Distance

Run: 60 minutes of easy distance, hilly

Distance: 6.4 miles

Time: 60:07

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ .5

Gut: ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: The Crystal Method, Vegas

Due to a calamity of events, I ended up running the weekend distance run this Sunday morning, rather than Saturday. All in all not too bad, but it did have one major consequence - a little slow to go, and SORE legs. Why so sore? Well, yard work. I did a fair amount of hedge trimming on Saturday, and picking up the brush all day did a job on my hamstrings. Both hamstrings were WAY wound up for the run.

I'm fairly sensitive to my hamstrings after a major hamstring pull last fall. I was beginning to get to a great 5K pace (my short term goal is 23:30), and I was looking forward to the mecca of races for me, The Manchester Road Race, held on Thanksgiving morning. I was trying to set myself up for a 23:30 pace on the treadmill in the gym a few weeks prior, when one mile into the run, BAM, the left hamstring let loose.

Now, I've broken a few bones, twisted some ankles, and pulled some muscles before, but this was the real deal. It was almost as if someone had come up behind me with a broomstick handle and whacked me in the back of my left leg. I managed to pull the emergency release button and got off the machine. Immediately it hit me that I would not be running in the Thanksgiving race - and really, as minor a thing as that is, I felt this overwhelming sadness come over me. I can only imaging what real athletes feel like with injury!

So I hobbled around for three days, and was out for three months. It wasn't until this past summer that I got back into the swing of things, but seriously, this leg has not been the same. Now that I'm building up distance and speed again, I am quite sensitive to how my hamstrings feel - both of them. I can feel that the more I strengthen them with hills and distance, the tighter and tighter they get. The only solution - stretching. Now I don't mind stretching, but it's not something that I did a lot in the past. I guess this is what you get when you start getting older! Smarter running and more stretching!

Hills

Hills: 10 minutes easy out to the hill. Then 3 repeats of 7 minutes of hills (1 minute up, one minute down) followed by 4 minutes easy in between. Then a 10 minute easy run home.

Distance: 4.9 miles

Time: 46:24

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: The Prodigy, The Fat of the Land

No matter how tired or sore you feel when you get out of bed; and no matter how many times you walk out the door and forget something, then have to go back in (again and again), making yourself later and later; once the run is over, you just feel great. It happens almost every time.

I found myself super bummed when the alarm clock went of this morning. I hit an extra snooze, but then did manage to get on my feet (very key!). Getting out the door was a little comical. First I forgot my watch, then my headphones, then my water. It's partially a 'haste makes waste' thing, but at 4:30 AM, things are a little blurry.

During the ten minute jog out to the hill, I think that I was still waking up. Even the air felt funky - it was cool, but still humid from the past few days. Kind of a weird feeling. Then the first set of hills. You almost just get started instinctively, but then by the first set you are all warmed up, and this is really happening. As I ran each set of hills, I could see Jupiter on the rise in the Eastern sky. Nice and bright and getting higher each time I turned around to run another hill.

It's nice to get to the last set, and then the jog home. I love sitting here with my fresh cup of coffee, but the 45 minutes on the road is as good as coffee to wake you up. You just gotta get out there and do it. Put one foot in front of the other for ten minutes, and you are on your way. By the end of the thing, it's the best start to the day that you can think of.

Tempo Run

Tempo: Five minutes easy warm up, then 12 minutes at half-marathon race pace. Four minutes easy, then repeat 12 minutes of faster pace. Finish with five minutes easy run cool down.

Distance: 3.6 miles

Time: 38:07

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: Limp Bizkit, Results May Vary

A very cool thing happened on this morning's run. I am starting to figure out my half-marathon race pace! This sounds simple enough, but really it hasn't been. See, all of this training has been through the recommendations of the Runner's World Complete Guide to Running magazine-book. Up until this point, the long runs have been at an "easy" pace. What had me nervous was that when I was running the faster paces during the tempo runs, they seemed faster, made me out of breathe, and was something that I didn't think that I could continue for 13 miles. Sure, I can do the distance runs on the weekends, but this is like at a 10:00 minute mile pace, and I am hoping to do better than that for the half-marathon in October.

