can't say no, because I already bailed on them doing the warrior dash last weekend.  So now I am back in the training grind, this time for good.  I know I will have more than enough time to run this next semester, because I scheduled it to give me more time between classes.  So now I have a new countdown clock, 140 days, and my first marathon.

Today's Run
I ran a solid 2.5 miles today, mostly into wind.  Its odd, even though I am coming back from a lengthy break I have started better than I ever have before.  Usually with wind I move pretty slow, but today I was cutting through it and it felt great!  My face became slightly numb, but hey, its defrosted now and I can feel it so no trip to the emergency room!

So there you have it, another marathon in sights, maybe this time I will be able to do it!

Brett

Food Fight

Ah, the Food Pyramid

Is it just me, or does it seem that food guidelines are always changing?  If you live a busy life, it is extremely difficult to keep up with what is healthy and what will harm your body in the long run.  On top of that, it is difficult to eat healthy with our quickly moving lifestyle.

Lifestyle, I think that is a factor that a lot of people leave out when considering eating healthy, exercising and dieting.  I know that I forget to think about it.  The perfect lifestyle would include multiple hours a day to run, lift weights, prepare fresh food from a garden and eating REAL food.  Sadly, we don't all have that, and if you do consider yourself lucky!  I have the issue of living in a dorm with no stove and I am at the whim of the cafeteria for what my meals will be.   Let me tell you they don't pick the healthiest food, they pick the quickest food.

Going back to the Food Pyramid I see that I usually am missing out on a couple servings in each category, which is unacceptable.  The funny thing is that my school had an Academic Symposium on food and healthy lifestyles last year, yet it is still difficult to live the way they recommended.  So I decided that I am going to attempt to come up with a "cookbook" of sorts to help out anyone interested, but mostly college students.  It will take a while, and any additions will be added to the list with the contributor cited, but I want to find a way for money and time strapped people have healthier foods.

Before I end this post, I wanted to link to a book that I did read last year that got me more interested in health and food.  In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan.  I would recommend picking up this book if interested in how food has become unhealthier, and the western lifestyle has made food not really food.  It is a quick read, and you won't regret it!

Brett

Crazy Fall

As you may or may not have noticed, I have been MIA since September.  It has been driving me crazy, but I had to put blogging and sadly running aside for class.  We all make mistakes right?  That is the last time I will be taking 7 classes in one semester, that is for sure!

I think I am going to redesign this blog a little bit as well, to show my new beginning as a reborn runner!  Instead of just focusing on my progress as a runner, I want to learn more about the sport as a whole, write more "articles" and also focus a little more on total fitness.  One thing I have learned is that it really is important to live a healthy lifestyle when possible.  Eating healthier has defiantly helped me through this hectic time, but I really do wish that I had been able to run as well.  Oh well, I am still young and I can't wait to get back in it!

Tomorrow is another day, and it shall be grand.

Brett

Persistence

No, I am not giving up.  Running is one of the few things that I truly enjoy doing no matter what, so I am always looking for time to do it.  College on the other hand is making the time limited with classes, but that's okay.  Where there is a will there is a way right?

I was able to run two days in a row!  Believe it or not, that is the first time in well over a month that I was able to accomplish such a feat, but I do think that I will be able to keep this trend up.  I am starting to realize that I need to have an outlet, a stress reliever from all the work I get assigned.  I do hope I will be able to keep blogging about running topics, but if I start throwing in some random computer science type posts feel free to ignore them, I might just find it super interesting and want to share it!

Today's run was another 3 mile, in about 25:30.  I really want to break the cycle of 3 mile runs this upcoming week though, I need to start pushing back up to that 8 mile long run.  If I can do that in the next three weeks, there still may be hope for me to run the half marathon(I know my goal was the marathon, but that will need to be tackled at a later date).

Just to make sure I don't have really short posts like this one I might only blog 2-3 times a week unless there is something I can substantially talk about.  But again, if any company sees this blog and would like to review some products for them, I would defiantly have time to do that.  Until next time!

Brett

Late Night Posting!

I have been neglecting the blog, and I feel terrible about it!  I really want to find and set a time to blog, even if its only 3 times a week.  I do want it to be consistent though.  Sadly I probably won't have to much running goodies to post about, but I will talk about training while going to school full time and having a (sort-of) job.  The one class I am taking this semester that is even slightly related to running is Contemporary Wellness, so maybe I will learn some cool health facts to improve my running.

In other news, I finally "fully" moved into my dorm, in other words I was able to put all my clothes away and get clean and organized.  But outside of that, its been insanely hot this week (105+ everyday) so I haven't ran as much.  But in order to fix that I am wearing my running shorts to bed so when my alarm goes off tomorrow I have no reason not to hop out of bed and strap on my shoes!

I really need to get out there.  I feel so off not running, it helps me clear my head and get my day going.  With as much math and analysis as I am doing, I really can't afford being off.  Well, this is a short post, but at least I was able to hop on tonight(this morning?).  And I am officially posting that I am running in 7 hours!

Brett

First day of classes!

This should add an interesting twist into training.  When I first started training to be a "serious" runner, I only had to deal with work and running.  Now it is 7 classes, friends, homework, and running!  I don't think it will be too much of a problem to fit an hour into the mix to get in a good running workout at least 5 times a week, I am just afraid I will be too tired some days.

I will just need to make sure I cut back on the late 2...3...4am nights!  But I guess that's all part of the college experience.  Maybe that is why it goes by so fast, because it seems like one long day!  Sadly my meal options are a little more limited now, yay cafeteria food?  I will need to get to Walmart stat to get some bread and peanut butter just in case.

