Good Week!

Oct. 23
9 mi - 68:33, 600'

Oct. 24
7 mi - 50:09, 433'

Oct. 25
8 mi - 63:00, 958'

Oct. 26
4 mi - 28:26, 300'

Oct. 27
7.4 mi - 59:00, 600'

Oct. 28
9 mi - 64:00, 671'

Oct. 29
13 mi - 1:33:30, 1270'

Good week of training.  Was planning on just doing 50 miles this week but didn't feel like I needed a day off so I ended up getting 57.4 miles.  The plan is still to build the mileage as quickly and safely as possible.  I will take days off when I feel like I need them.  My pace has been faster than expected for some of my runs but I am still keeping my heart rate in check.  This should be another good week of mileage with a 85 mile adventure race on Saturday.

Back at it!

I'm back to running on a regular basis again. I took 7 days off after my 50 miler. The Friday after the race was my first day for no soreness and I was actually itching to get back at it after that much time off. Last week I ran 4 days as I was just going out for a run whenever I felt like it. This week will be my first full week. I feel mentally and physically refreshed and ready to build for the next race.

The goal is to build to be able to rum 80-100 miles a week as consistently as possible. Hopefully I don't find a breaking point, but if I do I will back off and just do as much as my busy will allow.

My next race is Nov 5, a 20 hr adventure race with Trey and my buddy Chris which starts and ends at Milford Lake. After that I will just do races when time allows me to.  Proposed race plan for this next year would include:

Psycho Wyco 50k in Feb
Free State 100k in April
Flint Hills Marathon in May
Heartland 100 mile in October

I'm sure I will find some other smaller races to fill in on but that what I'm thinking for now.

Heartland 50 Recap

It's done and man am I glad it is.  Saturday at 6pm we started the race and just before 1:15am on Sunday it ended.  I wasn't able to run as fast as I wanted but I was still very happy with the race overall.  It's always good to have goals when you go into a race but sometimes you learn very quickly that you may have to reevaluate on change on the fly.  When the race started, the plan was for Josh, Brandon and I to hang together and try to be right around 8min/mi pace.  2 other guys hopped into our group and were running with us.  One of them even started pushing the pace abut 4 miles in and opened up a 400m lead on us pretty quickly.  I wasn't concerned as it I knew 50 miles was a long way.  We ended up catching him at 12 and he hung with us until 17 and then we never saw him again.  From the very beginning my heart rate was higher than it should have been for going the pace we were going.  It concerned me a little but I knew there was nothing I could do about it so I tried not to worry about it.  I did take a 5 Hour Energy 45 min before the race so I'm wondering if that had something to do with it.  By mile 10 I was beginning to feel a little crampy in my left hamstring. Through all of my training I had never cramped or got even close to it.  I was taking in endurolytes every 45-60 min so cramping wouldn't be a problem.  Brandon started cramping a little bit at 20 miles so he backed off the pace.  Josh and I continued on without any problems until we hit 29.  Right before 29 I felt like my right quad was starting to cramp, as I slowed to a walk to try to stretch it out it completely locked up on me.  It took me 2 or 3 minutes to work it out so we could keep moving.  By the time we got to the mile 33 aide station I hadn't had any more problems so we just refilled water bottles and kept moving.  From 33 to 42 is probably the toughest part of the course as it is constantly up and down.  Josh and I stayed together until 38 when we began to seperate a little.  I was still worried about my quad cramping again and didn't want to stop at all.  Josh thought he was going to have to stop at 42 for a quick bathroom break and so I just went ahead by myself at 38 and didn't look back.  I was able to maintain a pretty quick pace over the last 12 with my last 5 averaging 7:50/mi or so.  When all was said and done Manhattan guys swept the top 4 spots in the 50 miler.  I ran 7:14, Josh ran 7:32, Brandon came in 7:56 and Barry was 8:53.  Great experience and even though I may have told the guys differently after the race, I'm not ruling out the possibility of doing a 100 at some point.  Props goes out to Dave Krishock, Aaron Avery and Frank Dayton of Manhattan for finishing the 100 and earning their belt buckle.  It was Dave's 5th and Aaron and Frank's 1st.  Also, thanks goes out to my Dad and brother Luke for helping us through the aide stations. Made things a lot easier.

50k Race

So its been a while since I've posted on here.  Training has been going okay for the most part.  My mileage has been down a bit since the middle of June when it started getting really hot out.  I raced a 50k road race in Kansas City this last weekend as a part of the North Face Endurance Challenge.  The weekend before the race I did a 34 mile run on the 50 mile race course so the plan was to just get another easy training run in.  The week leading up to the race after the 34 mile run I was definitely tired and didn't know what to expect going into Saturday.  The plan was to go out and run at about 8 min per mile pace for the first half and then see how I felt and hopefully pick it up from there.  As I got into the run I didn't feel like I could slow down from the 7:30/mi pace I was holding and better yet I felt very comfortable at that pace.  After 6 or so miles I decided I would just roll with it and see how it went.  The entire race felt very comfortable until the last 4 or 5 miles.  By the end of the race the temps had reached 85 degrees and I think that hurt me more than anything.  I ended up finishing 4th place overall and running 3:50:59.  I now have 5 weeks to be ready for the big one.  After this last weekend I'm feeling much better about being prepared to go the whole 50 miles at the pace I want to go.  More to come soon....

Rolling Along!

Last week was another 70+ mile week, checking in at 72.  My long run on Sunday was only 19 miles.  I did most of it by myself with the exception of about 6 miles when my brother jumped in with me.  This made three straight weeks with 70+ miles.  I am still feeling great about the mileage at this point and hopefully nothing changes.  One thing that I think has helped is losing some weight since the beginning of the year.  I'm down about 15lbs since around mid Feb.  I'm still wanting to be very cautious with my mileage so I've decided to take a down week this week.  I took Sunday and Monday off this week which was nice since I ran every day last week.  I should have around 50 miles this week and then it will be time to pump the miles back up.  I have exactly 3 months before the big race and I honestly can't wait.  At this point I only have 3 races on the schedule leading up to my ultra.  July 15th I'm doing a 1 mile race with a wedding party in Tennessee, I'm doing the Warrior Dash 5k in KC on July 31st and I'm planning on doing the North Face Endurance Challenge 50k(31 miles) on Aug. 28th in KC.  Looking forward to the cooler temps that September will hopefully bring. 

