run, run, run

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:45

 I spent most of yesterday shoveling dirt for a little landscaping project in my backyard. So I thought a nice easy (slow) run would be a good idea this morning. Randy had other plans. It was good to push myself to keep up. Now I'm kind of tired.

Meridian, ID 9:00 am

Pace: 7:14

Today is the day of my daughter's baptism, so with family over and everything I wasn't feeling like I had time to run. But since I also felt this irrational obsession with finishing the week over 40 miles I decided to do a short run really fast (fast for me).

I ran 5k in 22:30 which is better than all but my two most recent races. I just looped around an unfinished portion of my subdivision a few times. Just a lot of flat, empty roads. I really should do this more often. I've mostly just worried about mileage up to now. I'm feeling like I want to do more speed work in the future.

Houston, TX 8:00 pm

Pace: 8:31

I got bumped off of my flight yesterday so I spent the night in Salt Lake City. I got up at 4 am to catch a flight and then spent a very weird day at the Houston Chronicle. Since I didn't run this morning and with a hurricane on its way in, I really needed to get out there tonight.

It turned out to be a very nice run -- except for the hot and humid weather. The bank near the hotel said the temperature was 94 when I left. I took off down the Bayou and then took a loop around Rice University. It is a very nice campus.

I didn't look at my pace at all during the run. I just wanted to take off and try to push myself a bit but still have enough in the tank to make it in the heat. 

Houston, TX 7:00 am

Pace 8:24

I tried to get out this morning before Tropical Storm Eduard hit. It was rainy, but not much wind yet. It actually felt good to not be so hot.

I kept it at a comfortable pace most of the run. I didn't want to push it too much because the pavement was kind of slick. I did a couple of loops around the Astrodome. I thought it was a good idea to stay away from the waterway this morning. 

Houston, TX 7:45 pm

Pace: 8:46

Here's a tip. If you are training for a marathon, avoid spending August in Houston, Texas.

It was a very hot run. I went up along the Bayou and into some neighborhoods just west of Rice University. I have this rule (that I break a lot) of not running after dark in a neighborhood that I've never been in. Once I got out there though, I was less concerned with getting mugged as I was afraid of being picked up by the police for being rif-raf. Apparently I stumbled upon the headquarters of the intown Houston south side millionaire's club. It was a very nice neighborhood.

The heat and humidity were pretty bad. The thermometer on the bank read 85 when I finished around 9pm and my clothes could not have been wetter if I had jumped in a pool. 

Humble, TX 8:00 pm

Pace: 8:41

I'm staying in a hotel closer to the airport tonight. At work I mapped out a run that I thought would work, but the main road I chose was pretty busy and had no shoulder. So I did a few loops around the neighborhood behind the hotel.

It turned out to be a nice tree-lined neighborhood and apparently it's pretty safe because on one of the loops around I ran by three police cars lined up to tell a group of kids to take their dog home. The only bad thing (besides the weather) was a couple of houses. One smelled like a backed-up septic tank and the other smelled like a dead animal. And isn't it sad that I can tell the difference?

The run was pretty slow. Maybe I'm just a wus, but the heat and humidity down here are really wearing on me. It will be nice to go home for a few days. I'll take tomorrow off and then go out for a 20-miler on Saturday morning. Then back to the heat on Sunday. 

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:54

It was nice to get out of the heat and humidity of Texas, but putting in a 20-miler isn't exactly a break. I went up Cloverdale to McMillian to Maple Grove and down to the Greenbelt then turned around and went back when the iPod told me I was at mile 10. A good route. The only hill is at mile 16 and it really didn't bother me. The best part is that I am going East before sunup and as it gets later in the morning the sun is at my back.

It was an ok run, but I didn't really feel good about it. My legs felt good, but my insides were kind of churning. Last night I went to a party and ate a bunch of junk food.  I need this run to serve as a wake up call. With three weeks left before the Pocatello Marathon I have to stop eating so much garbage. I could stand to lose a few pounds, but that's probably not a practical goal while training for the marathon. What I need to do is just get the calories in but eat good food that makes me feel better.

So, there it is, I'm going back to Texas tomorrow and NO WHATABURGERS. I can do this.

One odd thing I saw along the greenbelt was a raccoon sitting there along the side of the trail. Staring at me. And I think he was pooing. You don't see that everyday -- at least I don't.

Houston, TX 6:00 am

Pace: ?

I planned on running longer this morning, but it just didn't happen. It seems like everything went wrong, except for the running part. My flight was delayed, so I got in really late last night and my iPod flaked out on me. I had to reset it before heading out and then it quit on my after 4.5 miles.

I felt really good running. I think my pace was probably about  8:10. The weather was a little better than in the evening -- but not much.

Houston, TX 5:45 am

Pace:?

Still can't get my iPod to read my sensor. I guess I need to go out and buy another one. I hate that.

A pretty good run this morning. Still hot and muggy but I think I'm getting a little more used to it. I stayed away from the Bayou this morning and that turned out good. It seems even more humid down there and I also have these concerns about getting stabbed.

I'm thinking about going to an Astros game tonight, so we'll have to see how that affects tomorrow morning's run. 

Houston, TX 7:00 pm

Pace: 8:30

 I've gotta get out of this place. I think I'm beginning to get used to it. Tonight's run actually felt good. Around mile 6 I was running under the canopy of trees around the perimeter of Rice University and felt a breeze and started thinking that I was comfortable. Then I remembered that back home I would consider it a miserable night. One more run and I'm out of here.