I just finished my first day today, 3 classes and a 3 mile run.  Not a bad day in my opinion!  I ran it in 27:02 so I defiantly have room to improve, but I didn't feel like I was going to die today so that gives me some hope.  I need to think of another "article" post to write for this weekend.  Until then, happy running!

Brett

Week 1 Redux

I know I said I was back last week, but I had the feeling I wouldn't be doing too much running with all the new job/orientation training I had in store.  With 8am-10pm days and one 5am-11 pm  all I had time for was sleep!  Now that all the new students are moved in and oriented I will be able to start a real running schedule!  I did 2.4 miles so far, and the plan is to do another 3 tonight after the sun goes down so I don't get too much heat exhaustion.

I am really excited to get it going again, and its a new year(in college atleast!)

Brett

I am back!

You may have noticed I have had a lengthy gap between posts, and I feel terrible about it!  Who am I kidding, nobody noticed!  But in the slight chance that you did, I have returned!

The reason I was gone for oh...around 27 days is because about 27 days ago I fell ill.  For a week.  I was miserable!  Sadly, as all sicknesses do, even once the worst is over it still persists for a little while, so goodbye 3 more days.  Then I had to travel, and clean/move into my new dorm room.  But now...I am back and more ready than ever!

I was able to run with my roommate today.  We did 3 miles at a steady pace (~8:50).  But because I missed so much time, I am pulling a switch and now I am planning to do the half instead of the full marathon.  I am a little bummed, but I will just have to find another marathon to shoot for.  Who know, maybe I will fall in love with the half and commit to that full time.

I do still plan on doing a 10k next month, is it crazy? Probably, but I am going to do it.  My mind is made up.  Case closed.

Anyways, now that I have everyone else up to speed, how have you all been?  Any big changes this last month? And new milestones?  I would love to hear it!

Until next time,
Brett

Street vs Treadmill

I decided to do a similar post as the one I talked about running with and without music.  Another big division between runners seems to be running outside on a road or trail, or running on a treadmill.  While I prefer running outside more, there are benefits to both, as well as downsides.

Running on a Treadmill
I will start with the treadmill, otherwise know as the dreadmill for those who don't like it!  While I find it incredibly boring to run indoors on a treadmill, I have become more confined to it because of this grueling Texas heat.  That is what got me thinking about this post in the first place.  That brings me to my first point

Running on a treadmill helps beat the heat/avoid the cold.

In certain parts of the world it just becomes unnecessary to run outside because of weather factors.  It will only discourage us as runners and hinder our goals, unless your goal is to run in insane climates.  If that is the case, more power to you!  My second point comes more from a training stand point.

Running on a treadmill helps keep you on pace.

If you are like me at all, I tend to prefer running at whatever pace feels good, not what pace will benefit me the most.  When I run my pace runs, I am able to make sure I am maintaining a constant speed because I would have to consciously slow the treadmill down.  The third point is

Running on a treadmill allows hill training.

Where I live there are no hills.  It is completely flat.  But throwing in some hill training, although simulated, will help with my overall training balance!  So I have come to realize even though my heart lies with running on the road, the treadmill inst all that bad.

Running Outside    

I love to run outside.  I just feel so free!  Its me, my shoes and the open road.  Simplest entertainment there is in my opinion.  But as there are good things in running on the treadmill, there are good reasons to run on the road!

Running outside mentally prepares you to race.

While that is not proven scientifically as far as I know, I think it helps prepare the runner.  Running outside prior to racing outside helps take out some factors that you might not be use to when running on a treadmill (such as wind resistance).  Another good reason to run outside is 

Running outside is an adventure.

The treadmill is so predictable.  The run will almost always be the same, but running outside you have no control over what you will see/encounter.  That can be good and bad, but hey, whats life without a little adventure?  And because I did three points for the treadmill I figure I would keep it even and do just one more for outside.

Running outside will define you.

That one sounded deep, I know.  But I can't think of another sane way to push yourself and find out what your limits/breaking point are.  Its a lot harder to quit when you are miles away from your house/car and it become a difficult time.  Its interesting to see how much we as humans can put up with physically and mentally!

- Do you prefer running outside or on a treadmill? Why?

Brett

Friday Funday I

I figure since Fridays are the only rest days in my training week I would still write on the blog but not all about my training!  Even though this is the first one I am going to break that rule and talk about my run.  I was supposed to do this run yesterday but I got busy (and then lazy) so I flipped my two days to make sure I at least ran it.

It was a 3 mile easy run, as in about 80% my full speed.  I ended up doing it just under 30 minutes which I think was right on track for 20% slower.  As I stated in my last post I am running on the treadmill now, and it turns out that it was a lot easier to make sure I stayed at a consistent 80% speed, rather than sporadically speeding up because I felt a burst of energy.  It left me feeling really strong and good after I finished.

In Other News
I went and saw the new Harry Potter movie today.  I am slightly sad that it is now over, but alas all good things must come to an end.  I thought it was really good, and so did Haley.  We are both big HP nerds (not big enough to have gone and dressed up for the midnight showing though) so we planned on seeing this as soon as we knew when it was coming out.

It was way more action packed than part 1, which was expected.  They did a great job of including almost everything, and there was never a dull moment.  If you are a  fan, go see it now!  The only sad part was that we ended up in the 2nd row, so my neck became a little sore! :P

- Do you ever have to force yourself to maintain a slower speed?
- What movie/book are you looking forward to watching/reading?

Brett

The Hamster Wheel

The heat has finally beat me, I did my last outdoor run on Tuesday, at least for a while. I took to the treadmill today(Wednesday) for my 5 mile run.  It was really weird to run a 5 miler in the middle of the week, but now that I am on an actual training schedule my mileage should be greatly increasing over the next 18 weeks!

