Hello,
Ok it has been 6 weeks since my last post and though there is no real excuse the reason has been due to the demands of my day job, my son's activities (cub scouts, school and soccer) and a nagging pain in my right shins. So more about the shin, four weeks ago I was having some steady pain in my right shin and an inflamed area about 4 inches up from the ankle. The pain wouldn't go away so I went to see my primary care Doctor who took some pictures and said there was no issue and to just give it some rest. Well two days later I get a call that the head of x-ray thought he saw a possible Tibia Stress Fracture so he wanted me to see and orthopedic specialist. I went to see the doctor and she suggested an MRI to rule out the stress fracture. Fast forward three weeks and I just found out yesterday that there is no stress fracture and I can start pack up running (slowly). That was great news because the idea of a stress fracture was going to really suck especially since this boy is running the 2010 Boston Marathon...
I was fortunate enough to get a number through my running club so I will be back again next year. I am very excited about this opportunity and I will promise to keep everyone up to date on my training progress.
Cheers,
Tim
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
been to long
Hello,
Sorry it has been a month since my last update, way to long and this delay is due to my laziness so sorry for that. What have I done in the last month. Well my running volume has been great on week and then crappy the next week. The demands of work and family have been tough but most importantly I have given in to the pull of saying "I will do it later" and that is the biggest culprit. Some updates, I am not running any half marathons. My friend who was going to run Portland with me has backed out and my plans got nixed for the Baystate Half Marathon due to a conflict with plans my wife made. So I decided that I didn't need an official race to prove my existence and thus I am going to stay home and run 13.1. I have been running mostly trails since I prefer the solitude. The weather for the end of August was brutal, the humidity was almost unbearable. Once the humidity vanished I noticed a giant jump in my pace compared to the same effort I was running in with terrible humidity. I have also acquired a pair of Viabram FiveFinger KSO's (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm) and I have worn them twice for runs under 5 miles in the woods. I like the feel of them but I am not sure if my 220 lb frame is read for any distance longer then 5 miles. So right now I moving forward with 25-30 miles per week with a 90-2 hour run on Sunday's and 3-4 runs during the week. I am looking to add some mile repeats to my schedule with the goal of getting up to 5 before 2010. One last thing, I am throwing my hat in the ring to run the 2010 Boston Marathon again for the same charity so I am glad to have that on my calendar.
Cheers,
Tim
Sorry it has been a month since my last update, way to long and this delay is due to my laziness so sorry for that. What have I done in the last month. Well my running volume has been great on week and then crappy the next week. The demands of work and family have been tough but most importantly I have given in to the pull of saying "I will do it later" and that is the biggest culprit. Some updates, I am not running any half marathons. My friend who was going to run Portland with me has backed out and my plans got nixed for the Baystate Half Marathon due to a conflict with plans my wife made. So I decided that I didn't need an official race to prove my existence and thus I am going to stay home and run 13.1. I have been running mostly trails since I prefer the solitude. The weather for the end of August was brutal, the humidity was almost unbearable. Once the humidity vanished I noticed a giant jump in my pace compared to the same effort I was running in with terrible humidity. I have also acquired a pair of Viabram FiveFinger KSO's (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm) and I have worn them twice for runs under 5 miles in the woods. I like the feel of them but I am not sure if my 220 lb frame is read for any distance longer then 5 miles. So right now I moving forward with 25-30 miles per week with a 90-2 hour run on Sunday's and 3-4 runs during the week. I am looking to add some mile repeats to my schedule with the goal of getting up to 5 before 2010. One last thing, I am throwing my hat in the ring to run the 2010 Boston Marathon again for the same charity so I am glad to have that on my calendar.
Cheers,
Tim
Monday, August 10, 2009
Week in review
Hello,
Last week was a pretty good week. Due to the demands of that dam full time job I wasn't able to get in my normal Wednesday run but with 4 runs for the week I did close to 24 miles. My runs on Tuesday and Thursday were only 3.5 but I ran them at a sub-9 pace with some real quick mile splits. I got out on Friday for a 5 mile loop in the woods and then back there on Sunday for 2+ loops in trails for 11. It was a nice run, I have been listening to Trilogy Running for the first time and the podcast helped me pass the time.
Here is a question to the 2 people that read my blog, how many of you treat your long runs as the top priority for the week? How many of you live for the "alone time" that comes with a run past 60 minutes? I really enjoy these runs and I know I am really selfish but this time whether on the road or in the woods is time I guard and I don't want to give it up for anything. This long run is my church, it is my therapist. I have solved a lot of the worlds problems on these runs and sorry to say I can't see myself giving up this time for anyone (ok, if Eva Longoria wanted join me I might make an exception).
