The Running Blog

I'm a shin splint gimp right now but the elliptical is working for me thus far. I'll probably trade off with the bike and my real bicycle here real soon.

It's a lot of bang for my buck and doesn't hurt me. I honestly have no idea why my shins were giving me such a hard time so I'll try and build up from here.

I've been directed to do more physical stuff as it's pretty obvious why. It's a great way to get the teenage angst out of me and it seems after the deployment I've got a lot of it. Working out helps and I notice on my off days that I'm more wound up than the days I do work out.

Justin -- 3 miles

Distance: 3 miles

I went out for another 3 mile run today, I felt a little less sore than yesterday on this one. Another beautiful day to run.

I decided to sign up for the Hannibal Cannibal 5k which is this Saturday. It should be good times, the last leg of the course is running up lover's leap, which is where the race got it's name from "It will eat you up". I'll let you know how it goes!

Justin -- 3 mile run

Distance: 3 miles

My first run since the marathon last weekend. While I didn't feel sore starting out, my muscles quickly began to complain once I got into a rhythm. To train for my next marathon I'm only going to do 3 mile runs on weekdays, possibly a 4 mile. With anything over that on weekends. This was how I trained for my first marathon and it is much easier for me to stick to than the more intensive program I tried for my second one.

It was a good day for a run with a cool wind and some clouds to block the sun. After last week's heat wave it almost even feels cool outside!

Justin -- Grandma's Marathon

Distance: 26.2 miles

This past Friday I was in Duluth, Minnesota with my wife and our friend Charlene. We got into Duluth around 4 pm and a fog was starting to descend around the city. Duluth was a lot smaller than I had thought (only around 80,000 people) but that did not make trying to find a parking space at the convention center any easier. We eventually find an outer lot with spaces, though a sign tells us that we will be trapped in that lot until at least 7:30 due to a 5k race going past our street. That's okay though, we just figured that we would kill some time and leave after 7:30.

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gringo -- "Feel Great in 8"

My work has a thing to help employees lose weight. So, on July 6th or 7th I will be weighed in and have my biometrics taken as well. The competition officially starts the 13th and after that if I successfully finish then I have a chance to win one of five $100 gift certificates.

Considering some folks won't ever try it and some won't successfully finish at the final weigh in, my chances seem pretty good. There's room for 200 participants so who knows.

Anyway, time to lose weight and a good motivator to do it as well. I can't lose. Wait, you know what I mean. If I lose but then I still lose weight anyway and ultimately I win. Nevermind.

gringo -- The Elliptical

I've read some things online but my question still remains. Is the elliptical more comparable to a run or a walk or just in between? I have classified it as a walk although it burns more calories than a walk. Hmmm?

It burns quite a few calories as it includes the upper body workout also. The other part of it though is that there is no impact so the muscles can react and grow from that.

It's not a run but not a walk either. Suggestions?

gringo -- ROTG

Distance: 1.32 miles

view my run

So, I need to start running again. I fell off the wagon a while back... got motivated, then injured myself again. The last injury was not run related.

To keep it short, sweet and hard to beat: for now I will run 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for short distances while paying close attention to my body. The map reads 1.32 miles but I'm not so sure. It wasn't really hard so I guess I've still got it. Anyway, tomorrow I hope to do some good old fashioned muscle failure.

I need to lose 15 pounds very soon.

Wish me luck.

Justin -- 3 miles

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 0 hour(s), 33 minutes and 45 seconds
Pace: 11 minutes and 15 seconds per mile

Almost a week to go before the marathon! I ran a short run of 3 miles today. It was gloomy out, but nice weather for a run. I signed up for a pace team for the marathon I'm running in. I'll be shooting for a 5 1/2 hour time, as I'm not quite as trained as I was for my last marathon. We leave next Wednesday, I can't wait!

Dougster -- Some Like It Hot!

Some Like it Hot!
Sunday, March 24, 2009

Greetings Fellow Runner’s,

Q: What did the digital clock say to its Mom?
A: Look Mom, NO HANDS!
Laffy Taffy 2009

As I started the van after church, the digital clock display said the time was 10:04 and the temperature had shot up to 78. I should have run at first light today. I wanted to do a 16-miler today to maintain my marathon fitness level, but knew I couldn’t finish that long of a run (3:00-hr +/-) and still make it to church. I could have “blown-off” church like many of the regulars did this Memorial holiday weekend and done my long-run, but lately I’ve felt a need to go to church. I guess I am feeling a little guilty for already missing four Sundays as I ran my spring marathons, so I decided I could wait until after church to do this run. Besides the weather was cool and clear (early this morning), but while I sat in our air conditioned church that old summertime friend of the Midwest seems to have crept back into town. I’m talking about our old running nemesis, HUMIDITY!