Tuesdays run was pretty rough with the heat and I had to push hard to complete the three miles.  I ran it about 3 minutes slower than usual so I knew I needed to change something.  Especially because I ran it in the evening so the sun wasn't too big of a factor.  Today I ran in the evening (11 p.m.) but because our treadmill is out in the garage I still have a lot of heat in there with little circulation.  I think tomorrow I am going to go pick up a fan that I can put right in front to keep me cool while I run.  A little heat isn't bad but dripping with sweat isn't ideal!

I will say today's run was a lot better than Tuesday.  I was a little worried when I struggled so much to do something I have been doing repeatedly for the past month.  It was good that I was able to get out there and run 5 miles.  I am looking forward to Sundays long run, kind of!

Well that is all for now, happy running!

Brett

Middle of July is Hot? What?

Some things I will never learn I guess.  Why I try and do a long run at 2 pm in July in Texas beats me.  I think today I finally learned my lesson though.  I set out for a 5 mile run, but I cut it short to 2 after when I felt really slow/exhausted/tired/blah.

From now on, I am going to get up and out the door no later than 7 a.m. for runs.


I even put the sentence in bold and on its own so you all can see that I am saying it here.  And I truly hope that if any of you notice me not running before or at 7, to give me unrelenting scolding.  Please, and thank you!

Now that I got that out of the way, I don't want to cheat myself out of the distance, so after work tonight (sadly about 1am) I am going to do 5 miles.  I will walk them if I have to, its going to happen.  I wish it wouldn't had to have to come to this though.  I will just suck it up and learn from my mistake.  The next time I will ever run mid day is if I happen to be training for this crazy race.  Actually, if I ever train for that I am pretty sure I will have gone off my rocker.

And finally, tomorrow is the day my marathon training begins!  And me waking up before 11.  Lots of change on the horizon!  Luckily for me it is cross training.  So I just have to bike, and not run super far or fast.  I do wonder if I should ride a certain time, or distance though. When you cross train, do you do mileage or time?


Well that is all I have today!  I hope everyone is having/had a wonderful weekend, and happy running!

Brett

Quick Post Before Work

Decided to run 4 miles instead of 3 today because I missed (a.k.a skipped) my night run last night.  Nice and hot as usual, pretty much the same old story.  I have noticed I have become more comfortable running in the heat though so that is good.

Ran at a respectable 8:44 pace, not nearly as fast as my earlier 4 mile run this week.  I wanted to take it slower to see if I felt more energized at the end, but amazing I felt the same as I did on Tuesday so I don't know if it because I was on point then, or maybe I use the same amount of energy at a quicker pace.  Who knows, I will have to test this theory out for sure!

I watched this before I ran today, because I needed to get a little inspired, and what better way than to watch some of the fastest runners in the world?  It was that last little boost I needed to get my bum out the door. 

Questions

- Whats your favorite weather to run in? Indoors or outdoors runner?

- Who/what inspires you?

Brett

Late Night Post

Tonight is a pretty late post, even by my standards!  Slept in today, went for a mid day run, went to my girlfriends house then went to see a movie, and now I am back and blogging!  This early morning I though I would start off with a song that I really enjoy, and I think everyone in the world should hear!

It is a little long, but if you just turn it on and listen to it while doing other stuff I do think you will enjoy it!

Today's Run
I went for another 3 mile run today, but I did a little different of a route.  When I finished my 3 miles I was still a mile away from my house, so I took a leisurely stroll back.  It was a nice change of pace and a great cool down!  I was able to see that part of the neighborhood differently than when I am running by at more than twice that speed.  I was able to soak in the sun and hear the birds chirping, so in other words it was really nice.

Only 2 more days before I start the real training so I am excited to see what that has in store for me!  I think it will surely make the blog a lot more interesting to read!

Blog Update
I now have 13 followers! Woo hoo!  I thank all of you for subscribing and following along with me so far, and I hope that you continue to follow for many many more posts!  Hopefully I will also have more followers as I progress, and I think that once I get 50 I might hold a contest!  If I get to 50 and you notice and I don't mention anything about a contest, let me know so I can get on that.  I really do appreciate all of you though, so thank you!

This is a little shorter of a post because I am falling asleep at the keyboard, so I will probably end it here.  Have a great Saturday everyone, and I will probably post again later this afternoon!

Brett

Kids Say the Darnedest Things!

Sadly I missed running yesterday between work, driving and just being tired!  I figured my body was telling me I needed to take it easy and rest when I was yawning at 7:30.  But today was a good day to run!

I hung out with my girlfriend, Haley, for the majority of the day eating lunch and watching Battle Los Angeles.  It was actually a pretty entertaining movie if you ask me.  But then once the sun started to go down I changed into some shorts, strapped on my shoes and took off for a 4 mile run.

The Run
I was worried that I would still feel a little dead legged but I was happily surprised to find that my legs felt strong and I was able to keep a steady, even increasing, pace as I ran through my neighborhood.  This is my first really "feel good" run over 3 miles.  Don't get me wrong, I love all my other runs that are over 3 miles, but today's felt like I am actually making progress because I know that a month ago I would have been huffing and puffing and crawling at the end.  On the start of the third mile I passed some kids playing in their front yard and the little girl yelled "Hi!" and waved, then her brother turns to her and asks "why is he running?" in which she replied "beats me!"  Ahh, that made me smile and I think helped keep me going strong for the second half of the run!