I took the same course I ran Tuesday morning. It is a really nice route. Flat with little traffic and a lot of trees. I'll probably do part of it again tomorrow morning.

Houston, TX 6:15 am

Pace: 8:34

I didn't sleep much at all last night. I don't know why. Probably had something to do with that Diet Pepsi I drank around 9:30. That was a bad idea.

Still I dragged my butt out of bed and went for a run before work. It was a relatively comfortable morning and I only went six easy miles.  If I do a ten-miler on Saturday morning at home I'll have 40 for the week.

I bought a headsweats visor last night. I was getting tired of sweat dripping into my eyes. It worked nicely this morning.

Boise, ID 7:30 am

Pace: 7:45

 I was going to put in a ten mile run this morning but my alarm didn't go off and I needed to be done by 8:30 so I only did seven. I kicked up the pace a little faster than normal for me and felt really good.

I stopped about half way through because I saw a baseball glove on the table at a garage sale. It was too small, so I kept running. I need to find a used glove for the few times a year that I play softball. One of these days someone is going to ask and I'll have to admit that the glove I've been using is my wife's.

Later in the morning I went out with my 8-year old daughter and did a mile around the neighborhood.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:59

A nice morning run. The air was cool and I could tell that the end of summer is nearing because it was darker when I left this morning.

We kept the pace under 8 min (barely) and I didn't feel like I was really pushing myself much at all. Tomorrow I'm planning on my last long run before Pocatello.

Boise, ID 6:00 am

Pace: 8:55

This was my third and final long run before Pocatello. I did more long runs before Ogden, but I think my runs have been a little more intense lately. We'll see how it plays out a week from Saturday. I think the benefit of these long runs is as much psychological as it is physiological. It helps remind me that I won't drop dead at mile 18 when race day comes.

 I fly to NC tomorrow and I'll get a couple more runs in this week, then I'll do my normal 6.5 mile morning runs on Monday and Wednesday next week. 

Youngsville, NC 5:15 am

Pace: 10:29, 7:47

My brother in law invited me to go out running with him this morning. I said sure before he told me that we have to run at 5:15 in the morning because his neighbor has to finish early enough to get to work. I asked if he realized that was 3:15 am in Idaho. He said we weren't in Idaho anymore. That was fine except that the neighbor didn't even show up.

We did a 3 mile loop around his subdivision. I let him set the pace, which was pretty slow. About the same pace a run with my eight year old daughter -- but I won't tell him that. Then I did another loop on my own. After running that slowly, a sub 8 minute pace felt like I was flying.

The weather was awesome. A little humid, but cool enough that it didn't bother me at all. When I finished I went back to sleep.

Youngsville, NC 8:15 am

Pace: 10:21, 8:19

Another slow 3-miler with Fred followed by a faster 5 miles on my own. I didn't have as much gas in the tank for the second run as I did yesterday. Part of it was that it was later and started getting warm, but mostly I was just feeling pooped. Good hill work though. I wish we had rolling hills like this in Idaho. It reminds me of the half marathon I did in Charlotte last year. I really liked the hills -- short up short down. I think it actually helped my pace better than a flat course would have.

One week and one day before the marathon.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:54

After taking Saturday and Sunday off, I felt really good this morning. We kept the pace under 8 minutes and with the cooler temperatures it was a great run. Hopefully I feel this good after two days rest on Saturday morning in Pocatello.

Boise, ID 6:45 am

Pace: 7:54

A very strange morning. I felt this odd sensation that I haven't felt in months -- I was actually cold. it was only 54 degrees when I took off this morning and felt chilly most of the way. It was a nice change from the heat of the summer. Of course in a couple of months I'll be complaining about having to go out and run in the cold.

Other than that it was a pretty uneventful run. I just did my usual five mile loop up Cloverdale across to 5-mile and back on McMillian.

Boise, ID 6:30 am

Pace: 7:56

Last run before the marathon. A nice cool morning run. Felt really good and kept the pace under 8 minutes again.

Spent most of the run chatting about the layoffs at HP. Luckily the guy I run with still has a job. It would have been a really depressing run otherwise.
 

The good news: I ran one of the fastest half marathons of my life.

The bad news: I signed up for the full marathon.

Everyone said to make sure you don't push it too hard down the hill on the first half, but I went out and did it anyway. By the time I hit the 20 mile mark I was completely spent. So I slogged along watching my pre-race goals wither away. Then I watched my mid-race goals wither away. Finally I was down to just one goal: to finish the race without puking, or dying, or worse (it could be argued that there aren't many things worse than puking and dying, but I was seeing visions of all kinds of things those last few miles).

When I finally did finish, I felt like a complete failure and was pretty pissed off. Now, as I look back there are some positives I can take away.

- It actually was my second best marathon (out of four). I just had higher hopes for myself this time.

- I learned a lesson about managing myself in a long race that I can use in the future.

- I'll be able to use this race as motivation. While I had some serious thoughts about finding a new hobby (Video gaming was sounding like a really good idea around mile 23), I can't let this be my last marathon. I know I can do better than this.

So there it is. My feet, legs, hips and butt are still sore today, but give me a few days to rest up and I'll be back on this horse.