My journey.....so far

[dragitoff]

I sent them an email this morning. I wasn't rude, but I wasn't nice either. Maybe they'll respond. I'm just disappointed more than anything. The lack of sleep really sucks, but I desperately needed a winter coat and that was such a good deal.

 

[rubato]

Definitely a bad experience. Sorry. Hopefully, you will get some help from the email. I went out today for the first time ever on a black Friday and was not impressed. While a few things are decent deals, most everything is at least as much as it normally is. I am not willing to fight people to get one of the ten big screen tvs they have for $200 or whatever the deal is. But, my son wanted to go. He realized about an hour in that it was just stupid to fight all these rude, self absorbed people to find no deals. I think I'll just stick to my Cyber Monday shopping from now on.

 

[dragitoff]

Taking a break from my Old Navy/Black Friday ranting to give an update on my running portion of the journal. lol.

I've got to get a haircut tomorrow morning at 10:15. The plan is to get up early (will be difficult after getting up at 2am this morning!) and doing a 13.1 mile run before the hair cut. I re-mapped my long-weekend run location to include a new road and stay off one that's high traffic. I'm looking forward to it. I just hope I can get up early enough.

If I don't, I will just do a normal 5k run. I've got a 5k race next weekend. I'm so excited about it. It's going to be DW 1st race so she's really nervous about it. She's so self-conscious about her breathing heavy while running. I explained to her that she's not alone. I told her, running a 5k in around 30 minutes for a 34 year old woman isn't bad. No one will be paying attention to her breathing. They'll be too focused on their own.

Either way, we're running next weekend competitively. I'm really excited about both the long run tomorrow and the race next Saturday. I want to improve on my time for next weekend. I definitely think my long runs have been helping me on my shorter runs where I push for a good time.

Even though my long-run pace is considerably slower than my 5k pace, I feel stronger to push through stretches where I'll run harder for a stretch. I've turned in some good single mile times lately (even during my long runs) so I'm excited to see what I do.

I don't know if the course is as flat as the last one, but I'm going to go for a sub 24 minute 5k this time. Based on last year's times, that would place me in the top 2 of my age group. That's the goal. To place in the top 3 and finish under 24 minutes.

 

[dragitoff]

I got up at 6:30 Saturday for my long run. I was hoping to get in 13 miles before I had to get ready for my hair cut. I got 12 miles in. I could have gone the additional distance (although my pace was slowing substantially), but ran out of time. I was a little sore Saturday and even yesterday. I think it's more because I didn't take the time to properly stretch and walk after my run.

My time was about 10 minutes slower than my fastest 12 mile run; however the new route has a few more hills. I'm going to stick with this route though because it's a lot better on the traffic.

At mile 7, I picked up a running partner. This mutt looking dog and a pitbull started following me. I was honestly a little scared of the pit. They scare me anyways, but this one had a collar with 2 cables hooked to it that had been broken off. That told me he was pretty strong and used to being on a line. He looked a little undernourished, not starving though, but when he saw me he cowered down. I felt bad for him since they told me he was most likely abused.

He and the mutt followed me for a little while, but the pitt peeled off. The mutt stayed right with me. If I slowed down or sped up, he did likewise. Once, someone let 2 dogs out in there front yard to go to the bathroom and he stopped in front of me and wouldn't let me pass easily. Almost as if he was protecting me from them. It was really cool.

He had a collar on him or he would have been coming home with me. He followed me for the last 6 miles of my run. I told my wife I nicknamed him "Miles". lol. I even shared some of my Clif bar with him.

Yesterday DW and I picked up a few new running clothes this weekend at Target and TJ Maxx. We both desperately needed some winter clothes and were surprised at the great deals we found at each place.

 

[lurkernj]

Sorry your black friday experience was so bad. That does suck that they advertised the coat and then didn't have it. Very frustrating. I was reading the stories on Saturday about the crazy shoppers and their bad behavior and was absolutely amazed, like the lady who pepper sprayed fellow shoppers so she could get a video game, and all the people who stepped over the man who had a heart attack (and later died), in order to get to their sales. Dispicable!!

That's so cute about the dog following you! Miles, haha, love it. Hope he joins you again. Great job on your running!!