Now I am down to 3 days until my training starts.  The first weeks long run is 8 miles!  Yikes!  I think that if it turns out the Intermediate I training plan is too much for me I will bump down to the Novice II and try that out.  I want to train hard but I don't want to do something that is impossible for me quite yet.  I do love to run longer and farther though so maybe this will help push me in the right direction!

Questions
- Why do you run? Fitness, competition, bored, some other reason?
- What shoe brand do you prefer?

Brett

T-Minus 7 Days

So close to starting my marathon training!  I sort of consider the past month part of my training, but I was really just building up my base and getting into the routine of running so it wont be as daunting once I start.  I think I have become a lot more disciplined in running though, so I hope that will make it a smooth transition to something even more structured.  I must admit, it is a little easier to run when I make up the mileage!

4th of July
Yesterday was the 4th of July, so I wasn't able to run sadly.  The good news though was I had a great time with my family and we had some good food!  And somehow my family managed to grow some pretty big and juicy watermelons!

The pictures are a little small sadly

Today's Training

So I took a day off from running, which turned out to be needed after running 4 strait days ending with a 5 miler.  Today I was able to get out and run again though, so I did a two mile speed training run.  By speed training I mean I just increased my speed from start to finish, which I seem to like to do.  I was sprinting the last 800m which felt horrible while doing it, but excellent once I finished to see that I had a really great 2 mile time! (13:49)  It was a cool 85 outside as well so that probably helped a little as well.

In Other News

I am going to start looking for trails to run around here as well.  I have a feeling there wont be many, but it would be a nice change of pace to run a trail rather than always a road.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE running on the road, but someday I want to run an ultra(and by someday I mean like 5 years from now) and most of them take place on trails.  

I am also looking into running a 4 miler next Saturday, the only problem is I am scheduled to run an 8 mile long run, so should I do it and run two separate 4 miles, or is there a better way to do that?  I would like to get another race under my belt, and it benefits the local fire department so I am sure the T-Shirt will be cool!

Questions
- What did you do on the 4th?
- Know any websites that have a database of trails?
- Have you ever ran a race during marathon training? How did you work it in?

Brett

Runner vs. Running

Today sure was an uphill battle.  Heat, humidity, shoes coming untied, did I mention humidity?  Somehow I was still able to finish though, even though it wasn't as I wanted.  Oh well, not everyday can be perfect!  I am just glad I had such a strong week of running!

Week in Review
I started running this week on Monday like usual but I had a goal to run 6 days.  I had a steady increase in mileage and I was able to run my first 5k.  And then I was able to finish off the week with a 5 miler.

Total Mileage: 20
Races: 1
PR's: 1

looking at the numbers I feel great about this week!  I hope everyone else also had a great week with new accomplishments whether in running or the rest of life!

Next Week
I am already looking forward to running tomorrow!  I have 4 days in a row planned (2,3,2,3 miles) with a much needed rest day on Friday.  I am thinking an easy 2 miler Monday, 3 mile run Tuesday, 2 mile speed Wednesday, and 3 mile pace on Thursday.  Something like that to keep it fresh.

Questions
- What are your running goals for next week?
- Minimalist or not?

- Brett

Dead Legs Don't Run

A few days back I wrote a post comparing running with and without music.  Even though I came to the conclusion that I would rather run without music, I still enjoy it.  So I figure I would share what I am currently listening to with you all!

Yup, great song.

Today's Run:
It was rough.  My legs didn't feel like moving.  They were heavy when I started and stayed that way for about a mile.  I think it was because I had the 5k Thursday and ran 4 miles yesterday when I should have ran less or rested.  Oh well, I guess its just a lesson I will have to remember!  Once I got to the 2 mile point I was still moving slow and my legs didn't feel fresh at all, but I pushed on and ran the entire 3 miles without stopping.  Somehow I managed an 8:22 pace even though I felt a lot slower than that.  I was honestly just happy I was able to go the entire time! 3 weeks ago I would have quit and walked home.

I still plan to do my long run of 5 miles tomorrow, and then back to 2 on Monday.  This way I can stay on point for running 100 miles in July.  Staring on the 11th I will be starting my actual training plan for the marathon so it will be easier to follow along with my training, and kick me in the butt if I don't follow it.

I am still looking for a local 5k to run this month as well.  I think I may have found one on the 30th, but I need to look into it more.  

Questions for You:
- What song is currently stuck in your head?
- When do you feel most accomplished after a run?
- Do you use others training programs or do you create your own?

Now to get ready for the rest of my day(a.k.a work).  Should be fun standing for about 8 hours...have a great rest of the day!

Brett

Goals for July

Since it is July 1st, I figure I would set some goals for myself to achieve!  This is going to be a pretty short post, just some bullet points

July 2011 Goals:

• Reduce my mile time to at least 6:30 (current 6:47)
• Run a total of 100+ miles
• Stay healthy
• Run another 5k

Its not to long of a list, but I think there is a lot that I have to achieve this month!  I hope I can get them all, but if I only get one I hope its staying healthy.

Today's Training:

I ran a race pace mile to start the workout so I would have a benchmark mile to beat this upcoming month.  After I finished it I took a 30 second breather and did a comfortable jog for another three miles over 27:15.  It was a good run, still quite hot and humid even though it was a bit cooler than usual.  That's actually the reason I ran.  I was planning on resting but I was afraid I would miss out on a good run with this weather.   

What are your goals for July?

Brett

Unofficial Guide: First Race

Edit:  Even if you don't need a first race guide, feel free to skim it to see if you have anything to add :)

I was thinking of a way to write a more serious, helpful article rather than just a stream of training updates and I think I found a way to do it!  I am going to write a series of Unofficial Guides to help with running.  While this is still more of an opinion and experience based piece, I do hope that it will help new runners, and possibly even experienced ones as well!