Feeling good with my miles staying UP!!

Sorry its been a while since my last post.  I'll try to get back to posting on a more regular basis.  The good thing is I'm still running a lot, I've just been lazy on the posts.  Last week I finished up another 70 mile week and felt really good.  I started off this week with a 13 mile run with Kory, we moved right along for the entire run and felt good throughout.  Again I went long on Thursday since Josh was going to be out of town on the weekend.  This week Brandon joined in for most of the run(26 miles).  I ended up going 32 miles in 4:19:00(8:06/mi pace) and felt really good throughout the entire run.  The last 10 miles I dropped the pace down and was running 7:30/mi pace.  During that time I felt really good but my heart rate was a little higher than I would have liked it.  What's great is the next day I felt like I could run outside of what I think is a little tendinitis in my left foot.  I took the day off and because at this point I'd rather be safe than sorry.  Again I hit 70 miles for the week and felt really good.  This morning Kory and I went out again for 15 miles and averaged 7:16/mi pace.  I really feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger with each week that passes.  I'm excited to see what I can do as I start racing some longer races.  More to come...

Early Long Run

30 miles - 4:06:44

Josh and I decided to do our long run today since he would be out of town this weekend. I really felt good throughout the entire run. Three weeks ago when I did 30 the last 5 miles were fairly painful. Today I was sore but felt like I could have kept going. We did a big loop that went north and west of Manhattan. Part of the run took us on to Ft Riley which became interesting when a soldier stopped us and informed is that we were in a live fire area and that we should evacuate immediately. Josh told me there was nothing to worry about since it was lightning. I'm pretty sure I should have been worried about one or the other or maybe both. After todays run I have 85 miles over the last six days. Best part is I'm feeling great. More to come....

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Good Days!!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday have been great training days. The last three days for me were 7 mi, 8 mi and 8 mi with every run being between 6:45-7:05 per mile pace. Heart rate has been low and legs have felt great. This may all change tomorrow as Josh and I are going 30 miles starting at 5am. Hoping it goes as well as it did last time.

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Running long...Racing short!!!

So I had another decent week of training as I finished this week with just under 50 miles for the week.  I did run the Poyntz Ave Mile on Wednesday and that went okay as well.  I ended up running 4:45 for the mile and got blown away by all the young guys.  I was hoping to be in the 4:30's but I'm okay with it since I haven't really done any speed work.  Yesterday I went 21 miles and this morning I went 11 miles.  Felt great on both runs and look forward to uping my mileage back up this week. 

Its been a while!!

So I took a few days off from the blog but I haven't stopped running.  I've had some good runs and some not so good runs since I was on last.  On Saturday May 28th I ended up hitting 30 miles for my run in just over 4 hours.  For the most part the run felt really good.  The last 5 miles was rather painful though.  I ended up with 75 miles for the week which is one of the highest mileage weeks I've ever done.  I decided to take a down week instead of another up week so that I could be rested for the Poyntz Ave Mile.  Last week I ran 5 days and got 36 or 37 miles if I remember right.  I didn't run long after my 30 and I didn't have a long run at the end of the week which is what hurt my mileage.  I have felt absolutely horrible over the last 4 or 5 days and I'm not exactly sure why.  It could be the heat or it could be all the mileage catching up with me.  I have the race on Wednesday which hopefully goes well but I'm hoping I can get a good week of training in.  Today didn't give me much hope though as I ran 8 miles and struggled to run 8 min/mile pace.  In the past several weeks I've felt like I could roll along at 7 min pace for a run like today.  We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope all continues on well.

Loving the cool!

10 miles - 78:00

What a great run this morning with Josh. About 50 degrees and not a whole lot of wind to speak of. We did a pretty hilly route which slowed us down a bit. For the most part we were running about 7:30/mi and my heart rate was below 145 bpm. Feeling good! Now headed to KC to take clothing and shoes to my buddy that has a running store in Joplin.

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Good but sluggish

7 miles - 50:30

Run felt okay today but I definitely haven't felt as good as I did last week. I know I just need to stay patient as doing the type of weekly miles I'm doing can take a toll until I fully adjust to it. Last week I was coming off my down week and even though I did 71 miles, they felt almost effortless. I still consider this my base period which is why you aren't really seeing any intense workouts from me. The whole goal is to get comfortable with the higher mileage.

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Much better

8 miles - 59:00
Felt a lot better as I started my run today. It was also nice that it was a bit cooler out as well. Hoping for a week over 75 miles this week. Outside of a little soreness I'm feeling really good.

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It's okay to stop!

Rest day
I went out for a run today and made it two blocks and stopped. You have to be able to listen to your body. In the words of Mr. Cash, "you gotta know when to hold em and know when to fold them." Today was definitely a day to fold em. Hopefully tomorrow the legs will feel better.

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Pushing through the pain

Friday
7 miles
Felt good.  Took it real easy knowing that I had 28 miles the next day.

Saturday
28.6 miles - 3:56:00
Longest run to date and still felt pretty good for the most part.  These runs are really quite fun considering I've had some good friends to run with every single time so far.  Barry and I did and out and back starting at my house at 5am.  I ended up averaging about 8:18/mi for the entire run.  Everytime so far my quads seem to be the first thing to give out on me and it seems to be at about 20-22 miles.  Even though I was getting very sore I still felt like I could pick up the pace with ease.  I ended up getting 71 miles in for the week which is the most I've done since college. 

