See Doug Run. Doug runs really fast.

So yesterday Doug had a great run. He broke 6 minutes on a couple miles! Wow!

As most of you runners know, we seem to pick each other up when we're down, keep each other going, and motivate ourselves to break through walls. That's what happened yesterday. "Man," I thought, "sub 6 minute miles! Way to go! I wonder..."

So today decided to see what I could do. While the conditions weren't perfect for really throttling through a workout (are they ever in February in Wisconsin?), it was above zero (Ha! 4 degrees)and hadn't snowed in a while, so the roads were relatively clear.

I was up this morning and playing basketball at 6 am, and was done at 7. From there, I ran home (about a mile) for a warmup, then started the workout part of the run. I wanted to slowly keep increasing my pace, push it for a mile or two, then cool down. Results:

1: 8:02 (Warmup)

2: 7:13 (Commence speed work...)

3: 6:39 (Not bad. Keep pushing)

4: 6:49 (Okay, that was a decent uphill, I'll let it slide)

5: 6:26 (What the...? Now that was a bit disappointing!)

6: 7:09 (A letdown from mile 5...regroup, let's hit mile 6!)

7: 6:12 (Woo hoo! Wow. Sub 6 is serious speed.)

8: 8:50 (Cool down, both HR wise and Head wise.)

I've been pretty consistent with the workouts. The running workouts. I think this really showed me that I need cross training. Working different sports (swimming, cycling, strength training, yoga) creates a sum that's greater than its parts. The old adage that "in order to run faster, you need to practice running faster" definitely has some holes in it. Duh!

But I'm still happy with the run. That was a good 2 hours of exercise and I was done and showered before 8:30 am, and I was still moving out there! But it's time to get some cycling and yoga into my schedule. I'm not sure where, but I'll work on it.

After all, it's still 3HOB, right, Doug?!

(3 Hours or Bust)

ps...This run put me at 180 miles on the year. I'm 10% of the way to my goal for 2008!

At Last

My first 20 mile run of the year is in the books. I literally ran to the end of a local country road and then back in to town, finishing with 20.5 miles, the last 19 in 2:26, for a 7:55 pace. I found this to be quite the "cruising" pace...where it would have likely worn me out to run much faster, but to run any slower would have also seemed uncomfortable. I'll take it. My avg HR was 150, and I hit 169 climbing the last hill at mile 19.

I'm feeling that muscle ache that I live for right now. My quads, my knees, my calves--they're sore but not injured. I accomplished something today. It's quite the sense of accomplishment, considering the weather. At last.

Getting Amped

I'm not sure I have the "coolness" clearance to use the word "amped," but I'm going with it anyway. I've had some great runs this week and am looking forward to the weekend, with an 18-20 miler planned and also a 5 mile speed workout (it's supposed to be in the mid 30's this weekend...finally!). I'm also amped because I chatted with my friend from Colorado last night. I'm going out there for a long weekend in the middle of March, and my first day out there is reserved for running with him. He told me he'd like to put in 2 solid hours in the morning and 2 more in the afternoon. I told him I'd try to hang with him...
Things are feeling great with my knee too. Perhaps it was the speed work I did this week that just kinda broke the final scar tissue areas free. I played my final City League basketball game last Wednesday, also, as Plymouth Plumbing & Heating lost in the first round of the playoffs to Rhode Dales Law Office. A tough loss, but we played hard and really earned the post-game trips to the bar. I enjoyed playing, also, but now can focus on running and gearing up for Journeys...provided the weather cooperates.
I hope everyone has a great weekend, and if you're someplace where the weather gets above freezing, run outside in shorts for me please!
Edited: Triserverence has a GREAT picture on his latest post.