Because I ran my first non school sponsored event yesterday, I was able to experience the process from signing up for the race to stepping up at the starting line.  While this race was pretty relaxed I was able to come up with a few things that I think will happen with any race and how to be ready to handle it so it is smooth sailing from signing up to starting.  Since this is a longer post, I will be adding a break so that it doesn't take up too much room.

If you are still interested, keep on reading!

Race Day!

Today was my first race in 2011, and in quite a while actually.  It was a really great experience!  There were 200 people (really convenient right?)  who ran today so I got a real race experience!  I think that it was the perfect number of runners to get into the racing grove.  I learned a lot, got my first bib(number 540) and raced hard in the heat.

We lined up and started at 7:30, it was still about 95 outside and the sun was still up and beating on us.  Luckily the course was flat, but it was windy almost the entire way though, and not pushing sadly.

Starting Line (in in the middle with the green shirt)

We did a couple loops and 2 out and back to complete the entire 5k, so I was able to pass by my family and girlfriend twice and they helped me keep pace and finish strong!

The first pass keeping a steady pace

Sprinting to the finish line the second pass

Race Results:
I ended up getting right around the time I projected to get, 24:25.  I think I ran a pretty good race, coming in 9th in my age group and 31st overall!  Not bad for 3-4 weeks of running again!

Picture of the time clock when I finished

Then of course I had to take a picture with my lovely girlfriend to commemorate the first of many, many, many races to come :)

The lovely girlfriend and sweaty me

Back to Training

I took Wednesday off to make sure I had fresh legs for the race, but Saturday is another 3 miler followed by a 5 on Sunday.  Only 11 more days until I start my marathon training!

Well that is all for the night, hope everyone had a wonderful end of June.  Until next time,

Brett

Running To The Beat

Most people that I know who run insist they need their iPod to run.  I can understand why too, I use to be on of the people who said that.  I now run without music and I think it has helped me improve as a "serious" runner.  I am not saying that you can't be a serious runner if you listen to music, but I feel that when I run without music I am more in sync with my body, and I can focus in more on my running.  In this post I felt like figuring out the pros and cons of running with and without music.  I think I will write it in a paragraph form to go more in depth with my reasoning, but then I will just do a bullet point pro/con list for you skim readers ;)

With Music:

First I will start with running to music.  I use to always, always run with music.  If my iPod was dead, I wasn't going to run until it charged.  It was very inspirational to run with upbeat songs that sung about perseverance , and I will admit that it helped keep me going when I would want to quit.  Another example is some running routes are boring.  Mind numbing boring.  The music would help me keep the focus of the path and on the songs.  The only problem is, I would be a slave to the beat.  I would run at whatever tempo the song was because my body would sync to it and I wouldn't even notice.  I would end up spending more energy running a mile than I meant to because a really fast tempo song came on or the complete opposite would happen and I would run a slower pace than intended.  Now on to my list!

Pros:

- Motivating

- Distracts from running boring routes.

- Pumps up.

Cons:

- Beat dictates pace.

- Takes away from paying attention to run.

- Distracting (cords, iPod itself)

Without Music:

This is the way I have been training lately.  No strings(or wires) attached.  While it is a little harder to run without music on those long grueling runs, I find it to be refreshing to go out, just me and my legs.  I find it a lot easier to focus on a certain pace and I am able to push myself without having to split my focus.  I can just go.  The downside is that when it gets really tough and I want to slow down/walk I have to encourage myself to keep going.  We all know the hardest person to motivate is ourselves sometimes.  I can easily rationalize why I should slow down, but with music I can just focus more on it and keep going.  But that's why I think that it helps me become a more serious runner, because I become accountable for my running and getting across that finish line.  To the list!

Pros:

- Focus on running.

- Run at pace set by runner.

- Become more disciplined.

Cons:

- Less motivating.

- Easier to quit(in my opinion).

- Having to be accountable for self(can be really hard some days)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now that I compare and contrasted the two, I can go into a little more depth on what I do.  While I no longer run with music, I do listen to music that gets me pumped up right before I run.  That way I can get hyped up to go do a good workout, yet I can focus more on my running than my music.  Now I would like to hear from y'all!

Questions:

- Do you run with or without music? For training? For races?

- Have anything else to add to my list?

- Do you agree or disagree with me? Why?

Well my race is tomorrow, so I am going to go get some sleep :)

Brett

Dress Rehearsal

2 Days Until Race:
Today was a great training run!  I decided to run at 7:30 this evening, a bit earlier than I have been lately, because I thought it would be a good idea to run at the same time my race will be at!  It was defiantly a different feeling running in that heat with the sun a little lower but still baking me.  I decided to run the first mile at a pretty comfortable pace and then I picked it up a tad bit the second mile, then for the last 800m I picked up to as fast as I could sustain.  That seems to be the way I want to run my races, with a negative split, so I figure trying it in my training would help me mentally prepare for it.

Based on my time (23:20) I will be aiming for running under 24:00.  I know I will be able to break 20:00 this year on a 5k, but I have a feeling it wont be in the summer because of the heat.

In Other News:
Gear:
I went and picked up a new running tank top today because I found my other shirt felt like they were choking me  while I was running, so I figured I would get something a little looser so I could breathe.  I also picked up a new water bottle that had a nice "handle" on it so it will slip onto my hand so I don't have to focus on holding it while I'm running!  

Family:
Had a funny conversation with my mom and sister this evening a little while before my run.  A little background information first so it makes more sense.  My sister is just starting High School this next year, she does cheer and runs track but she REFUSES to run longer distances or run with me.  My mom does CrossFit here in Seguin, but hates to run.  So my mom said she wasn't going to go to CrossFit today because they were basing the workout around a mile run.