Sunday
14 miles - 1:48:46
As hard as the 29 miles was the day before I think this run was harder.  My son Damon and I headed out at about 7am.  Damon on bike and me on foot.  It was definitely warmer than I would have liked it to be.  My quads/IT Bands were so tight and sore on the run.  I was still able to average 7:43/mi with a heart rate in the 155 bpm range.   Gels(Powerbar) seem to be the easiest way to get calories in my body on these runs.  The Powerbag gels are the thinest of all of them so they go down much easier.  I'm also going to try Fig Newtons to try to get calories in on the run.  I'm starting to feel really really strong and am very encouraged by how my training is going. 

Ready to Race

Tuesday
Rest Day - I decided to go ahead and take a day off because of my left quad.  It felt better in the morning so I thought I would just go ahead and take the day off to see if I could get it back to 100%.

Wednesday
7 miles - 52:40
My leg was definitely feeling better.  Almost no pain at all to speak of.  I went extra easy though just to make sure I didn't bother it again.  Heart rate was really low for the entire run.

Thursday
8.5 miles - 59:20
Another great run today.  I need to find a race to hop in and see what I'm made of.  This is the best I've felt since college without a doubt.  Running is so easy right now.  My next scheduled race is June 8th, Poyntz Ave. Mile.  I feel like I'm ready for anything from 1 mile up to a marathon right now.  I'm planning on 28 miles Saturday morning which should get me 70 for the week.

First sign of pain....

8 miles - 54:20

Today was a great run I think.... I flew along at 6:47 pace for my entire run this morning and my heart rate was an avg of 154. The only problem was when I was done and throughout the rest of the day my left quad was bothering me. We will see how it feels tomorrow.

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Feeling Grrrrreat!!

11 miles - 1:22:00

Felt really good today following my 20 miler.  My heart rate was very low even though the first half of the run was up hill and into a nice stiff wind.  The last half of the run I was moving along at 7:00/mi pace with my heart rate still on the low side.  Average heart rate for the run was 148 bpm.  I'm hoping to hit between 70-80 miles this week.  As for gear for my races, the only thing I absolutely know right now is I will be using Swiftwick socks and if its cold at all I will probably be using my Swiftwick arm warmers.  If you haven't used Swiftwick socks yet then you are missing out.  Come into the store and grab a pair.  I can also report that my Mizuno Ascend shoes have made the list as a possible shoe for the race. 

Cool weather...thank you

Thursday
8 miles - 60:00

Friday
Rest

Saturday
20 miles - 2:40:00
What a great day for a long run. Barry, Josh and I headed out at 6am for a 20 mile loop. The cooler weather made such a huge difference on how I felt. We were averaging 8:09 pace through 14 but felt so good that we picked it up over the last 6. My last 4 miles went 7:20, 6:50, 6:50, 7:20. Going for 12 tomorrow hopefully.

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Not good!

5 miles - 37:00
Very sluggish today. Legs felt very heavy. Oh well, live to fight another day...come on cooler weather!

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Good week...stupid summer!

Friday
7 miles - 50:00
Nothing interesting about this run except that I got to test out the new Nike GPS watch. It's a pretty sleek watch and works really well. We will be getting them in May 12th and they are very reasonably priced at $199.

Saturday
26.3 miles - 3:33:30
Another long run in the books to finish off my highest week of mileage(65 miles) since college. Felt pretty good throughout with the exception of it getting a little warm. I carried a backpack again with 50oz of water in it. Also tried to eat more bit between GU and clif bars only took in about 500 calories. Still need to do a better job with eating more.

Sunday and Monday
With it being Mother's Day and a down week I took both days off.

Tuesday
8 miles - 59:00
Felt a little blah. Got up and ran at 5:45 which I like because I'm able to get it out of the way for the day. It's also good to run in the morning because its cooler out then. You really have to be patient with the heat. You aren't going to feel as good when its hot out but you still need to get the time in and not worry about it.

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Loving the weather

Wednesday
Rest day

Thursday
8 miles - 1:00:30
Went for a good run with Josh this morning. Still feeling good and should hit about 65 miles this week. I'm really looking forward to my long run this Saturday. It's been fun to see what the body can handle and learn how to do thing better the next time. More to come.

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Higher Mileage....

Monday
6 miles
Easy 6 with Aaron Avery on Monday night. Felt good except the bottom of my left hamstring or back of my knee was bothering me just a bit. I don't think it is serious but something to keep my eye on.

Tuesday
8 miles - 57:00
This run was a bit quicker than the night before but my heart rate was in check and it felt relatively easy. I'm starting to feel really good on my runs. The good thing about that is my mileage is the highest its been since college and I'm still feeling great. I'm still hoping to hit around 70 miles this week and then next week will be a down week which will allow my body to recover. All is well, can't wait to race!

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Good Sore Run

10 miles - 1:15:00

Followed my 24 up with 10 today.  I was definitely sore as I began the run but it didn't seem to bother me all that much as I got going.  My goal if I haven't said it before is to get my Saturday long run up to 40ish miles and follow it up with at least a 20 miler on Sunday.  The idea is to get used to running on tired legs.  Even though I had a big week and a big day the day before I still felt like I could move at a pretty good clip being able to average 7:30/mi.  This week if everything goes well I'm hoping to hit between 65-70 miles.

Long Run

Friday
8 miles - 1:01:00
Went for an easy run with Aaron.

Saturday
24 miles - 3:14:00
That was a long way and I didn't even make it half of what my race is going to be. One lesson learned today...I burned about 3000 calories but only took in about 300 calories on the run. From now on I'm going to try to take in 200-300 calories per hour. I did drink more this time which helped but now I need to put it all together. I got in 61 miles for the week and felt good.

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False Alarm

8 miles - 1:02:00

Good early morning run with Josh from city park. I felt there was a real chance that I would get a mile into the run and have to stop because the back of my left knee. On the contrary, I felt good the entire run. It was relatively slow but I'm not really concerned with the pace at all.

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Rest Day

Day off - I was going to get an easy short run in this evening but I didn't for a couple reasons.

#1 - The back of my left knee was bothering me a little today.

#2 - I'm running at 5:30am with Josh and Barry

#3 - I think I will still hit 60 or a little over with a day off!