Before I could lace up my new Asics Kayano 15’s for their third run, I had to fuel-up with the family at Sprout’s Inn. It a Dougster family tradition to go enjoy breakfast after church (this gives the DSW (dear sweet wife) a little break from planning and preparing meals all the time too), so it was while on the drive to town I noticed the digital thermometer click up a degree to 79. At Sprouts I passed over the tempting biscuits & gravy, omelets and hash browns to select a somewhat appropriate pecan-filled pancake (love the carb’s). As we left and drove home I noticed the digital display had risen to 80.

At home I quickly got ready by selecting a white (reflective) technical tee, my Illinois marathon cap and of course my new running shoes. I strapped on my water bottle belt fitted with a 16oz bottle of lemon-lime Gatorade, stuck on a pair of nipple-guards, filled my pockets with orange flavored Hammer Gel and a couple Laffy Taffy’s. I left the cell phone behind, but grabbed the mp3 player.

I stopped by the DSW sitting on the couch perusing the Sunday newspaper sale ads to ask her to bring me another bottle of Gatorade in an hour or so, since it looked hot out. I stepped out the door, crossed the porch, hopped over the young petunias, crunched through the dry neatly trimmed lawn to the asphalt street in front of the house. The sky was a typical Midwestern hazy bluish-white and not the beautiful bright-blue humidity free sky I experienced in during the Colorado Marathon three weeks ago.

My Timex Ironman watch said it was 11:54 a.m. and the heat rising off the asphalt made it feel hotter than the 80-degrees the indoor/outdoor digital thermometer said as I left the house. I skipped starting the countdown/repeat timer that would have reminded me to take a short walk-break every 6-minutes, because I had already decided to walk every half-mile as my concession to the heat and humidity. I started the stopwatch and took off.

It takes me about half-a-mile before I feel comfortable running. I reached the first walk-break and took stock of my condition. So far so good. I was beginning to sweat and wished I would have downed a glass of Gatorade before heading out. Four cups of diuretic inducing coffee was all I had drank so far today. That is not the pre-long run hydrating that anyone should do, and I knew better. I started back running.

A few more minutes and I neared the 1-mile mark when one of the town-folk waved me over to admire his new concrete driveway. We chatted for a couple minutes (I am a village trustee, so I must listen when asked my opinion about something by a regular voter, even after just beginning a long-run). Since that two minute break was much longer than I normally would have stopped I ran past the 1.5-mile walk break and ran straight to the 2-mile marker. The 2-mile point is halfway down the bluff (the only remaining downhill over the next 14-miles) so I ran all the way to the bottom before again stopping.

At the bottom, I looked over to check the sewage lagoon level and noted that it had dropped a few inches as I drank about 1/3rd of my only water bottle. Man, it was hot. The light wind was at my back and I was now in full sweat mode as I started running again. I made a mental note to add a large handkerchief or small towel to my gear when running on hot days.

I was running south along the bluff usually on a morning run I am covered in shade since the rising sun is still behind the trees, but not now. The sun was well overhead and the light wind at my back seemed to collect the heat rising from the asphalt and encase me in its energy sapping warmth. The next couple miles went by and at mile-4 I again drank from my bottle draining about ½ the remaining fluid. I checked the time and noticed I wasn’t even running a 12-minute per mile pace. This was going to be a “long-run”.

A few more minutes of running and I decided to shorten this 16-miler to a 12-miler and turn-around at mile-6. Stinging sweat kept creeping into my eyes. The $25 I spent on the Illinois Marathon hat I thought would be comfortable to wear running on hot days, turned out to be a poor purchase. Don’t get me wrong, I like the looks of the cap, but its functionality as a “hot weather hat” doesn’t cut it. A “dew rag” is much more comfortable and keeps the sweat out of my eyes better. Man, I wish I’d remembered a sweat rag to wipe my eyes.

