Up to 33.7 Miles

Finishing my 14th week of training for my upcoming Half Marathon, I ran 33.7 miles this last week. I did another run of 13.1 miles on Friday, and finished strong, despite temperatures climbing into the mid 70s by the end of the run. It was getting hot, very hot. I don't have any major aches and pains, and feel good about the race next weekend. I just wish it were here, I'm getting anxious to just go out and run. Now, on the flip side, I've been very healthy over the previous 14 weeks, having not been sick even once. I think the running really strengthens your immune system. But, unfortunately, just 1 week out, I'm now getting sick. Ugh. My throat is sore, so who knows what I might be getting. I've stressed myself out a little over the last couple of days, burning the candle at both ends, and maybe some stupid bug got in. Just have to battle through and run my race no matter what.

Another Week With 30+ Miles

32.8 miles in the training log this week, and I feel really good. A little stiff today, but not bad. I actually did my long, slow run on Friday (again), and ran 13.1 miles on one of the trails here in Omaha. So, I enter my last week of hard training with hopes of getting another 33 miles in or so, and will then taper next week to rest up for the race. The half marathon distance run that I did on Friday was mostly good, although the last couple of miles were tough as the arch of my right foot was hurting pretty bad. Still can't believe that I've been training now for a full 13 weeks, with only 2 weeks to go. In many regards, I wish the race were this week, as I feel I'm ready, and just want to run it and get it over with.

On a bright note, my wife was able to push past her comfort zone this past week and did her first double digit run on Saturday. She was able to do 10 miles. Most of the training plans say that if you can run 10, the adrenaline on race day should take you the last 3 miles. I hope that's true.

After the Lincoln HM, I have a half marathon scheduled in mid June in Denver, and will then take the summer to do a novice training program (bump up from beginner) in prep for the Omaha half marathon at the end of September, and then the Kansas City half marathon in the middle of October. Beyond, then, while it's so far away, I probably would do maintenance running in November and December, but then begin an 18 week plan to run a marathon at "next" year's Lincoln, NE race. Pie in the sky stuff, but you have to have goals.

By the way, I did the distance on Friday in 2 hours and 9 minutes and 53 seconds. My goal for the race finish will be somewhere near that, and am hoping that race adrenalin will push me harder. I've held back a little on my training runs so I wouldn't trash myself for the rest of the week, but I plan to run full-bore at the race, with NOTHING left in my gas tank when I'm done. I hope to be a quivering pile of goo by then, and will have to crawl home. Otherwise, if I'm not spent, I'll know I didn't race hard enough, and will always wonder how hard I should have pushed it.

I'm nervous, and a little anxious about the race, but am confident in where my training has taken me, and confident in my ability to run a strong race. Bring it.

Feeling Old

My daughter turned 13 yesterday. Yikes, where has the time gone? It's also the first time in awhile that I've really felt, well, old. Not that I am old, I just felt old as I laid down to go to sleep last night, thinking about the fact that I've got a teenage daughter. It seems like a lifetime ago, but at the same time, has passed in the blink of an eye. My daughter had a good day, and got to do the things that she wanted, and I think she enjoyed herself, although most of her friends were out of town, and they were on a break from school, so she spent it with us. We continued to celebrate with my wife's side of the family today, and our daughter got some great gifts. In another blink of an eye, she'll be graduating from high school, off to college, and then getting married. While I look forward to seeing her grow into womanhood, it also scares me beyond belief.

32.3 Miles This Week

Another week closer to our race, which is just now 3 weeks from today. The past week has been busy with 5 out 7 days spent running. This was the first week in a long time that I've had some significant pain while running, mainly in my ankles. I first thought it might have been my new shoes, but now attribute it to just being stiff and sore, and continuing to ramp up my weekly mileage. After a couple of miles, I was able to run through the the pain as all my joints got well lubricated. The week end in a 12.1 mile long, slow run on Friday morning. It felt great, (after the first couple of miles that is). While I was sore after the run, it wasn't anything uncontrollable, and I felt a shear sense of accomplishment. One more hard week is in store, with a weekly mileage log of about 34 miles hopefully, with a long slow run of 13.1 miles. Then, the following week, I'll probably keep about the same distance, but then do a significant taper the week of the race to be as strong as possible for race day. It's hard to believe that I've been training now for 12 full weeks, but also awesome to see how far I've come.