Goodnight!!

Heartland 50

7 miles - 49:20

Heart rate was where it needed to be today but felt like I was working harder than that at some points.  Overall I felt pretty good and my plan of getting over 60 miles is right on track.  I talked to the race director  of the Heartland 50 ultra that I will be doing in October this evening.  I was under the impression that the course was going to be very hilly but he let me know that it is mostly flat.  This obviously makes me feel much better about the race.  I train almost exclusively on hilly roads out by my house.  He also let me know that they would be meeting sometime in August to run the first 25 miles of the course which covers everything I need to see.  I feel very confident at this point with the way my training is going and now knowing a bit more about the course makes me feel even better. 

Wet One

6 miles - 44:00

Nice easy run this evening I'm Manhattan. Running in the rain is always a fun change. My legs are responding really well to the mileage so far. Hope it continues to get better and better.

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Feeling good.

8 miles - 57:00

Followed my 21 miles up with 8 this evening at a pretty decent pace. Felt pretty good the whole way. Hoping to get over 60 miles this week.

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Long Run

21 miles - 2:45:00

Great run today with Josh. This week hurt a little more than last week but was definitely a more hilly run. Overall I'm still feeling good about everything. 48 miles for the week.

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5 hrs

7.5 miles - 56:00

As you know if you read my last post, I ran 7 miles last night at 9pm.  I ended up not going to bed until 12:15am and got up at 5:00am to go for a run with Barry and Josh.  I felt okay during the run considering how little sleep I got.  I have been dragging all day and definitely need to get more sleep on an every day basis.  Hoping to get a lot more sleep tonight.  Need to stay healthy as I begin to put all this mileage in.

Can't hold back!

7 miles - 49:00

Went for a good run tonight even though I didn't feel to hot before I started.  I felt like I was running downhill the entire time.  Average HR was 155 which was good but what was great was I averaged 7:00/mi.  Things are starting to get easier and easier which feels really good.  Its all about getting out everyday for me.  When I do that, this running thing just gets easier and easier.  I need to find a race to hop in soon so I can see where I really am with my fitness.  A 10k would be a good challenge for me.  Need to start sleeping more and eating better.  Two things I really struggle with!!

Feeling good!

Sunday - Day Off, stomach issues

Monday - 6 miles easy with Barry

Tuesday - 7 miles 50:20
Averaged about 7:10/mi and my heart rate was a nice and low 152 bpm average. Hoping to go another 7 or 8 tomorrow.

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Long Run was Awesome!!

Friday - 4 miles - 30:00

I was planning on going 7 miles but I didn't leave prepared for the rain.  Should have worn my waterproof North Face jacket which would have kept me completely dry.  Instead, I didn't and I was completely soaked which is normally okay but this time there was a certain area of the body that began to chaffe so bad I knew I needed to pack it in early.

Saturday - 18.3 miles - 2:23:00

Josh and I headed out for a 17 mile long run at 6am.  The wind definitely wasn't as bad as it was supposed to be which was nice.  As we got out to the turn around point we both were feeling good so we just kept going.  It was the longest I had gone in a long time and I felt really really good the whole time.   We averaged 7:45/mi and my average heart rate was nice and low at 147 bpm.  Today was my first run with a new gps watch.  I got the Timex Global Trainer and it is sweeeet!  It looks a little big but feels light on the wrist.  The options are endless with this watch and I love it so far.  One of my favorite things is that you can make it so the backlight is on all the time.  This is great since a lot of what I do is in the dark.  I got in 53 miles this week. Goal is to hit over 60 this next week.

La Dee Dah

6 miles - 45:00

Another easy run this morning with Josh from City park. It's so worth getting up early to run with someone. Didn't have to go any further but think I'll be fine since I don't want to over do it. This week will be around 55 miles which will be my most in a while.

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25 weeks to go

7 miles - 50 minutes

The run felt really good tonight.  As long as everything goes the way it should I should be around 55 miles this week.  I have 25 weeks before the ultra is to be run.  I think more than anything I need to prepare myself mentally.  I know its going to be a tough run and I have to be prepared for some pain.  I don't want to go out and jog this to get through it and say I've done one.  I want to go out and do the best I possibly can.  The mileage has to go up.  Running with Josh tomorrow morning at 5:30am.  Goodnight!!

Love the early morning run....

when I can get out of bed to do it!!!

8 miles - 61:00

Went for an awesome run with Josh today starting at 5:30am from City park.  We did a nice loop around the east side of Manhattan.  My heart rate told me it was an easy run but I felt like I was working harder than it said.  Things will hopefully get easier as I go.  Should be a good week of mileage ahead of me.  More to come.

It's Go Time!

Sunday
3 miles - 24:00

Monday
8 miles - about an hour

Well I did it. Not sure if it was a good decision or not but I did it! I signed up for the Heartland 50 so there is no turning back now! My buddy Barry signed up as well so its time to lay the next 6 months of training out.

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Long Run

15.5 miles - 2:03:00

Got a great ling run in with Barry and Josh this morning. I took the two previous days off because my hip was bothering me a little. Felt pretty good this morning. Hope this a sign of good things to come.

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Movin' right along

5 miles - 35:20

Just went and got an easy 5 miles in this evening.  I felt pretty good tonight and was even under 7/min per mile pace for some of the run.  Seems like every night out it good be a jekyll run or a hyde run.  I hoping after this week I start feeling good enough to start putting in some longer runs.

Nice evening but I hate the wind

6 miles - 43:00

I still very sluggish out on my runs. I know if I continue to just push through it will get better but its tough. The one good thing is that I felt a lot better than I did on Sunday. Then again I couldn't have felt much worse.

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Rest day

I'm tired...back at it tomorrow.

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Long run...kinda!

8 miles - 1:06:00

The plan was to go 15 miles today and that didn't get even close to happening. The wind completely sucked but that wasn't my biggest problem. For some reason my legs were completely dead. It almost felt like I hadn't been running at all. I just need to keep on task and continue to get my miles up. Goal for this week is 45ish miles.