 

[dragitoff]

I love my new winter gear! DW and I ran 3.1 miles this morning donning our new duds and were definitely warm throughout our run. I thought there was no way I'd stay warm in the little I was wearing but sure enough. I actually took my gloves off because I was getting hot!

Either way, it felt great getting back out and running. With the chaos that's been going on at work, the death of my grandmother, and all the holiday running around, the runs haven't been consistent enough for my liking.

Now, I'm gearing up for our race this weekend. It's DW 1st race, and I cannot wait to be cheering her on at the finish line. Of course, I'm assuming she doesn't cross it first! lol

It's her birthday Friday so we've got plans with our small group from church Friday night and then Saturday night she and I are going out to our favorite restaurant and to do all our Christmas shopping! YAY!!!!!! It's going to be the best weekend!!!!!!

 

[dragitoff]

DW and I have a race tomorrow! I'm so excited! It's her first race so I'm extra excited! It's also DW's birthday today so that's even more excitement! And it's Friday! And we're doing all our Christmas shopping tomorrow afternoon/night! I feel so excited I must just explode! lol.

Seriously, I wanted to list my goals for tomorrow's race. Since I haven't been running consistently due to work, I backed off my original goals. Here are my 3 goals for tomorrow's race:

1. Finish in the top 3 of my age group
2. Finish in the top 40 overall
3. Finish under 25 minutes

My original goal was all of the above, but to finish under 24 minutes, which would be a PR. Don't tell anyone, but I'd still really like to do that!

 

[lurkernj]

DW and I have a race tomorrow! I'm so excited! It's her first race so I'm extra excited! It's also DW's birthday today so that's even more excitement! And it's Friday! And we're doing all our Christmas shopping tomorrow afternoon/night! I feel so excited I must just explode! lol.

Seriously, I wanted to list my goals for tomorrow's race. Since I haven't been running consistently due to work, I backed off my original goals. Here are my 3 goals for tomorrow's race:

1. Finish in the top 3 of my age group
2. Finish in the top 40 overall
3. Finish under 25 minutes

My original goal was all of the above, but to finish under 24 minutes, which would be a PR. Don't tell anyone, but I'd still really like to do that!

Sounds like a great weekend for you!! Best of luck to you and your wife on your race tomorrow!

 

[Desiree]

DW and I have a race tomorrow! I'm so excited! It's her first race so I'm extra excited! It's also DW's birthday today so that's even more excitement! And it's Friday! And we're doing all our Christmas shopping tomorrow afternoon/night! I feel so excited I must just explode! lol.

Seriously, I wanted to list my goals for tomorrow's race. Since I haven't been running consistently due to work, I backed off my original goals. Here are my 3 goals for tomorrow's race:

1. Finish in the top 3 of my age group
2. Finish in the top 40 overall
3. Finish under 25 minutes

My original goal was all of the above, but to finish under 24 minutes, which would be a PR. Don't tell anyone, but I'd still really like to do that!

Sounds like a fantastic weekend and some great plans there. Good luck with your race goals and tell DW happy bday from us DISers!!

 

[dragitoff]

Well, I didn't exactly achieve any of goals, but I did come VERY close to all 3.

Goal 1: Finish top 40 overall
Actual: Finished 47 out of over 700 entries (don't know how many ran the 5k)

Goal 2: Finish under 25 minutes
Actual: Finished 25:14. There were a few more hills than I expected.

Goal 3: Finish in the top 3 of my age group and medal
Actual: Finished 4th out of 20 in my age group. Missed 3rd by 0:20!

All in all, I was happy with the results. A little disappointed in myslef that I didn't medal being so close. After I found out the results, I did the typical, "If only had pushed harder........" Hindsight is always 20/20 I suppose.

I did get some new shoes this weekend too. My Saucony Kinvaras had finally met the end of the road. After looking at EVERY shoe store in town and not finding any of the shoes I really wanted, I tried on a pair of the new Skechers GO RUN. I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with the way they felt on my foot and the responsiveness to the shoe. I haven't tried them out on a run yet, but I'm excited to do so.

I still plan on getting another pair to alternate with these, but they're lighter than my Kinvaras and feel really good. If you're not a midfoot striker, they'll feel a little weird because the middle of the shoe is actually a little lower than the rest of the sole forcing you to strike the midfoot.