Sister:  Mom! Ill go to CrossFit today if you run!
Mom: No way! I hate running, why don't you go run with your brother?
*Sister thinks for a second*
Sister: Nah, he will challenge me.  I don't like being challenged.

I thought it was pretty funny, but I would understand if you didn't :)

Questions:
I kind of like asking questions to see what other think, and to get to know my readers better!

- When did you first start to run? Why?
- Would you say you are competitive?

Well, ill be running another easy 2 miles tomorrow so I will blog tomorrow.  Maybe I will have some existential thought and write about it, but most likely I will just write about my run and day!  Until then, happy running!

Brett

Race Week!

This week is my first race in quite a while, and it also marks the first race I will be competing in on this blog!  I think it is quite exciting, and I will be able to use it as a benchmark for my training pace when I start my actual marathon training schedule on July 11th.  Like I said in a previous post, it will be a night run on a pretty flat course so I should have a pretty good time.  I am currently aiming for getting right around 21 minutes, but if the conditions are good I might be able to push a little harder and get close to the 20 min mark.

This is what ill look like at the end, hopefully!

Today's Run:

For the last few weeks I have be running 3-4 days a week, with Monday, Wednesday and Friday being rest days.  I decided that I wanted to run more this week so I changed it to Monday/Wednesday shorter runs but with more speed, and I kept Friday as my dedicated rest day during the week.

That means that today I ran 2 miles in a time of 14:42.  I glanced at my watch when I finished the first mile and saw that I did it in about 8:00 so I picked up the speed until I was going as fast as I felt I could sustain and held that for the last 800m, and I ended up doing the second mile in about 6:42.  I thought that was a good run for a quick 2 miler.  Tomorrow I will be running 3 miles again but at a comfortable pace to make sure I run the entire distance.

Thought For The Day:

So I have been thinking about something recently.  Is living a life with goals the best way to achieve what we aim for?  Is the best way to get somewhere in life to set obtainable goals, then increase them?

I think for me this is a good way to stay motivated, because setting a goal like "run a 5k in 15 minutes" is harder to work for, but saying "run a 5k in 21 minutes" then once I get that I am for 20 and so on is much more achievable and I am able to say I have accomplished goals I have set.

Questions for the Reader!

- What goals do you currently have?

- When is your next race?

- What is a tradition of yours on race day?

Until tomorrow, happy and safe running!

Brett

It's Hot Hot Hot!

Wow, do I dislike running in the afternoon right now.  I wish I could have run this evening instead, but because I work tonight I had to get it done before I head out.  I will say that 94 is great lounging summer weather, but when it comes to running...yeah it is no fun at all.  I figure it will just be good practice to mentally push through as long as I stay hydrated.

I ended up running the first 3.5 miles then I had to stop and walk for a little bit to regroup and drink some water, then I sort of alternated between walking/running for the last 1.5 miles.  Although I wish I could have gone the whole 5 miles without stopping to walk, I figure it was better to stop and walk for a few instead of passing out on the side of the street.  But, I did go all 5 miles so I was happy to accomplish that today.

In other news I will be able to run the Firecracker 5k Evening Run which I was hoping for.  I just registered for it today because I was able to confirm I would not be working that evening, yay!  So I will be able to post race results and pictures this Thursday, which will make me feel like a REAL running blogger.

Well that is all I have for today, its a little shorter of a post than I would like, so maybe tonight after work I will write a little more, or tomorrow.  I don't know for sure, but it will keep you on your toes right?

Brett

Are You a Runner?

"Man imposes his own limitations, don't set any"

-Anthony Bailey

When talking with friends, family and strangers alike it comes up in conversation that I enjoy running.  Sometimes I get some responses like "more power to you" or "wow, I wish I could run!"  When someone says the latter, it makes me a little sad inside.  I usually respond by saying "You can! You can run!" and they just look at me like I'm crazy.

You Can!
To start this off, I have a question for you.  Have you ever put on some shoes and started moving from point A to point B with only your body?  Then you have probably ran!  Because the only thing in my opinion that differentiate running and walking  is that when you're running both feet shouldn't be on the ground. 


Yes, I realize that the question seems goofy, but that's how I feel when someone says they can't run.  I understand that some people don't want to run, but to say you can't is giving up before even trying.  So that leads me to my next point...

Try It!
The hardest part is just getting up and doing it, for anyone.  Writing down a schedule of distances to run, or an amount of time to alternate running/walking.  If its your first time ever any shoes will do, but if you decide that you love it you will probably want to invest in some good running shoes.  If you think about it the only real gear you need as a runner are your shoes so don't neglect them!

If you feel awkward or self conscious while running, don't!  Have fun while you do it and just remember that people can look at you while you're running and stare but guess what, they are not the ones running, you are!

Some Things To Remember:
For this section I am just going to post a couple of bullets that help me get going when I think its hard.
- Just keep going.
- If you don't try, you will never know.
- Walking is OKAY!
- Just do your thing!

So if you want to run, or have never tried running before, try it!  I bet you will love it.  I know it will be hard to get going, but once you get past the first month of steady running it becomes an amazing thing!

Brett

Practice Makes Perfect

Is 10,000 Hours the Magic Number?
I have been reading a book by Malcolm Gladwell called Outliers: The Story of Success.  It was written a couple of years ago in 2008, and I have read it before, but I came across an interesting chapter called "The 10,000-hour rule".  Basically it talks about how people who become experts in their field, whether its computer science or playing an instrument, spend close to 10,000 hours honing their skills before they become really good at what they do.