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Stroller Run

5 miles - 45:00

Did an easy 5 miles pushing Braden I'm the stroller with my wife Cheryl. Braden is a champ when it comes to riding in the stroller. I need to find a race we can do together so he can start getting some race experience under his belt. I've got a long run tomorrow morning at 5:30, hope there isn't any wind.

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5 shoes, 5 different brands, 6 miles!!

6 miles - 41:00

So I decided to do something a little different tonight for my run.  I've been reading a lot about minimal running, positives/negatives, how to, how not to and all that good stuff.  So I have some shoes I've been wanting to run in and I decided tonight would be the night.  Each shoe got 1.2 miles(aprox 8 min) to let me see what it had and how it felt.  I will say that I do really enjoy running in a minimal shoe but it is something that should be done very gradually.  It changes the way that your foot strike happens and in turn works different muscles, tendons and ligaments. Its a great feeling to feel the road and feel light and fast on your feet.  Two of the things the minimalist shoes try to do is bring you lower to the ground which generally means less cushioning and they lower the heel to toe drop in the shoe.  In most shoes there is a 12-15mm drop from heel to toe.  The drop in most minimalist shoes are 9mm, 6mm, 3mm or in vibrams case 0mm.  If you have more questions on this or how you can incorporate this into your training please ask.

The Five Shoes: Top to Bottom, Left to Right
Brooks Green Silence(Black/Green) - Racing Flat
Adidas Adios(Yellow) - Racing Flat
Vibram Five Finger Bikila
Saucony Peregrine(Blue/Black) - Minimalist Trail Shoe
Mizuno Wave Revolver(Blue) - Racing Flat

Daylight

6 miles - 44:10

Went for a run with the sun still up. Still not feeling like I'm back to where I was before my break but I'm close.

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Great Weather

7 miles - 51:30

Feeling good, heart rate is low, can't wait to race! More to come.

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Nice and easy

5 miles - 36:00

Felt pretty good this evening on my run. The fitness is definitely coming back to me. It was a fun run getting rained on.

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Rest Day

Day Off - Back at it tomorrow.

Long run wasn't so long

7 miles - 55:00

Did a nice slow run today starting at 5:30am. I'm still very sore for some reason. Just need to keep getting the mileage in.

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Ouch

7 miles - 51:00

Yesterday felt great, today felt like crap. I may be doing to much as I try to get back into the swing of things. I'll take it easy moving forward until I start feeling better.

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10 miles

10 miles - 1:15:00

Today was a great run this morning starting at 5:30am. Getting up at that time is much easier when you have someone to run with. Thank you Josh for coming out for a run. We went 10 miles in 75 min. Felt great the whole way. Looking forward to more.

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Quick comeback

4mi - 29:00

Just did another short easy run to get back into the swing of things. Even though I took about 10 days off I'm already back to feeling the way I did before the break. This goes to show that if you need some time off take it. You won't fall that far behind where you are. Rest is important too.

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Back at it

4mi - 30:00

Well that was way more time off than I was expecting. Last week was a busy week so I decided to take a couple days off which quickly tuned into more than a week. Being busy along with a bout of food poisoning just doesn't make for a good combination. I should be back at it from this point forward. I'm also going to do my best to transition into being a morning runner. With summer around the corner I'm going to have to do this anyway, why not start now!

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Time to get going again!!

So since my return from the west coast I have been fairly busy and it has been hard to get our for some runs.  I did go this morning(wednesday at 5:15am).  I went 5 miles this morning in about 37 minutes.  I felt pretty good considering I had taken Sun, Mon and Tue off.  Hopefully I can get back on track with this nice weather we are having. 

Seattle, Washington

Wednesday - 5 miles once we arrived in Seattle.

Thursday - 10 miles in the morning with Trey. Felt really good. Averaged 7min miles throughout the whole run. It was pretty windy and rained on us for a bit.

Friday - 6 miles in the morning. Felt horrible pretty much the entire time. Not sure if its because of previous run or late nights with Brooks people.

Should go for a run later today.

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Flat Run

6 miles - 42:08

Went for a run on linear trail tonight with Ande. We were clipping along at a pretty good pace and once again it seemed pretty easy. Terrain definitely dictates pace when using a heart rate monitor. I need to find a race so I can continue to monitor my progress.

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Long Run

12 miles - 1:27:08

Its amazing how much a day can make a difference in the way you feel on a run.  Tonight I went out to get a long run in and was able to average 7:15/mi and felt pretty effortless the entire time.  Outside of the idiot who passed me going 65mph on a country road(he may get a rock in the windshield next time) it was a great run.  I started at 8:45pm and did the whole thing out in the country in the pitch black.  I love my country roads, up and down the whole time!

Ugh

3/4 - rest day

3/5 - 6 miles 45:41

I'm healthy again but didn't feel good at all on my run. I'm hoping to up the miles this week and get back on track. Fingers are crossed.

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Tired

Wednesday March 2nd and Thursday March 3rd

8.3 miles

I got out for an early morning run on Wednesday and felt pretty good considering it was 5:30am.  I'm not an early morning person so it was a bit rough.  Achilles didn't hurt to bad but still had a sinus headache.  I ended up having about a 13 hour work day and didn't get home until 9pm.  I decided to take another day off this week because I have felt like I'm falling apart.  As of now my achilles hasn't bothered me at all today so I'm glad I decided to take another day off.  Hopefully things start feeling better.

Back to the Trail

5 miles

Today, Trey and I just went back to the trail to pick up after the race. With my left achilles bothering me a bit I figured easy and short would be good.

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Get Out the Door

8 miles - 57:40

There are definitely times that we all don't feel like going for a run. When this happens...just get out the door. I ended up going after trying to make a few excuses and I'm glad I did. I felt pretty good for the most part. Halfway through my left ankle felt a bit sore. I'll keep an eye on it as I go.

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Rest Day

Unfortunately I didn't have time to get a run in today. If you missed out on the Fancy Creek race then you'll have to join us next year.