A 29.4 Mile Week

Well, another week of training is now in the books. I've completed 29.4 miles this week, culminating in my 11.1 mile long run that I mentioned earlier, followed by a 6 mile recovery jog yesterday. I feel pretty good, but definitely deserved the day of rest today, but will have to hit the pavement again tomorrow. The mileage only increases from here on out with a 12 mile run this week, a 13 mile run next week, and in the final week before the race, I believe I'll taper back to 8 or 9 miles. I just hope I remain healthy between now and then, and that I don't turn my ankle taking out the garbage or something.

My wife on the other hand is struggling with her training. She has been quite busy with work, and just hasn't had the time to get her long runs in. I think she's been running during the week at the gym, but her long run training has suffered. And now, it seems she's getting sick again. She has Asthma, and the running really stress her system. I have some concerns whether she'll be able to complete the mileage without hurting herself. I think she wants to prove to herself that she can do it, but I'm concerned about her health, and that she'll push it too far just to prove me wrong.

Long Run up to 11.1 Miles

My long run was supposed to be this coming Sunday, but with the impending winter storm, I had to move my long run up a couple of days. Today, I did an 11.1 mile run along the Keystone Trail here in Omaha. The run felt great, although my fingers did swell up a bit, and my right foot cramped up around mile 10. Other than that, no aches and pains, and even tonight, I feel pretty good, albeit a little stiff, but not really sore. The Lincoln Half Marathon is now just 4 weeks away, but I'm definitely getting more confidence that I'll be able to complete the full distance. In fact, I've registered for my second Half Marathon, the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon in Denver on June 14, and also plan to register for the Omaha Half Marathon on September 27, and the Kansas City Half Marathon on October 17. This running thing has certainly become addicting. It just feels good, so it's important to take advantage of the moment when you can. I was able to do the 11.1 mile run today at a solid 9:50 pace, so that's a great pace for someone who wasn't a runner just 11 weeks ago. In the coming weeks before my race, I plan to run 12, 13.1, then taper down to 8 or 9 miles the week before the race. While I have no plans of competing in any of these races, finishing strong is my main goal, and just to have some fun!

I'm a Gear Snob

I admit, I'm a gear snob. In other words, I like to have the best of the best, sometimes. With sunglasses, I'm definitely a gear snob. After I had LASIK surgery 18 months ago, I was finally able to wear sunglasses. I first started with a pair of Walmart cheapies, but soon found out that you get what you pay for. Soon after that, I tried out some Oakleys, and man, was I hooked. The Oakley lenses are far superior to the drug store specials, and you get spoiled with having the best. High Definition Optics rock. Recently, I left my Oakleys at work, and had to use my backup pair of El cheapos in the meantime. Wow, what a difference, like night and day. In fact, this is my 2nd pair of discount store specials, since the first pair broke. Guess, what, this second pair just broke too. And the lenses were junk, it felt like I had cataracts in my eyes when compared to wearing the Oakleys. Yes, the Oakleys were about 10 times more than the cheapies, but it's worth it to me.

Speaking of sunglasses, now that I've been running a lot, I find that I have to wear sunglasses when running, or my eyes dry out too much. So, I ordered another pair of light-colored lenses so I could wear them at dusk. I wear black iridium lenses for full sunlight, G30 rose-colored lenses for partly cloudy skies, and wanted a pair of persimmon lenses for nighttime. That's the nice think about Oakleys, you can change the lenses depending on the lighting. So, I ordered the persimmon lenses last week and they arrived today. Only, they sent me 2 "different" lenses, yes, both persimmon, but for 2 different version of Oakley sunglasses. Doh. So, I had to send the mixed up lenses back and hopefully, will get the right lenses in a few days. It's always something!