Of course the first thing I think of is running.  While there is some raw talent that is needed to get a good start on anything, could anyone practice something for 10,000 hours and then become an expert at it?  Doing a little bit of math I came to the conclusion that if a person was to practice something for a little more than 19 hours per week, it would take 10 years to get to the 10,000 hour mark.  So I wonder if the worlds elite runners have all passed that 10k hours mark to get to where they are today.

Questions for You!
So, to end my post I have a couple questions for readers!

1.  Do you think you could practice running for 10,000 hours? What about something else?
2.  If you have been keeping track, how many hours have you ran?
3.  Do you think that the 10,000 hour rule would apply to the sport of running? Why or why not?

Edit:  I did the math with some of my recent data.  I have run 33 miles in about 4.38 hours. If I were to run a similar pace the rest of my life, and I ran for 10,000 hours I would end up running 75, 342.5 miles!  That's A little more that 3 times around the world! Yikes!

Brett

I Need a Kick in the Pants!

So, I will admit it.  I almost didn't run today.

I know, I know!  I haven't even been running for three weeks and I am already getting lazy.  I honestly think this is the hardest part of the training.  Hopefully once this week is done ill be over the hump and I will be able to continue working hard and training for the Marathon.

I do feel that days like today are some of the most important though, because it was a chance to prove to myself that I have the dedication to get off the couch and go run even though I didn't particularly want to.  Although I do question my sanity a little because I think I had a conversation with my shoes before my run.  It went a little something like this...

Me:  I really don't feel like running today, I ate so much at dinner!
Shoes:  Really? You are going to neglect me again? Two days is just to long not to be out there.
Me:  I know, but I think another day of rest would be good, right?
Shoes: No.
Me: No?
Shoes: You heard me.
*Epic stare down*
Me: Oh fine! I will run.
Shoes: YIPPEE!!!

It went something like that.  Anyways, now that I am getting into longer runs(30 minutes+) I need to start looking into getting something to wear/run with to help keep me hydrated in this heat.  I have seen some of those belts, but I am not sure if they feel comfortable or stay on well while running.  If you have any suggestions for such a device, please let me know in the comments below!

Well, tomorrow is Friday and therefore a day off so I may or may not be posting tomorrow so until next time, happy running!

Brett

Rearing to Run

I figured I would hop onto my good old blog and just write today!

I realized that I haven't posted my training for this week, so here it is:

M - rest
T - 3 miles
W - rest
Th - 3 miles
F - Rest
S - 3 miles
Su - 5 miles

The Plan(so far...): 
As you can probably tell, I am still just doing a steady mileage increase.  Even though I use to run more often I have to start fresh because of how long it has been.  So I figure it would be a good basis to just build up my mileage until I start my 18 week marathon program.  With the rest of this week included I have 2 and a half weeks until I start my actual training, which I will be referring to Hal Higdon's marathon training schedule which can be found on his website here : halhigdon.com

If you are training for any sort of distance running, he has great training plans for novice to advanced runners.  I really like how it looks and I defiantly think it will get me to where I need to be on race day.

Upcoming Races:
Speaking of races, I currently have 3 in mind that I would like to run and that includes the marathon.  On June 30th there is a local 5k in San Marcos that I am hoping to make.  I wouldn't be running some amazing time but I would like to get into the competitive spirit and be around other runners!  The second race I know I want to run in is the Greene 10k on September 10th.  I feel like I should be able to run 6 miles at that time, and it would be a nice break from training to just go run hard.  Then of course, there is the San Antonio Rock N' Roll Marathon on November 13th.  If I come across any more 5/10ks that are local I will probably try and run in them.

My Shoes:
Before I get into reviewing my shoes, I must say that I have an abnormal obsession with having good looking shoes.  Because I love how these ones look, I am going to post a picture!

I took this picture in my car, and the soles are already black!

 I purchased the Saucony ProGrid Kinvaras and I have never felt better running.  I can feel that it has changed my running form, and I am defiantly working muscles I have neglected in the past.   They are super lightweight, look good, and they help inspire me to strap them on even when I don't particularly want to run.

Well I believe this is the longest post to date,  so I will leave it at this.  I might end up running later too... anyways happy running!!!

Brett

Upping The Mileage!

I missed my long run sadly :( I was feeling really weak Saturday evening and it followed me through to Sunday. I figured that I have ran the past 2 1/2 weeks at 2 miles during the week and 4 on Sunday, so I decided to up the mileage this week. Its not much variation because I am just gradually increasing mileage until I start my 18 week marathon training schedule to make sure I am in good shape before tackling it. So for the rest of the week it is 3 mile runs, then Sunday ends it with a 5 miler.

And, if all goes according to plan, Thursday June 30th I will be running a 5k (assuming I don't get scheduled for work!)

Keep On Running

So this morning, when my alarm went off, I hit snooze.  Then I hit it again, and again.  Needless to say, I did not get up before the sun.  Now in some places that's not a big deal because it doesn't get too terribly hot.  Well down here in Texas it gets pretty darn hot.  This is my first summer living here, I moved from Colorado last August, but from what I hear it is usually not this hot this early.  I am in for a long summer if I am unable to wake up before 8.

Now, with all that said, I almost decided not to run today because I work late tonight so I wouldn't be able to fit in an evening run.  But I decided to suck it up.  It was my decision to sleep in this morning so I had to deal with the consequences.  To bad for me that the consequence was to run in 101 degree heat with 30% humidity.  I decided to go acclimate myself to the heat by driving a new path to run today.  I decided I wanted to start running hills, and on a more interesting path.  The runs before today was on pretty much a runway of road.  It went completely strait for 1 mile each way.  I think driving slowly with my windows down, no air on, helped me get a feel for the temperature I was going to run in so I would not over exert myself right off the start.