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Fancy Creek Trail

10 miles - 1:40:00

Trey and I ran the course today with mo problems. I was prepared for it to have a ton of snow and I was pleasantly surprised to find it very easy to run. I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow.

46 miles for the week.

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Solid Ice

5 miles - 35:55

I went an easy 5 miles on solid ice tonight.  Best thing about it was I didn't slip a single time because I had screws in my shoes.  Even though it was pretty chilly out I was warm and toasty on the inside.  If you don't have any Mizuno BreathThermo tops then you are missing out.  That along with a lightweight Mizuno jacket I was super warm.  The other thing that you must try is Swiftwick Merino Wool socks.  If you haven't tried Swiftwick socks you need to and I guarantee you'll never go back to your cotton socks ever again.

Rest Day

Seems like as good of day as any!  Stupid snow!!

Recovering Quick

6 miles - 42:03

Surprisingly I felt like going for a run tonight after a hard run yesterday.  I really expected to be hurting and wanting to take a day off but I didn't feel like that at all.  This is a good sign that I am recovering fairly quickly and hopefully means I can continue to raise my weekly mileage total. 

Product Tip - For those of you who don't like to wear a ton of clothing even when its a little chilly out you need to consider arm warmers.  I've been wearing them lately with a short sleeve shirt when its been 38-48ish degrees and it is a great option.  We have a few left in the store and it is a great piece to add to your running collection.

Mizuno Precision - 241 miles

First Hard Workout

5 miles - 31:36

I wanted to see where I was at with my training so I decided to do a tempo run today.  I did a half mile warm up, 4 mile tempo, and a half mile cool down.  If I had time I would have done more warm up and cool down but I was crunched for time.  I ran on the Linear Trail because it was mostly flat and wanted this to be a positive experience.  I ran 24:00 for my 4 miles which was exactly where I wanted to be.  I was hoping that 6 min/mile wouldn't be to difficult and it wasn't.  I probably won't do this workout again for a while as I was just wanting to see where I was in my fitness.

Mizuno Precision - 235 miles

Congested

6 miles - 43:12

Just went an easy 6 miles today.  I've started to get a little head cold that hopefully doesn't sideline my running at all.  Not real sure when my next race will be.  I was going to do the St. Patty's Day 10k but something has come up that will prevent me from doing that.  I don't want to go to long before my next race.  I love racing.

Long Run

14 miles - 1:50:17

I backed my 11 mile run from yesterday up with a 14 mile run at an easy pace.  I felt really comfortable for pretty much the entire run.  As my friend Frank says, "There is a time to run long and a time to run fast and they usually aren't on the same day."  The best thing about it was I got to run it with Josh, Barry and Brandon.  When you run with someone the time just flies by.  The entire route was up and down with hardly any flat spots on the course as you will see in the following link.  The goal tis week is to hit between 45-50 miles.  http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/28543010 

Trails again...

11 miles - about 2 hours

This morning I met Frank and Brandon at the store and we headed up to Fancy Creek for another run.  I wanted to get a good run in but we went up to flag the course at any of the spots that might be questionable.  For the most part it was a nice easy comfortable pace and on the first loop we did a lot of stopping to flag the course.  I absolutely love running out there.  If you come do the trail race you won't regret it.  Tomorrow I'm going to be doing a long run on the hills out by my house.

38 miles this week!

31 miles on Mizuno Wave Ascend

Feeling Great!

5 miles - 35:00

I went for an easy short run tonight because I'm going to Fancy Creek Trail tomorrow at 7am.  Tonights run was once again at right at 7 min/mile pace with my heart rate being fairly low.  My heart rate averaged 153 bpm.  Running seems to be getting easier and easier everytime I go out.  I'm feeling really good about the upcoming months and what I may be capable of doing.  I'm going to take another step up in mileage next week.

45 push ups - 140 crunches

Gonna start keeping track of how many miles I have on my shoes on here as well.
Mizuno Precision - 210 miles

Fancy Creek Trail Run

about 6 miles - about 60 min

Went to run Fancy Creek trail today and it was awesome.  It was a little muddy but that just made it more fun.  Running a trail like that is such a breath of fresh air when all you do is run on the roads.  The Fancy Creek Trail race will be a lot of fun.  Come join us.

Rest Day

I have decided to take today off.  My left leg is still bugging me a little bit and I'm heading up to the Fancy Creek Trail tomorrow morning to run the course at 7:30am.  Its hard to take a day off with the weather being so nice. 

In Town In Light

6 miles - 43:17

Today I went for a run from the store at around 4:30.  This was great for 3 reasons, #1) I got to run in a new place #2) It was light out and I didn't have to use a headlamp #3) I got to run with my friend Barry.  As much as I love my ESPN podcasts, and I do love them,  it was great to converse with someone as we ran.  I felt pretty good for the whole run.  My left leg feels like I have a high ankle sprain(from the snow at the race) that was bothering me throughout the whole day but didn't bother me at all when I ran.  Average heart rate was 153bpm. 

I'm feeling good and want to really step on the gas pedal when it comes to raising my mileage.  I also know that I need to becareful because when you begin to feel like superman that's usually when you increase your chances for injury.  I will continue to listen to my body and proceed with caution...for the most part!!

45 push ups - 140 crunches

Feeling Better

6 miles - 43:00

The soreness is starting to go away thank goodness. The run felt really easy tonight and my heart rate and pace came back down to where it was before the race. This was good to see because it means that I have recovered pretty quickly from a fairly hard effort.

I am going to start incorporating some push ups and and into my workout. Tonight I did 45 push ups and 140 crunches. I always lack patience when it comes to this stuff. I'm going to try to start small and work my way into it. Always remember, something is better than nothing.

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Nice and Easy = Nice and Painful

4 miles - 30:38

I decided to go for a easy 4 miles to try and shake some of the soreness out of the legs.  The goal of this run was to just get an easy 30 minutes in, the last thing I was thinking about was pace.  My average heart rate was a low 150bpm.  This week the goal is to just maintain what I've been doing and get my legs back to feeling good.  Its looking like my next race will be on March 19th at the St. Patty's Day run.