Now, this may have something to do with the 5K faster pace that I ran in last week's Catsup & Mustard 5K, but I could feel this morning that the faster half-marathon pace is the pace that I like. I actually enjoy running at this pace more so than the warm up easy pace (the easy pace is the pace that I normally run on my long runs). Today for the first time, I can feel that with continuing this training schedule, I am going to get myself to a place where I should be able to run the 13 miles at my goal pace. So 1 hour 50 minute half marathon, you better watch out. I might just have this figured out... if I don't get injured. And really, I guess that's the point. Mixing up tempo runs, hills and distance runs keep you moving forward without having to run race pace all the time, thus avoiding injury. Man, I hope so!

Distance

Run: 80 minutes of easy distance, hilly

Distance: 8.6 miles

Time: 80:03

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: Led Zepplin, Remasters, Disc 2 and 3

This was a great day for running. This long run was exactly what running is supposed to be. I had a LONG weekend in the hospital, but finally got out around noon today. I needed to get in my long run for the week, and was a little hesitant about pulling it off in the middle of the afternoon. But, we had a birthday party to get to by 4:00 PM, and it had to be done.

With the fall beginning to show itself around New England, even though it was decently sunny, 77 degrees made for a very tolerable temperature. My stomach was empty from basically getting up and coming home after rounds, and my legs felt great the whole run. I was a little low on energy, but drinking some 100% juice before and during the run kept me from feeling too run down.

A lot of people like to talk about a "runner's high". I think that this comes in many forms, but one of my favorites is feeling the endorphins pouring out of my brain and running down my spinal cord. People describe this as, "tingling all over". I get this on most runs over thirty minutes, and if I'm listening to music, it usually gets timed with some dramatic part of the song. For example, I don't know anyone who wouldn't feel something like this listening to Houses of the Holy about 45 minutes into a long run! It kind of pumps you up for two or three minutes, and it is certainly one of the more "addictive" parts of running. On a good run like today, this can happen two or three times. Unfortunately, it's sort of a combination of emotion and effort, and it can't simply be turned on - which would be nice for a boost up a hill or a final kick in a race.

Hills

Hills: 10 minutes out easy. Then, 10 minutes of hills (one minute up, and one minute down). Easy run for about 6-7 minutes. Repeat the 10 minutes of hills again, and then easy run home.

Distance: 5.2 miles

Time: 48:02

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★.5

Soundtrack: Chevelle, Sci-Fi Crimes

Great hill run today. Legs felt great and lots of energy. Also, the little cold snap that came through earlier this week is gone - it's back to a t-shirt for the run. It made me a little sad to see the summer going away. I do love the fall, but I am hoping to be in much better condition for early summer running next year.

OK, today's big thought was on cars' "bright-lights" or high-beams. Turns out my hill that I run on for these hill days is on a major street / minor highway. The cars driving on this thing (me included!) go blistering fast. The hill is just too perfect not to run on, and the good news is that there is a nice sturdy guard rail that keeps the cars at bay on just the right part of the hill.

The bad news is that the lights illuminating the street are gone right when the hill is perfect for a hill work out. Good light leading up to the major part of the hill and after, but not over it. This leads most drivers to use their high-beams. Now, if you find this distracting when you are driving, it's equally as bad when you are trying to sprint up a hill ten times!

So, I've never been majorly accustomed to this, but when I am driving up upon a cyclist or runner, I plan to drop my high-beams just as I would for an oncoming car. Just seems like the polite thing to do!

Recovery Run - Part 2

Run: 45 minutes of just over a jog

Distance: 4.7 miles

Time: 47:17

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★.5

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Godsmack, Good Times, Bad Times

Coming off the race and longer recovery run over the weekend, I still felt like I needed some recovery. I was up SUPER late working on a project 2 nights ago, so getting up this morning was a close one. My brain almost had me convinced to turn over and get back to bed. This blog now being live is one of the reasons that I made it out this morning, so thank you!

My legs actually felt much better as soon as I got started, and aside from being a little tired it was a nice run. The weather is definitely getting colder - I had to switch to a long sleeve shirt. I would have worn gloves if I were able to find them. Another thing to put on the list.  Orion in the early morning sky was beautiful next to a waning moon, and I was certainly all warmed up once the run was over.