So to make a long story short I picked a new path with some incline in it.  I ran it in hot weather.  And I think I did it really well!  I was able to keep a good for the entire run and I did it in a little over 16 minutes!

Tomorrow for my 4 mile slower run, I think I am going to run the same path twice because I enjoyed it so much today!  Until then, happy running!

Brett

Starting to Feel Good Again

Today was a good run! I warmed up with an 800 meter jog, stretched, then did a fairly well paced 2 mile run.  I think next week I will be able to up my mileage to 3/4 miles instead of 2, so that should be a nice change of pace.  I cant wait to start getting up into the 10/12 mile runs, that will be an exciting accomplishment!

I have been looking into running a 5k sometime this summer, before my 10k and I think I found a good one to do.  It is 2 weeks from today, so I wont be doing any spectacular time, but it will give me a chance to run with some people from around where I live, and possibly find some running buddies that have similar goals as me (aka, running a marathon).  Its a night run, so I am hoping that I wont get scheduled for work so I can go to it!

Well, I am off to the store to buy some food now, until next time happy training!

Brett

Went For a Bike Ride!

Earlier I posted my running schedule for this week.  I originally had Wednesday as a rest day, but I was getting antsy and wanted to do SOMETHING physical.  I knew running wouldn't bee a good idea because I didn't want to injure my knee or anything, so I got out the good Ole bicycle.

Now, just like I am no expert in running, I am no expert in cycling.  I just decided I would ride for 30 minutes and a brisk pace and see how far I got.  I ended up getting 6 miles, which I didn't think was too bad!  I know that cross training is good idea when training for longer distances, but I was wondering if there is a best way to do it, and if there are any good things to do on a bike that helps increase stamina/speed when running.  If you know, it would be awesome if you left a comment to let me know!

Well, I am off for the night, I will be running 2 miles tomorrow, with my new shoes, on the pavement.  Wish me luck!

Brett

Scratch The Last Post...

So I went to Dick's sporting goods to check out some new shoes, I have wanted to try the switch to more "minimalist" shoes without going to the Vibram Five Finger shoes.  I found a wonderful, lightweight pair of shoes there, the Saucony Kinvara.  I tried them in store, loved them, bought them and I just had to run in them.  So I went for a 2 mile run on my treadmill even though I dislike treadmills.

The run was good, it went smooth.  All in all, a great first run for the week even though it wasn't on the road.  Tomorrow is a rest day for running, but I think I might mix in a little biking before it gets to hot tomorrow.

Brett

Too Hot

Darn, I get up at 8 and its already to hot to be running!  I dont know if I will be able to run today, hopefully I can tonight when I get home from work, but if not I will just have to move my run to tomorrow.

Brett

End of Week 1

I just started my morning by doing another 2 mile jog.  I think it was a good way to end my first week.

Looking back on it, the 1-hour run I did earlier in the week was a bad choice, I did too many miles to quick and it effected my progress the rest of the week.  As of right now, I am 21 weeks away from the Rock N' Roll San Antonio marathon and I will be doing a 16 week training schedule I found on runnersworld.com.  That gives me 5 more weeks to get back into the grove of running, and getting my fitness level up to par again before my training starts.

My plan for week 2:
M:    Rest
T :    2 miles
W:    Rest
TH:  2 miles
F:     Rest
SA:  2 miles
SU:  4 miles

I think that is an appropriate amount of mileage spread out through the week, this way I can avoid injury(I usually cause an injury by trying to do to much to fast) and still get running into my week.

Any feedback would be wonderful if you are a veteran runner, or even just enjoy running!
Until next week, have fun and stay safe!

Brett

Nice Little Jog Today

When I first started out, I felt pretty good, my right knee was a little sore for last nights run, but overall I think it went pretty well.  When I started I was going to try and run a little faster than my first 2 mile run last week, but with the soreness I figured it wouldn't be the best idea I ever had.  So instead I decided to take it nice and easy, and focus more on my form.

I want to be able to practice "perfect" form, or as close to it as I can, every run.  Why? Because if I start out running correctly, it will be easier to increase my speed and distance.  Its pretty tough to pay attention to it though, because right now I really just want to make sure I run the entire distance I am supposed to, and it is easy to slack on form while running, and just say "All that matters is finishing!"  I don't want that to be the case when I run, so I always check myself to see how my feet are going, if I am relaxed, and how my feet are striking the pavement.

Well, that is all I have for today!  Until Saturday, have fun running!

Brett

Phew, what a run!

Today wasn't too eventful of a Wednesday, I woke up, hung out with my girlfriend and family, went to dinner, watched a little so you think you can dance, and went for my run!  Sadly, in this Texas heat you can really only run before the sun comes up, or after it goes down.  Today I didn't feel like getting up early, so I decided to wait until this evening when the temperature was around 80.  I strapped on my shoes, grabbed my Camelbak, and went for an hour jog.

No certain distance, just going for an hour was my only criteria.

The first 40 minutes were not to bad, seeing that I haven't been running consistently for a while now, but then around 42 minutes in, I started to feel it.  I shouldn't have eaten so much at dinner!  at around 50 minutes I actually had to stop and walk for a minute to regain my focus, then I finished strong!  I am not to worried that I walked a little bit, I am just in my first week of training and I have a while to go!

Tomorrow is a 4 mile jog, and I might go to a cross-fit gym my mom has been going to for the past couple of months, I hear its a great way to build endurance.

Happy running!
Brett