Race Day!

10 miles - 1:29:04

That was awesome! I've been up since 4:30 am because I drove from Manhattan this morning with Trey and Meg. When my race started at 9am it was about 27 degrees. I wore a Mizuno BT top with an MRC singlet and my 3/4 tights on the bottom. I also wore my Mizuno Ascend Trail shoes with a wool Swiftwick sock. The entire race was run through snow and ice. My ankles will probably be very sore tomorrow because it was very uneven throughout the whole race. The hills were crazy steep and constant. At one point I remember mumbling under my breath that surely the whole course can't be uphill. My goal was to just get out well and settle in to a rhythm and try to work as hard as I could to finish as high as I could. To give you an idea of how difficult the race was with the snow and the hills; lately I have been doing my easy runs at 7-7:15 per mile pace. At 5 miles I was at 45 minutes which is 9 minute per mile pace. My average heart rate was 172 bpm.

By 2 miles I had settled in behind a guy that was going at a pace that I felt pretty good with. He would always pull away from me on the way up and I would catch him on the way down. We stayed together for the moat part until the 9th mile where I ended up dropping back. I haven't seen official results but I've been told I finished 4th. All in all I am very pleased with how it went. Trails are a great way to break up the monotony of road running. I'm looking forward to doing more soon. Pictures will come soon.

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Rest Day

Since this is my down week I decided to take another day off.  The rest will be good for me with the race tomorrow.  I can't say enough how much I love racing!!  I'll have a full report and hopefully some pictures tomorrow.

Goals and Accountability

5 miles - 35:00

I have been feeling great everytime I go for a run which means I am really enjoying myself while I'm out there.  There is one big reason why and that is consistency.  There is also two big reasons why I have been consistent and those are having set goals and being held accountable.  By posting what I have been doing on this blog and seeing that you all are reading about it has helped keep me accountable.  I know that if I don't do anything you all will see it.  This motivates me on a daily basis along with the goals I have set to get out the door everyday. 

I want to help you all do the same thing.  Here is my idea and if you think it is stupid that is fine but if you want to come along with me that would be awesome.  Lets do something this year that we haven't done before.  One of my goals for this year is to run an ultra marathon.  Anything over a 50k(31 miles) would suffice but I really want to do a 50 miler in October.  What are your goals?  It can be anything you want it to be as long as its something you haven't done before and something that you have to work at to achieve. 

Here is how its going to work.  If you want to join me in this, all you have to do is email me with your First and Last Name, City and State, and your goal that you want to accomplish THIS YEAR!!  I'm going to put everyone that emails me into an excel spreadsheet and then I'm going to put it on our website, post it in our store and attach it to our montly newsletters.  I also want you to email me when you accomplish the goal so we can mark it accomplished.  If you accomplish your goal then you can give us a new one to put on the spreadsheet. 

Rules for the goals are simple: 
#1) It has to be an achievable goal.  Don't make it so difficult that you can't make it.  The goal can be anything from running your first 5k/10k/Half/Full Marathon to working out 5 or 6 days a week to running a certain time for a race.

#2) Make the goal easy for me to put in the excel file.  Such as:
Run my first 5k
Workout 5 days a week for 4 months straight
Break 4 hours for the marathon

#3) Make sub goals. This is something you get to do on your own and you don't have to share these with anyone.  For example, I want to run an 50 mile ultra marathon.  I know to do this I need to run more mileage.  So my sub goal is to get to where I can run 60-70 miles/week on a regular basis.  Sub goals are like a road map that help you accomplish what your ultimate goal is. I think you get the idea.

Start emailing me so we can help each other accomplish some big things this year.  My email address is bensigle@manhattanrunningco.com.  In the subject line put: Goals for 2011. 

Snowy Run

5 miles - 36:00
Avg HR - 155

Tonight I tried out two things I've never tried before. I ran with a handheld water bottle and I ran with screws in my brand new shoes(picture attached).

As for the water bottle, it wasn't as bad as I expected. Since I'm going to start doing longer runs and races that require you to carry I thought I would try it.

As for the shoes, I usually wear Yak tracks but with the race I'm doing this weekend they won't work. I've been told that they will break on the rocks and roots. To give myself a chance on the ice, snow and mud I had to put sheet metal screws in. They don't hurt the shoe one bit and work really well. My entire run was on packed snow and ice tonight and I didn't slip a single time. I feel ready to race. We will see.

Great website for finding your ideal heart rate zones for training: http://www.fitzones.com/members/Fitness/heartrate_zones.asp

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Rest Day

I was going to take one day off this week and this seems like as good of one as any! Stupid weather!

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Getting Easier

5 miles - 35:00

This running thing continues to get easier as I go. Once again I ran a pretty hilly route and avg 7:00 min/mi. My heart rate was on the lower end most of the time and I had an avg HR of 152. Looking forward to getting in some races this spring.

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Super Sunday Run

9 miles - 65:00

I took my long run one mile further than I did last weekend. Went out on my hilly country roads again and tried to keep my heart rate on the lower end of my zone. I averaged 158bpm throughout my run which I think is good considering the hills. Now its time to relax and watch the Packers win! Go Jordy!

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Feeling Good

5 miles - 35:00

Today was a nice, easy and quick little 5 mile run to finish off the week.  This puts me at 38 miles for the week which was slightly higher than last week.   Next week will most likely be the same or a little lower in terms of mileage since it will be race week.   I'm really looking forward to Saturday since I have been feeling so good out on my runs.  I just need to continue to put the time in and things will happen.

Back to the Roads

7 miles - 48:57

I love running outside and I can't stress that enough. After three consecutive days on the treadmill(which is a record streak for me), I was able to get outside for a great run. Once again, I can not stress enough how important a heart rate monitor is. When you want to get serious about running better/faster than you ever have, come talk to me. I will not only help you find the right HR monitor for you but I will show you exactly how to use it and get the most out of it. Your heart does not lie to you and if you commit to using it and listening to it, you will improve!!!