Best Laid Plans

Yesterday at the office I had a backpack with runnning stuff waiting for the moment I finished with my last patient. I was going to change and head up to the high school and run in circles at a fast pace (3 miles, 5:45/mile).
As I started to change, I checked my voicemail to hear Ellie was just heading out to shovel the driveway (yep, it snowed again). Obviously, if I want to have any chance of winning such a prestigious award, I cannot allow my wife to shovel our driveway on her own. So much for the high school.
After spending about 5 minutes getting my door un-frozen in the parking lot (and falling flat on my you know what), I was home.
After using 20 minutes of shoveling as my warm up and then actually warming up with a cup of hot cocoa, I did 3 10-minute Lactate Thresholds on the Treadmill, at a pace of 5:45/mile. It felt great not only to run fast, but also to sweat. I even increased the grade to 5% on the last set, then brought it down .5% after every minute, for ten minutes. What a run!

Edit: I ran another 4 on the treadmill tonight (2/19), sweating profusely, finishing in 27:10.

This is getting ridiculous.

Well, while Bill was running a great marathon in Myrtle Friggen Beach, we were getting more freezing rain and snow which made me think of the poem below. Another run got shortened today (12 miles, 1:30:16), and I think the journal entry for December 24th sums up my mindset pretty well (I've highlighted my favorite parts):

Dec 8 - 6:00 pm: It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic, felt like newlyweds again.

Dec 9: We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had! Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel it again. What a perfect life!

Dec 12: The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that is possible. Bob is such a nice man; I'm glad he's our neighbor.

Dec 14: Snow, lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried every- thing again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

Dec 15: 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all!

Dec 16: Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

Dec 17: Still way below freezing, roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate here. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God, I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room!

Dec 20: Electricity is back on, but had another 14" of the damned stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Goddamn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

Dec 22: Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it is so cold it probably won't melt until August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss. By the time I undressed, pissed, and got dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the asshole is lying.

Dec 23: Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts!!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did, but I think she's lying.

Dec 24: 6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke my shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 mph and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was busy watching for the goddamn snowplow.

Dec 25: Merry Christmas. 20 more inches of the shit tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate snow. The snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's an idiot. If I have to watch "Its a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to kill her.

Dec 26: Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here! It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

Dec 27: Temperature dropped to -50 and the pipes froze.

Dec 28: Warmed up to above -30. Still snowed in. The bitch is driving me crazy!

Dec 29: 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard of. How dumb does he think I am?

Dec 30: Roof caved in. The snow plow driver is suing me for a million dollars for the bump on his head. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.

Dec 31: Set fire to what's left of the house. Let's see that white shit stick now! No more shoveling.

Jan 8: I feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

Have a great week, everybody!

Guess what it's doing in Wisconsin...

If you guessed SNOWING, you're right! Another 7 inches of fluffy powder is coming down, cancelling afternoon activities and closing area schools early...AGAIN. Man, what a winter for students!
This meant that I got to Gerbil it up once again, making me think of one of my favorite music videos of all time:

Little known fact: The music band "OK Go" is actually a running club located in Wisconsin that came up with this video after spending an unusually high percentage of time training on treadmills.

Ok, totally made that up.

Today's workout: 8 miles, 58 minutes of treadmill utopia.

EDITED:
Question: Speaking of treadmills, what makes a good YouTube video?
Answer: Any combination of the following items:

1. Animal
2. Treadmill
3. A couch from circa 1974
4. Any reference to Ralph Macchio and/or The Karate Kid movies (in this case, the song).

If our cats weren't such wimps I might try that!

A Change of Plans

I'm bummed. I have been looking forward to running Chicago for several reasons. I had a real bad taste in my mouth after last year. I wanted to run it 5 straight years. I wanted to run fast, with Doug, and finish in 2:59. I wanted to "conquer" the big city marathon. I won't be doing any of that.
State Chiropractic Regulations mandate that I have a Nutritional Counseling certification by the end of this year. I was originally told that because I'm a recent graduate, I wouldn't need it. Unfortunately, that was inaccurate, and I need to take a bunch of seminars by Dec. 31 or else. Because of the late notice I'm behind the eight ball a bit in making plans for seminars, and one of them only takes place...you guessed it...October 11th and 12th. Sorry Doug!
So it looks like I'm in the market for a different fall marathon or changing my focus to the Door County Fall 50 after Journeys in May. I'm heavily leaning to doing a marathon (or is that Ellie shoving me in that direction?) and this year it looks like the Milwaukee Marathon actually would work. Normally it's on the same date as Chicago, but this year it's a week earlier.
Talk about a difference though:

Chicago Marathon Registration Fee: $110
Milwaukee Marathon Registration Fee: $50
Chicago Participants: 45,000
Milwaukee Participants: 2,500

In a way I'm excited for a different adventure, but at the same time I'm already figuring out when I can return to Chicago!