 

[dragitoff]

I woke up this morning pumped to go running in my new kicks. Unfortunately the rain caused me to have to do that on the treadmill. I did my 3.1 miles in my new shoes and I'm happy to report I love them. Good feel. Extremely light. Felt like I was running in socks, but it didn't feel like I was pounding my feet down. Of course, that could have been a direct result of running on the treadmill vs. the road, but I'm happy either way. Hopefully the rain will subside today so we can hit the road tomorrow morning.

 

[dragitoff]

So I got my first "road test" in with the new kicks. They felt great. They were lightweight and responsive. I love the fact that they're seemless so I don't have a problem rubbing blisters like I did occasionally with my Kinvaras. I've yet to try them on anything more than 3.1 miles, but so far, so good. DW and I are running another 3.1 tonight, but I won't be able to do my long run this weekend. We're finishing up Christmas shopping tomorrow so that'll be the entire day.

 

[dragitoff]

Since we had a busy day planned Saturday, I realized I wouldn't get to do my long run and opted for a fast-paced 3.1 mile run Friday night. DW stayed home to run on the treadmill since she was trying to do some stuff around the house and didn't want to spend the extra 20 minutes or so it takes us to drive to and back from our night-time running spot.

I'm happy to say, I set a new PR Friday night. I completed my 3.1 mile run in 24:11! Best of all, I actually paced myself really good. I've had a bad habit lately of starting off too fast and then burning out at the end. I ran the first mile in 7:26, and kept close to that same pace the remainder of the run. I was a little slower naturally than that pace, but not as big a split as I've seen lately.

 

[dragitoff]

I haven't been posting much lately due to the holiday rush and work. I also haven't been running as consistently due to the same things. I'm still running 3 times a week or so.

I haven't done a long run in 3 weeks. I had a race 2 weeks ago and last weekend we were doing the rest of our Christmas shopping so I settled for a 3.1 mile run as opposed to my 12 miler normal weekend run.

I'm going to tackle the long run tomorrow. I'm hoping to get the full 12 miles in. I hurt my achilles at my race (left foot) so it's been giving me a little trouble off and on. It's usually on runs where I push myself really hard. Since I haven't been running consistently, I've felt the need to push myself hard in my 3.1 mile runs. I actually set a PR last Friday, but I think that's certainly been a reason for my injury not fully healing.

Since I'm doing the long run tomorrow, that's always done at a much slower pace than my 5k runs so I won't be pushing off on it too hard.

I guess that's all for today. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

 

[dragitoff]

So, my weekend run didn't go exactly as I expected. One mile into my run I felt something wet on my back. My first thought was "crap, my gatorade is leaking". Then the wet feeling was more and more. As I struggled to get the backpack off and I could see liquid dripping from my backpack.

The entire cap had come unscrewed and poured Gatorade all over my backpack, Clif Bar, but worst of all, my Blackberry. For those who do not know, I'm a total Blackberry addict. I use it for work, but it's my lifeline.

It killed my Blackberry. It would not even power back up. I finished the 3 mile loop and went home. I couldn't do my 12 miler with nothing to drink, especially since it was unseasonably warm.

I will definitely get a long run in this Saturday morning before we go to my dad's for Christmas with him.

DW and I are also planning on getting 3.1 mile runs in tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday morning.

 

[dragitoff]

Well Dis'ers, Christmas weekend was great for me. I got to do my first long run in a month. I was able to log 9 miles Saturday before having to get ready for Christmas functions with family.

I also got a ton of running stuff for Christmas. Along with tons of running clothes, I got my Road ID, Garmin GPS watch, fuel belt, and my wife got me a bib holder to keep all my race bibs in.

We're going to visit DW family in Charleston, SC this weekend so I'm excited to run some new areas.

 

[dragitoff]

Happy New Year to everyone! I had a great holiday break. We went to Charleston, SC this weekend to vist DW's family. I was so excited because they have a specialty running store there where I wanted to go to get my feet checked out. I wanted to buy another pair of running shoes and wanted to make sure this pair was exactly what the doctor ordered.....literally. I went to The Foot Store in North Charleston, SC. They were so great.