On a side note: Evidently dryer sheets are attracted to the liner of my running shorts and I didn't know that until the end of my run!

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Rest Day

Day off!! I'm tired.  Should be back at it tomorrow!

Twice as Nice!

6 miles - 44:20

Once again I was on the treadmill due to the fact that I want to stay healthy more than anything else.  Two years ago I was running outside and slipped and caught myself but my hamstring gave me fits for well over 2 months.  I really didn't mind it today as I was able to listen to my Colin Cowherd podcast and watch my Cowboys put a beat down on the little MU Tigers.  I've been really good about my running but really won't know where I stand until I actually race.  I've got a little over a week until the Run Toto Run 10 miler. 

Twice in Two Days

6 miles - 44:00

Well once again I hopped on the treadmill thanks to this wonderful Kansas weather. My shin actually didn't bother me at all and my legs are feeling great. Heart rate was under 160bpm the entire time. I can't stress enough how important using a heart rate monitor is for building an aerobic base. I have 20 miles in the first 3 days of the week so getting at least 35 shouldn't be a problem. At some point I will probably start using an elliptical to increase my mileage without putting the additional pounding on my legs.

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Thank you Mr. Cowherd!

6 miles - 44:30

This morning I got up and did an Insanity workout with my wife.  Insanity is from the Beach Body collection of workouts.  Insanity mixes body weight exercises with constant movement for a highly cardio workout.  My wife has been doing this for almost 3 months and has gotten very strong and cut doing it.  Needless to say I suck compared to her when we worked out this morning.  It makes for a great workout and I would highly suggest it.  She also has gotten faster with her running by doing it. 

I gave in today for obvious reasons and got on the treadmill tonight. I placed a towel over the timer and put the ipod on my favorite podcast, ESPN's Colin Cowherd and ran. My heart rate was between 155-160 the entire time. My left shin has been bothering me a bit so I may have to start doing some elliptical every once in a while until I get my weight down. Hovering around 170 lbs right now. Ready for spring!!

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Ultra Marathon

8 miles - 60:00

Today's run felt really good outside of the cold wind. My buddy Barry and I went from my house on a good 8 mile loop that doesn't have a single flat spot on it. While we were running I told Barry that I was thinking about doing the Heartland 50 miler in Oct and that he should pace me the last 20 miles. He commented that we should just both run it. So I guess I have another challenge in front of me as I have only ever finished one marathon.

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36 mile week

5 miles - 36:00

Only went 5 today as my shins are a little sore and I want tomorrow to be a longer run for me. With my sims being a little sore I plan on trying to hit 35ish miles next week. Enjoy the beautiful weather!

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Base Phase

5 miles - 38:00

Legs were still a little tired so I went a nice and easy 5 miles.  Right now I am in what I call a base building phase of my training.  I'm trying to build an aerobic base for what I plan to do in the future.  This is the foundation of distance running and if you want to stay healthy and get faster it is essential to have this base period.  To often runners worry about doing intervals or specific workouts to "get fast" and really you just need to worry about getting in the L.S.D or Long Slow Distance.  This is why you will often hear me talk about using a heart rate monitor and making sure I'm in the proper zone.  The bigger the aerobic base the better you can be as a runner!!!

Rest Day

Today was a day off.  Too bad it had to fall on the nicest day in 2 months.

Back to Earth

6 miles - 45:00

A very important thing to remember while training for something is to look at your training as a whole and not day by day. For example, I went out yesterday and ran 7 miles at 7:00/mi pace and felt great. Tonight I ran 6 miles and struggled to finish at 7:30/mi pace. When I step back and look at it, both days my heart rate was the same but today my run was a much more hilly route and my legs and body are tired from running as much mileage as I have lately. It would be easy to get frustrated but from experience I know if I just take a day off I will feel great on my next run. Sometimes rest is almost just as important as working out. The plan is take tomorrow off and then run again on Friday when it is 50 degrees. Can't wait!

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Heart Rate, Heart Rate, Heart Rate

7 miles - 49:00

I am really starting to feel good on my runs. Tonight was the first time in a long time that I've average 7min per mile on a run and the great thing is my heart rate was under 163 and in my target zone the whole time. Just two months ago at the same heart rate I was doing 8 min per mile or slower.

PS...we just got some new socks in the store called Swiftwick and they are awesome!!

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Late Night

6 miles - 43:30

Got back late from Damon's basketball game but feel like I'm really on roll right now with my running. Went out and got a good easy run in at 10pm. Heart rate was good and I felt great.

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Go Pack!!

7 miles - 52:00

I got in an easy 7 mile run which is a bit longer than my normal run at this point. I did the run outside starting at 9pm. Goal for this week is to get about 40 miles. I do all my runs with a heart rate monitor and the goal is to do the run in my target heart rate zone of 148-163bpm. This is extremely important for building an aerobic base for the future. Go Packers!!

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30 mile week

4 miles - 29:10

My goal for the week was 30 miles and that's what I got. Goal for next week will be 35-40 miles. I want to get to where I'm doing 60 mpw eventually. Not sure how long that will take me though.

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Nice and Easy

6mi - 48:48
Felt good, beautiful run on the country roads of Pott County with Frank Dayton.

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Rest Day

Six straight days of running earned me a day off!

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Snowy Run

4 miles - 31:10
11 degrees, no wind

Just got back from a run(10:00pm). I'm on a roll with running right now and that is something I don't want to stop...even if it did snow 4 or 5 inches. It was actually quite fun. I put on the Yak Traks, water resistant shoes and stayed plenty warm with a BT top and Brooks jacket. Race is less than a month away and there is a lot of work to be done.

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Trail Race Coming UP

I'm going to start blogging my training again and you are welcome to follow my highs and lows if you would like. Feb 12th I'm doing a 10 mile trail race in KC and then will see what happens from there.

Feb 17th - 7 miles 51:00min

Feb 18th - 5 miles 36:00min