Cheers,
Tim
Last week was a pretty good week. Due to the demands of that dam full time job I wasn't able to get in my normal Wednesday run but with 4 runs for the week I did close to 24 miles. My runs on Tuesday and Thursday were only 3.5 but I ran them at a sub-9 pace with some real quick mile splits. I got out on Friday for a 5 mile loop in the woods and then back there on Sunday for 2+ loops in trails for 11. It was a nice run, I have been listening to Trilogy Running for the first time and the podcast helped me pass the time.
Here is a question to the 2 people that read my blog, how many of you treat your long runs as the top priority for the week? How many of you live for the "alone time" that comes with a run past 60 minutes? I really enjoy these runs and I know I am really selfish but this time whether on the road or in the woods is time I guard and I don't want to give it up for anything. This long run is my church, it is my therapist. I have solved a lot of the worlds problems on these runs and sorry to say I can't see myself giving up this time for anyone (ok, if Eva Longoria wanted join me I might make an exception).
Cheers,
Tim
Monday, August 3, 2009
Week in review, hot, humid, sick then trail running
So after taking Monday off as I normally do, Tuesday due to work and the humidity became a no go. On Wednesday the humidity was still oppressive but I also came down with a stomach bug that left me feeling far from ideal. It took me till Thursday afternoon to get over that but I still had some congestion and a stuffed up nose. On Friday I went out to run the West Hill Dam trails. Towards the last 2 miles I was getting a few drops of rain but nothing bad, well it turns out the trees were sheltering the down pour that was really going on. Went I made it back out to the road for the last .75 miles it was pouring with some nice thunder going on. Overall it was a great run, I was listening to the latest Phidip and time flew by.
No running on Saturday since I spent the day running errands. I set my alarm on Sunday to get up early and hit the road for my long run. Well, I slept in till 5:45 and got up to get ready. I was just about out the door when my son came down the stairs. If you guys know 6 year olds, when they are up they are up. So I didn't want to run out and have him wake my wife who was still sleeping so we turned on the TV and relaxed while watching some great cartoons. At around 8 AM my wife awoke and I got out of the house around 8:30.
I planned 10 miles, or 1:45:00 to 2 hours at a relaxed rate so instead of doing a road loop I chose a double loop on the trails of West Hill Dam. I turned on the ipod, set my watch to track pace/miles but focused more on the HR to determine if I needed to slow down or speed up. The relaxation of listening to Gordon on Running to Disney then Dan and Nik talk about running "commando" was great. I got into that grove that only comes after 4-5 miles where as long as you have water and fuel you can run forever.
I did 11 miles in 1:54 and felt great, ran back to the house and jumped into the pool with my son and then off to run some more errands. Overall, great way to finish a week were I only got two runs in for 17 miles.
Cheers,
Tim
No running on Saturday since I spent the day running errands. I set my alarm on Sunday to get up early and hit the road for my long run. Well, I slept in till 5:45 and got up to get ready. I was just about out the door when my son came down the stairs. If you guys know 6 year olds, when they are up they are up. So I didn't want to run out and have him wake my wife who was still sleeping so we turned on the TV and relaxed while watching some great cartoons. At around 8 AM my wife awoke and I got out of the house around 8:30.
I planned 10 miles, or 1:45:00 to 2 hours at a relaxed rate so instead of doing a road loop I chose a double loop on the trails of West Hill Dam. I turned on the ipod, set my watch to track pace/miles but focused more on the HR to determine if I needed to slow down or speed up. The relaxation of listening to Gordon on Running to Disney then Dan and Nik talk about running "commando" was great. I got into that grove that only comes after 4-5 miles where as long as you have water and fuel you can run forever.
I did 11 miles in 1:54 and felt great, ran back to the house and jumped into the pool with my son and then off to run some more errands. Overall, great way to finish a week were I only got two runs in for 17 miles.
Cheers,
Tim
Friday, July 31, 2009
back in the saddle, hate not feeling well
Ok, so after my less then perfect run last Sunday where the hills of Northbridge made a 10 mile run into 8.5, just ran out of steam. So I took Monday off as I normally do and then Tuesday the heat and obscene humidity set in and made the lunch time run just not something I wanted to do and the next opportunity to run was at 9:30 PM and that wasn't going to happen. On Wednesday I got hit with a stomach bug and migrane that stuck around till under just yesterday.
So today was the first time I felt up to a run and boy was it nice to get out there. I went out to my favorite trail since the humidity had broken it was a great run. I did a relaxing run at 76% MHR and listened to Phidip 197, who could ask for a better run. After coming out of the woods the light sprinkle that I felt was actually a downpour that was being sheltered by the big trees. So my last .67 mile was in a down pour. Nothing beats the motivation of a downpour to get the last pace in at sub 9 pace.
So I am back from feeling like crap and look to get 5-8 tomorrow and 10-12 on Sunday.