I'm feeling pretty confident for a good workout later this week, and a nice long run this up-coming weekend. 

Recovery Run

Run: 60 minutes of light pace, just enough to build up a sweat

Distance: 6.2 miles

Time: 60:33

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: G. Love & Special Sauce, G. Love & Special Sauce (self-titled)

This run was from yesterday, but I was up super late making a movie for work last night, so I didn't get to the blog until this morning.

After the AWESOME race over the weekend, I was looking for a little recovery. I have been thinking about what makes a recovery run a recovery run, but basically, it's just a distance run at a chilled out pace, and in theory without a lot of hills. So in my case... it's the long run of the weekend. And since I do like my up and back 3-mile hill run, that's what I did twice.

This run didn't start great at the onset. We had a BBQ / picnic for my youngest daughter's 4-year old birthday, and I did have a burger from the grill and some other eats. I gave it a good 5 hours afterwards for the run, but the burger was still close-by for most of it. Also, my legs were pretty achy, even though it was only a 5K distance the day prior. Speed definitely makes up for distance when it comes to muscles and joints!

All in all, it was a good idea. I cut the run a little shorter, but still had it long enough to feel like I got in a decent weekend distance run. I'm feeling reset for the week ahead, where I can get back on track before my next 5K in two weeks. You've got to do these things - 5K are just the best!

Race - Catsup & Mustard 5K

Race: Corey's Catsup & Mustard 5K Run & Charity Walk

Date: August 16, 2014

Location: Manchester, CT

Official Time: 24:28

Official Lap: 7:53

Place: 126 / 528

Race Stats

Speed: ★ ★ ★ (decently fast)

Hills: ★ ★ ★ ★ (very hilly)

Crowd: ★ ★ (not crowded at all)

Party: ★ ★ ★ ★ (rocking!)

T-Shirt: ★ ★ ★ ★ (creative and cool)

Seriously, this is a great idea. Put together a 5K race right outside an awesome burger restaurant and have it start at 6 PM. Who wouldn't want to run this thing?

This was a great race. Check out the page dedicated just to the race, Catsup and Mustard 5K. The kids had a blast with the charity walk, and always love getting freebees like face painting and T-shirts. There was a good showing over almost 600 runners. And we started right on time.

The race itself was a lot of fun, winding past the highway and then into some of the quiet neighborhoods of Manchester before ending up back on Main Street. There were 2 killer hills along the way, and I was super happy that I have been training on hills these past few weeks!

My time was even better than I could have hoped for. I ran a few 5K's early in the season, before falling off in the spring. Lately, I have been running so much half-marathon pace in my training that I wasn't sure how I would do with a 5K. I set a pretty good 8:00 minute mile pace early on, and pretty much was able to stick to it. Certainly the hills knocked me off a little, but I kept it all together to finish with a 7:53 minute mile overall. Very psyched.

The block party afterward was great. Awesome burgers that the kids ate up, and I got to drink their beers, as that wasn't happening. We tried to see about eating at the burger restaurant, but reservations were 45 minutes. Lesson learned, next year we'll put in reservations BEFORE we settle into the block party.

I highly recommend this 5K. They don't get much better than this one!

Hills

Hills: 40 minutes of continuous hills. Faster up the hills than the flats, but this really turns into maintaining your pace if the hill is steep and long enough!

Distance: 4.2 miles

Time: 41:55

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★.5

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Shinedown, The Sound of Madness

So I have two great hills really right next door to my house. I do most of my hill work, and actually most of my long runs, on the long and gradual hill. This hill goes up about 2 miles to my turn around point. Today I went up the much steeper and shorter (about 1 mile) road, which really challenges the legs. It's actually so steep that the run down the hill is tricky as you really feel like you are going to lose your footing. This is a nice change up to the midweek shorter runs - I highly recommend something like it! OK, I have to still read my journal club article! See you for the race on Saturday night.

Tempo Run

Tempo: Six minutes easy run (say, just fast enough to get a little sweat up), then 3 minutes all out (your best impression of an 800 meter for all you track stars out there), repeat times four.

