Distance

Run: 3 miles at a jog pace

Distance: 3.1 miles

Time: 28:15

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ .5 

Soundtrack: Breaking Benjamin, Dear Agony 

     On the way back from rounding in the hospital, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was outside today. After the Thanksgiving snow and a few days of cold temperatures, today was a lovely 53 degrees. As I pulled into the driveway, I realized that I wasn't a very good Running Obstetrician if I wasn't running. I made up my mind right there and then to get in a few miles on the road.

     So this left ankle tendonitis this has been a drag. It hurts decently good at times, and despite taking some serious downtime, it is still there. A good friend of mine implied a while back that there are just some pains that you have to run through, and there is no sense in whining about it. These pains would NOT include a pulled hamstring or serious joint / tendon pain that stops you from being able to run. I don't recommend running through these!

     My ankle pain, however, seems fairly unchanged despite my recent treadmill activities, so I decided to put the "no pain, no gain" mentality to the test. Now key here (which took me a long time to learn), you have to go at this SLOWLY and SMARTLY. Therefore, despite the fact that I would have loved to have spent a whole hour running in this soon to be absent beautiful weather, I only put in three miles and at a fairly slow pace.

     That being said, it was a great pay off. The run was very nice, and my ankle pain was no worse than my usual walking around. The melting snow was a nice sight to see (soon to return for good!). And there was a cute Christmas tree sale going on at the local fire department. All in all a good run, and the ankle feels no worse for the wear. I don't see any PR paces or distances on the horizon, but at least I'm back on the road, and I snuck in a really good one today. Take that ankle!

Treadmill - Jog (again!)

Run: 30 minutes at 6 miles per hour

Distance: 3.0 miles

Time: 29:58

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ .5

Gut: ★ ★ ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Mind:  ★ ★★ ★ .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Pandora, The Crystal Method Radio 

     Back at it again on the good old treadmill. This actually is a good thing. I am planning on taking just a few days to get back into the swing of things, and then there is actually a lot that you can accomplish on a treadmill. I really haven't gotten into the exercise packages that exist in the treadmill computer, but that is going to be one of my goals for the winter. The new treadmills at the gym also allow you to do some degree of incline, so that should pose a nice challenge figuring that out.

     Here are some treadmill rules that I am going to write down mostly for myself, so that I can reference them on occasion, and keep myself healthy and having fun through the winter:

     - Rule #1: Of course this is going to be, watch your speed! Lesson learned last year. Unlike running on the road, when you lock into a speed on the treadmill, your legs have to keep up the pace, or else you fall off the back of the thing. So unlike when you get out three or four miles on the road, and your legs naturally start to slow you down a little if they can't handle the strain, this won't happen on the treadmill. With enough under-training, prior injury, etc. you can end up with a muscle pull or joint injury that can put you down for the count.

- Rule #2: Pick up those shoes from the moving belt. This fits in a little with Rule #1, but it's slightly different. Unlike running on the road, a little drag of the toe might cause you to stumble, but rarely will you fall. On the treadmill, catching that toe can lead to a chain of stumbling events that can shoot you off the back of the thing. I had 2 or 3 little toe grabs on the moving belt today, and believe me, the feeling of going flying is there. I guess it's just "different" from the stumble that you have on the road, and probably once you get used to it, it's not so bad. But in the early days of treadmill training, better to lift the soles of those sneakers up.

- Rule #3: Go easy. This is a whole new way of training. Even if you were doing pretty good on the road and trails going into the winter, treadmill running is a different beast. Take a few runs to get used to the difference, before you start going all out.

- Rule #4: Mix it up. Most runners will tell you, there is nothing more boring than running on a treadmill - both for your mind and for your legs. So, do what you can to create some variety in your morning workouts. Maybe jump on a stair master or an eliptical. Use the built in programs to do cardio or fat burn sessions on the treadmill (whatever those are!). Or, on a nice day with no snow, get out and run on the road and trails again. Revel in the noon time run, something that you would be hard pressed to do in the middle of the summer!

- Rule #5: Just have fun. Remember that's why you are a runner anyway. This might be a different kind of fun than a fall run through the woods, but it still can be fun. Enjoy the folks that you get to say "hi" to at the gym. Enjoy the challenge of setting new time or incline goals. Enjoy watching some of the news on the TVs while you run - can't do that on the road. And most of all, enjoy staying in shape, knowing that you will hit the spring in better condition and with a better start to a new year of running and racing.