Cheers,
Tim
So today was the first time I felt up to a run and boy was it nice to get out there. I went out to my favorite trail since the humidity had broken it was a great run. I did a relaxing run at 76% MHR and listened to Phidip 197, who could ask for a better run. After coming out of the woods the light sprinkle that I felt was actually a downpour that was being sheltered by the big trees. So my last .67 mile was in a down pour. Nothing beats the motivation of a downpour to get the last pace in at sub 9 pace.
So I am back from feeling like crap and look to get 5-8 tomorrow and 10-12 on Sunday.
Cheers,
Tim
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Something to look forward too...
I have one child, he is 6 yrs old and his name is Alex and he is just me in a smaller frame. I feel bad for my wife because he has all of the traits that I know drive her crazy from me. He doesn't sit still, he has no "mute" button so he just talks 100% of the time he is awake during the day.
So every time him and I square off it is usually me arguing with him over something he did that I do all the time. As my wife says I am just fighting with myself. He is a great kid and the hardest part of being a parent for me is to remember he is a kid and I need to cut him some slack. He likes the fact that his dad runs and he enjoys going to my races or going to the track with me. He has no concept of the distance so me running 20 miles or 2 miles is out of his grasp. Heck when we say the trip will take 2 hours and he asks how long that is we say it will be "4 Sponge Bob episodes" and that he understands. When on my runs and my mind wanders one recurring thought is that when he gets 10-12 and is old enough to run I really hope he will want to run with his old man.
As much as I like my alone time or in some cases the time I take to escape the demands of parenting I think to run with him once a week would be great. I never did anything like that with my dad but if we could use the time to chat about life, what he has going on in school or just about the Red Sox or NE Patriots would be time that I would cherish. So as he grows up I am not going to push him into running but I hopes he takes to it and if he does I look forward to a new running partner for my Sunday morning runs.
Tim
So every time him and I square off it is usually me arguing with him over something he did that I do all the time. As my wife says I am just fighting with myself. He is a great kid and the hardest part of being a parent for me is to remember he is a kid and I need to cut him some slack. He likes the fact that his dad runs and he enjoys going to my races or going to the track with me. He has no concept of the distance so me running 20 miles or 2 miles is out of his grasp. Heck when we say the trip will take 2 hours and he asks how long that is we say it will be "4 Sponge Bob episodes" and that he understands. When on my runs and my mind wanders one recurring thought is that when he gets 10-12 and is old enough to run I really hope he will want to run with his old man.
As much as I like my alone time or in some cases the time I take to escape the demands of parenting I think to run with him once a week would be great. I never did anything like that with my dad but if we could use the time to chat about life, what he has going on in school or just about the Red Sox or NE Patriots would be time that I would cherish. So as he grows up I am not going to push him into running but I hopes he takes to it and if he does I look forward to a new running partner for my Sunday morning runs.
Tim
Monday, July 20, 2009
Milestone, first 10 miler since Boston
Last week was a nice week. Overall the sun was visible in my world, I almost didn't recognize it, so we had a real nice week. I was able to get in 5 runs through the week for a total of 28 miles including a 10 mile run on Sunday. Since running the Boston Marathon I have averaged about 20-25 miles per week but most of my runs have been in the 5-8 mile range. As part of my training for the fall Half Marathons I am building my base up so this was my first 10 miler in 3 months and it was nice to know I hadn't lost it.
I traveled down to Norton, MA to run with my training partner Jill in her backyard since she has been driving 40 minutes to Northbridge for the last 4-6 weeks. Well Sunday morning arrived the weather was amazing and Norton was a great run because compared to my town it is FLAT....
So we headed out with the goal of focusing on the distance not the time since this was Jill's first time at this distance. I ran by heart rate only and kept my HR at 73% average and we did 10 miles in 1:43:40 (10:20 pace) with no problems. It was one of those runs that reminded me of my Marathon training were once I got past the first 4 I got into a zone that as long as I fueled I could keep going. The plan of running by HR has been working, this week I need to add a 85-90% HR run on Wednesday at the track and a tempo run on Friday were I do the first 2 miles at 70-75% then 2 miles at 80-85% then a 2 mile cool down. The next week I will shot for doing another 10 miler.
Cheers,
Tim
I traveled down to Norton, MA to run with my training partner Jill in her backyard since she has been driving 40 minutes to Northbridge for the last 4-6 weeks. Well Sunday morning arrived the weather was amazing and Norton was a great run because compared to my town it is FLAT....
So we headed out with the goal of focusing on the distance not the time since this was Jill's first time at this distance. I ran by heart rate only and kept my HR at 73% average and we did 10 miles in 1:43:40 (10:20 pace) with no problems. It was one of those runs that reminded me of my Marathon training were once I got past the first 4 I got into a zone that as long as I fueled I could keep going. The plan of running by HR has been working, this week I need to add a 85-90% HR run on Wednesday at the track and a tempo run on Friday were I do the first 2 miles at 70-75% then 2 miles at 80-85% then a 2 mile cool down. The next week I will shot for doing another 10 miler.
Cheers,
Tim
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