I ended up buying not one, but two pairs of running shoes! DW even got another pair while we were there. I bought a pair of Brooks Pure Connect and Newton Gravity. I've been having a little problem with my Achilles since my last race. I pushed a little too hard on the last straightaway and my Skechers GoRun haven't been helping, or at least that's what I suspected.

I bought the new shoes Friday and decided I'd try the Newton Gravity out on my long run the next morning. I typically don't break new shoes in with such a long run, but I figured, if I paid that much for 'em, I might as well start getting some use out of them.

There was a GREAT place near DW's family's house that had paved running trails throughout the neighborhoods. I ran 9 miles Saturday and hardly ran the same paths twice. I also tried gel blocks for the first time. I loved them! They fit so nicely in my new Fuel Belt. Outside my iPod dying 40 minutes into my run, I had a great run and afterwards, no pain in my Achilles!

As a matter of fact, I haven't really had any pain in it since. I got to break in the Connects yesterday with a 3.1 mile run with DW. I'm going to stick with the Newtons on the long runs and use the Connects for my shorter runs. I'm taking a break for at least a month from the Skechers. I want to make sure the Achilles is COMPLETELY healed before trying them again.

I'll get to run in El Paso next week while I'm out there on business and visiting my brother. I'll then get to run that weekend at WDW while we're there on business/family trip! Gotta' love mixing business with family trips!

 

[lurkernj]

Happy New Year to everyone! I had a great holiday break. We went to Charleston, SC this weekend to vist DW's family. I was so excited because they have a specialty running store there where I wanted to go to get my feet checked out. I wanted to buy another pair of running shoes and wanted to make sure this pair was exactly what the doctor ordered.....literally. I went to The Foot Store in North Charleston, SC. They were so great.

I ended up buying not one, but two pairs of running shoes! DW even got another pair while we were there. I bought a pair of Brooks Pure Connect and Newton Gravity. I've been having a little problem with my Achilles since my last race. I pushed a little too hard on the last straightaway and my Skechers GoRun haven't been helping, or at least that's what I suspected.

I bought the new shoes Friday and decided I'd try the Newton Gravity out on my long run the next morning. I typically don't break new shoes in with such a long run, but I figured, if I paid that much for 'em, I might as well start getting some use out of them.

There was a GREAT place near DW's family's house that had paved running trails throughout the neighborhoods. I ran 9 miles Saturday and hardly ran the same paths twice. I also tried gel blocks for the first time. I loved them! They fit so nicely in my new Fuel Belt. Outside my iPod dying 40 minutes into my run, I had a great run and afterwards, no pain in my Achilles!

As a matter of fact, I haven't really had any pain in it since. I got to break in the Connects yesterday with a 3.1 mile run with DW. I'm going to stick with the Newtons on the long runs and use the Connects for my shorter runs. I'm taking a break for at least a month from the Skechers. I want to make sure the Achilles is COMPLETELY healed before trying them again.

I'll get to run in El Paso next week while I'm out there on business and visiting my brother. I'll then get to run that weekend at WDW while we're there on business/family trip! Gotta' love mixing business with family trips!

Happy New Year Drag!

Do those sneakers make you run faster Good for you! You sound so energetic and excited, I'm hoping your enthusiasm is contagious.

 

[dragitoff]

Happy New Year Drag!

Do those sneakers make you run faster Good for you! You sound so energetic and excited, I'm hoping your enthusiasm is contagious.

I don't know about faster when I'm running, but since I didn't have pain in my achilles afterwards, I'm definitely faster post-run than I had been lately!

 

[dragitoff]

Well, I've been pretty slack lately. Not so much about the running, but definitely about the posting updates. I've not been great about the running either, but I'm still logging quite a few miles each week.

I've got less 6 weeks from tomorrow until my first half marathon. The achilles injury hurt me worse than I originally thought. My times slipped a little bit, but I'm working hard at getting those times back in line with my previous numbers.

All in all, I'm just training and working. I'll try to be much better about posting updates and status reports.

On a really happy note, we all visited WDW last weekend. It was a short trip, and I had work to do for a good portion of it, but we stayed at AKL last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. We visited Epcot Saturday and went to see La Nouba for the first time Saturday night.

Sunday DW took DD10 and DD7 to MK by herself while I worked and I met up with them that evening. It was a very fun weekend and a nice break from the chaos that has been our lives as of late.