Photographic Evidence

Our house during what seems like an eternal winter storm in which the snow is actually defying gravity:



The trophy of Nancy giving the universal sign for

A: Touchdown!
B: A 15K PR and Age Group Win!

Click here for some pictures of me out on the course, including one of me cross-eyed and another one of me posing in what could be the dorkiest running outfit yet. My wife was not present for consultation, so I can only blame myself. (Choose "Public Galleries," then "Feb. 9 Valentine's Day Run," then type in Bib #737)

And finally, click here for what could be the funniest marathon-related video yet...

Have a great day, everyone!

The Big Guy's Training Plan

Last time I posted, I think you could tell I was getting a bit frustrated with the weather and its impact on my training. I should have known better.
This morning I woke up and headed to a 15K race with the expectations of running fast, setting a PR, and having a great time. Then I looked outside, and once again, it had snowed--"only" about 4 inches this time. God had "blessed" me once again with less than ideal running conditions. Nonetheless, out the door I went to make the 45 minute drive to the race.
My original goals for the 9.3 miles was a 6:50 pace, which would set a PR. On the drive up, I decided that if it didn't happen, I wouldn't get mad. After all, I'd be once again running in slush, slipping with every heelstrike. But hey, God had given me some opportunities to run in these conditions recently, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Thanks, Big Guy!
After arriving, I grabbed a small cup of coffee (tasted great) and jogged a bit over to the start line. This wasn't a chip-timed event, so I wanted to be near the start line. At the gun off I went and found myself in what was the lead pack! My head was saying "slow down..." and my legs were saying "nahh, let's just see here..." and being the typical male, I listened to my legs. Mile 1: 6:24.
Eventually the fast guys strung out ahead and I settled in to a nice rhythm with 3 other runners, in a single file line, running in the tire tracks on the road, looking for any traction we could find. This continued for the next 3 (ish) miles, when I heard my legs again speaking up. "Come on...we can do a little more!"
After passing the 4 mile mark in 28:10, I finally gave in and, over the course of about a quarter mile (literally...it was that tough to pass when you weren't in the tire tracks!) I passed the other 3 in my group and kept going. I really did feel good!
I slowly stretched away from them, taking a couple sips of gatorade at each aid station and trying to hold on to my pace. Mile 7: 45:35.
Mile 8 and 9 were downhill, and I switched up my stride to accomodate, stretching for that finish line. I was getting to be spent: It felt like my entire diaphragm had spasmed and also frozen--I had a sideache in my spine. But I held on to the pace, passing mile 9 (and completing 9 on the 9th in 59:29--almost nipping Doug at the tape...but not quite.
I had a great kick, surprising myself for the last .3 miles and broke the tape in 1:02:08, for a 2+ minute PR! Woo Hoo! It was also such a confidence booster, as on that slow track, I may have had 2 more minutes in me!
Nancy really did a great job with the post-race, too. Among the loot, I got chocolate, cheese (duh, it's Wisconsin), an age group trophy (Nancy apparently modeled for it), a had from a race I didn't take part in but they had extras for, and some more of that great coffee!
Pictures to follow...