At mile-6 I drained the last of the Gatorade, turned around and hoped the DSW hadn’t forgotten me. She hadn’t because just a minute later, she and the granddog were pulling over to the side of the road. I grabbed the fresh water bottle and paused for a minute to help fold-down the rear seat so our grand-dog could enjoy the car ride better. That couple minute delay had me reconsidering running the rest of the 12-miles and I bagged the attempt. The heat and humidity had won (this day).

I thought I was in pretty good shape, but running in mid-80 temperatures for the first time this year had whipped this puppy. I couldn’t imagine running a marathon in conditions like this. It’s going to be a “long summer” of running to get ready for the Air Force Marathon in mid-September.

Okay fellow runner’s…this is what I learned from today’s running experience and I hope you don’t have to learn these hot-weather running lesson the hard way too.

First…hydrate.

Second…hydrate some more and avoid long-runs during the heat of mid-day. (I must be getting old (53) to consider 6-miles a long run).

Third…hydrate even more and be prepared to sweat a lot. Carry something to mop up excess sweat. (My daughter would tell me a “Sham WOW” would be the perfect item for this task).

Fourth…hydrate and have a DSW or running partner to support/keep tabs on you. Bringing that cell phone along would have made it easy for the Dougster to call the DSW to request an early pick up.

Fifth…don’t be “too proud” to adjust your running goal if your conditioning, the weather, or your “gut” tells you today isn’t your day. I’m not a doctor (and I don’t play one on TV) but I do know if I hadn’t cut my run short today, I could have easily have suffered heat exhaustion or worse today.

Finally…as I sit re-hydrating, I know that there is always tomorrow. Tomorrow happens to be Memorial Day (a holiday) so I should be able to get in an early-morning long-run and still have time to attend the Memorial Church Service at the old Rock Church in New Providence Cemetery just north of town at 10:00 a.m. Remember to pause tomorrow and say a prayer in memory of all those past veterans who gave (some a few years of their life, some who must live a life with a disability and some who gave their whole life) so we could live free and enjoy long runs in the Midwestern summer heat. Somewhere in the Mideast a young soldier, carrying a lot more than a single water bottle is running hard in 100+ temps. Oh-Rah!

Gotta Run!
The Dougster

Each Laffy Taffy comes with two jokes, so here is the other half…
Q: What doesn’t get wet when it rains?
A1: The Ocean.
A2: The Dougster, cause on a hot day, I’m drenched with sweat already.

Justin -- Bridge the gap 5k

Distance: 3.1 miles

Race day! I had four kids follow through with the training and show up for race day. They all did great and I couldn't be prouder of them! I'll post some pictures when I get them (probably sometime early next week)

Dougster -- 2009 Colorado Marathon

Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 4 hour(s), 53 minutes and 35 seconds
Pace: 11 minutes and 12 seconds per mile

Greetings Fellow Runners, Family & Friends

On Sunday, May 3, 2009 I ran and completed my 20th Marathon by finishing the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins. Fellow marathoners have many reasons for running a given race event. I chose this race since my son is attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, so the DSW (dear sweet wife) and I could double-up a visit to our son with a marathon weekend.

The Colorado Marathon is by far the most scenic race I’ve ever done. At 4:20 a.m. I stepped onto one of 30 motor coaches at the downtown bus station with the rest of the 1,000+ competitors for the pre-dawn ride up into the Rocky Mountains to a start line staging area. As we queued up to load on a bus, the organizers had boxes of bagels for us to pick-up and nibble on during the 60 minute drive. Most everybody brought their own water bottles and breakfast to eat on the ride. I sat in the front row and was joined by a fellow from Boston who was running his 48th state on his 50 state marathon quest. He was joined by his sister and another friend. We compared notes on past races we had run and discussed why we chose this event.

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Workout Logs

Recent Logs

07/03 - Justin
Walk - 2.06 miles

07/02 - gringo
Elliptical - 3.8 miles

07/02 - Justin
Run - 3 miles

07/02 - Justin
Walk - .5 miles

07/01 - Justin
Run - 3 miles

07/01 - Justin
Walk - .5 miles

06/30 - gringo
Elliptical - 3.9 miles

Monthly Totals (July)

Runs

1. Justin - 6 miles

Walks

1. Justin - 3.06 miles

Elliptical

1. gringo - 3.8 miles