Distance: 3.4 miles

Time: 36:33

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole

SUPERMOON! How cool is it to run in the moonlight?!? I actually missed the full supermoon by a day or two, but the left overing waning supermoon still had my whole block lit right up. What a real difference it makes to run a tempo and be able to see where you are going.

I must have been pretty excited for this run this morning. I woke up at 2:40AM ready to go, and had to convince myself to get back to bed for a little more rest. My legs were a little slow to warm up after this weekend's long run, but they felt great by the end. The left over BBQ from last night was a little heavy for this morning, but that should all be finished off by tomorrow!

In race news, I've signed me and the two older kids up for the Catsup & Mustard 5K in Manchester, CT this Saturday, August 16 - which happens to be Chloe's birthday. I'm sure the little one won't want to run in the kids 1/2 mile run, but I think that I have her convinced that the block party afterward is a big blow out for her birthday. Should be a good time. Look for that web page to come together under "Races" later this weekend.

Distance

Run: 75 minutes of easy distance, hilly

Distance: 7.9 miles

Time: 75:18

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ .5

Gut: ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ .5

Mind:  ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: Metallica, ...And Justice For All

The weekend distance run is probably my favorite run of the week. It lets you really settle into the run and take it all in. That being said, you have to plan for the run, because it takes longer than the mid-week stuff.

I knew that this weekend was going to be tough for the distance run. We had our annual BBQ and Brewed Beer Blowout, and I certainly partook in the festivities! I meant to get up early on Saturday and fit the run in before getting ready for the party, but there was lots to do once I got up. The party was a blast, but I had a few too many brews and BBQs for todays run!

All in all, it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I put the run off until later in the day when the sun was going down (no way I was going to make it 8 miles in the hot sun today!). My legs were a little extra achy, especially the knees and my right hamstring. My energy was lower than usual, but the music kept me going, and in the end it shook out to be a good first 8-mile run in at least as many months. Sometimes you just gotta figure out how to make the best of things, and stick to your guns. It'll all eventually works itself out.

Hills

Hills: 10 minute easy run out to the hill. Then three sets of 5 minute hills (one minute up the hill, one minute down the hill) with about 7 minutes of easy running in between each set.

Distance: 5.4 miles

Time: 50:01

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★.5

Mind:  ★ ★★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Staind, Staind (self-titled album)

The first "chilly" run of the season. Of course, it's 61 degrees, and this will be quite balmy in a few months! I think that I am still a little used to the running in hot and humid Orlando from vacation from last week. I was on call two nights ago, so a little sleepy when I first woke up, but I was able to out maneuver around my lazy brain to get out the door.

This ended up paying off, as this was a great hill run today. A little longer than my usual 4AM run, but I had some extra time before getting into work this morning, so I fit in the extra set. The hill sets are hard enough that you cannot be distracted or focus on much else except for the burning in the legs at about 40 seconds. The easy run in between, and then the run out and back did give some great perspective on what needs to be done at work; and the Staind song "Now" really seemed to be perfectly timed for the run this morning.

Tempo Run

Tempo: Seven minutes easy run, followed by seven minutes 5K race pace. Repeat times three.

Distance: 4.3 miles

Time: 42:57

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon

This was the Vacation-to-Real-Life shock - stay up until 1AM working on a new web-site, and then wake up at 4AM for a tempo run. I'm pretty sure that I won't have trouble getting back to sleep at my usual 10PM tonight!

So this tempo run was pretty average. My quads were a bit tight waking up this morning - not sure why. I was also super jumpy about running in the dark for the first mile. It's getting darker in the mornings, and I think that I am going to need a headlamp if I am going to stick to 4AM runs. I'm also a little antsy about returning to work after a week off. No real reason why, just seems to happen after every vacation. I'll be back in the swing of things by lunch time!

The Beginning

This website and blog will offer many options to chose from. Here in the written blog I plan to chronicle my training runs and races with all of their victories and defeats. I will share with you my goals and ambitions, and give you a regular breakdown on how we are doing getting there. Sometimes I might just give the details of the run of the day, other times I will write about my own tips, trips, stumbles and falls along the way - as I try to keep one foot in front of the other. I welcome you on this journey, and I hope that you might find motivation in hearing about one man's journey through life on the road and on the trails.