More snow

Yesterday Plymouth got around 13" of snow. Today I was scheduled to run 17 miles. After careful consideration, here were my options:

1. Treadmill: This sounded about as appealing as not running at all. Seriously, if it came down to 17 miles on a treadmill or taking a day off, hand me the remote control and a cold one.
2. Run in Circles: This option could have been done at the high school, running a circle 7 times per mile, for 17 miles. Although I actually haven't minded doing this in the past, I've never done it for 2 hours and would have had to fit it in last night at some point. Unfortunately, last night was occupied by shoveling and snowblowing.
3. Bundle up and hit the "roads": Been there. It was fun last weekend, but I had a bit of a crunch on time this morning and couldn't dedicate 3 hours to the run.
4. Don't run 17 miles, but at least do something!: A Ha! This morning I layered up and headed out in search of cleared sidewalks. I decided I'd run for about 1.5-2 hours and just try and keep up a decent pace. The "search for sidewalks" resulted in this:


All in all, 11.12 miles in 1:24:30 (7:35 pace) with 2 soaking feet (didn't use gaiters) and a mildly strained right calf. I'll take it. I don't have much of a choice though.

This Saturday I'm running a 15K event, so my "9 on the 9th" will actually be a 9.3 on the 9th. I would really love to break 1:04 in it, thus setting a new PR for myself, but in all honesty, the training has been hit and miss thus far and who knows what's coming this weekend from Old Man Winter.

Hope everyone has a blast on their 9/9, and I'm looking forward to reading about it!

Yeck.

I'm not sure what happened (my best guess is the spinach from lunch at Subway), but I caught something yesterday that decided it no longer wanted to be a part of my G-I tract. Last night said food decided to evacuate me using the closest available exits.
I'm feeling better today, so that's a plus, but I didn't get in my speed work last night and the rest of the week is packed. There really isn't time for a run today or tomorrow, so I guess I'll be down a workout this week. That's okay though, as my knee was pretty sore after my 15 miles on Saturday, and with the 9 on the 9th coming up, I will chalk it up to devine intervention in the form of rest.
Unfortunately, every time I get in a situation like this, where I feel too busy to work out, I think of this:


All I can do now is look ahead to the 9 on the 9th and try and decide which pacer I would like to accompany me...

Cheesy Eastbay Shirts

Remember back in high school, when your team, whatever the sport, had the opportunity to buy some shirt that had a (cheesy) slogan on it like this? Or this? Perhaps this one...truly a classic:



Well, today's run made me think of one of those slogans: "Championships are won in the postseason, but earned in the offseason." That was pretty much the theme of my day--I want to run a BQ in May, and runs like today's will get me there.
I wanted to run faster today, but the conditions weren't conducive to that, yet I stuck it out and had a great run.
My Furgdon schedule called for a 15 miler at an 8:00/mile pace. I had mapped out a 10 mile loop (very hilly) and then a 5 mile loop (also hilly) in the Kettles--a very scenic but challenging area just outside of Plymouth. There wouldn't be much traffic outside of CC skiiers and the roads included some great training hills. I hoped to run the first 10 at the required pace (8 min miles) then pick it up for the last 5 miles, hopefully averaging 7 mins a mile. Then came the weather.
At about 29 degrees, it wasn't all that cold out (I know this is relative!) but there was a constant snow and slippery roads to complicate things. Less than two miles into the run, slipping with every step, I knew I wouldn't be hitting my goal pace. I finished the first loop (10 miles, 1:24, 8:24 pace) and got ready to head out for the second loop hoping to get under 8 mins a mile...
Unfortunately the roads had not improved (probably deteriorated) but despite that I got the last 5.1 miles done in 39:51! My last mile included two serious hills that I've attempted 4 times in the past but never been able to run completely to the top. Today I did! I'm gonna be a little sore, but I really loved every second of the run today, and it's really a shot in the arm moving forward in the training.
Some pictures from today:

Gotta love the Lafumas with the gaiters--comfortable feet all day! This angle was inspired by Keith In Training.

Just tire tracks and my footsteps...

Approaching the final hill. Sure doesn't look like much, but it is, especially without Yak Traks!

I meant to write a lot more about this run as it was fantastic. In retrospect, it seems impossible to really capture the moment in words. I guess I'll keep it as my own little gem, with the understanding that runners will know and have experienced what I've failed to explain here...

Week total: 40 miles