Alright treadmills, here we come! That being said, I'm gonna try to get out on the road this weekend :)

Treadmill - Jog

Run: 30 minutes at 6 miles per hour

Distance: 3.0 miles

Time: 30:04

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★  .5

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★  .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★  .5

Soundtrack: Pandora, The Crystal Method Radio 

A perfect day to try to get back on track - 35 degrees, rainy ,dark... So, it's a good thing that I had pretty much planned on running on the treadmill at the gym. This turned out to be a wise decision, and probably the treadmill is going to be the mainstay of my runs for the next few months.

If you have read several of my previous blog posts, you will find that I am a little nervous about getting back onto the treadmill. While I have been battling colds and such these past few weeks, it was just over a year ago that I pulled my left hamstring on the treadmill getting ready to smoke the Thanksgiving Day Manchester Road Race. But, the smarter, wiser me knows that these next few runs up to the race need to be slow and steady, and there is also a limit to how fast I am ever going to run on the treadmill. It's better to be able to run at a jog all winter long, rather than blow it all trying to get faster for the spring.

As planned, today's jog was pretty chill. New treadmills at the gym this year gave me a little trouble getting things started today, but I don't have an M.D. for nothing, and I was able to figure it out. About halfway through the run, I thought I could kick it up a notch, but I stuck to my chilled-approach goals, and stayed at a very comfortable pace.

So I already have a new approach to the upcoming MCRR as well - just enjoy it. I'm clearly out of training, and won't get back in time for the next two weeks. There are something like 18,000 people who run the race, so a PR is nearly impossible. And, the original reason I started running this Turkey Trot years ago was because, it's fun!

So here's to a winter of treadmill runs, and taking it easy. I'll try to change things up a little for the readers. And here's to getting back to running, and to the sport I love. See you all soon.

Kansas City, KS

Plan: head out from the hotel, run around the city, and make my way back home!

Distance: about 3 miles

Time: not sure. The running ap failed, and I didn't bring my sports watch

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ 

Gut: ★ ★ ★

Energy: ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: not on this run

One of the benefits of being busy at work is that you occasionally find opportunity to fly to cool cities for conferences. With the right amount of planning, this allows you to get in some pretty cool runs in pretty cool places. While out in Kansas City for a computer / IT conference, I found some time to sneak out at lunch today, and get a few miles in.

To be honest, this really is the first day that I have felt myself after my most recent viral illness that nicely overlapped my strep throat from two weeks ago. Also, I was still a little concerned about my sore left ankle, following the half marathon almost three weeks ago. But I had the chance to get a few miles of this unknown city covered, and I was feeling up for the challenge so away I went.

Now I usually save the photo gallery for my Races page, but there was just too much great opportunities to get some of the feel of this part of the city on "film" that I am going to put it in right here.

**** Click on the photos below to see each photo in the gallery ****

**** Click on the photos above to see each photo in the gallery ****

So this part of town where my hotel is located really isn't the most fancy neighborhood. In fact, it appears quite poor, outdated and in places run down. I wasn't sure if it was even OK to be running around this neighborhood, but it was twelve noon, and my experience is that in the middle of the day, almost everyone will leave the guy running along the streets alone.

Stepping out the sliding glass door of the hotel it was chilly and overcast, but I was excited for my first run in over two weeks. I made a left out of the hotel, and the immediate cross-street was a nice hill. I figured, "why not jump right in?!" and headed up the hill at a decent pace. What this ended up doing was putting me right in the Historic Strawberry Hill district. It's actually pretty cute, but what you quickly realize is that this area was part of the American dream back in the 40's, 50's and 60's and hasn't had a lot of updating since.

Most of the houses are right on top of each other. Many have boarded up windows and doors. On the sidewalks and stone / cement fences in front of the houses were collections of 6 pack of empty beer bottles, car motor oil bottles, old couches and graffiti. Many of the houses had cats, and almost every house had a dog - some little, some big, most behind fences, one big guy on a chain leash (thank goodness!). It's obviously a pretty poor neighborhood, but once you start looking past that you see that everyone here still is living the American dream.

I saw one father step out of the doorway of one of these run-down looking houses with his little son, about to get onto the bus probably for the kindergarten afternoon session. Several of the houses still had very creative and cute painted pumpkins on the doorsteps. Lots of people had taken time to do some landscaping around their small lots of land, and many of the houses were decorated with beautiful wind chimes and vases. My favorite spot was a small community garden with sunflowers and rhubarb still in bloom. It was quite beautiful, and really had a sense of community.

Scattered throughout the community were various churches, clinics, laundromats and corner stores. I guess what hit me most was that this neighborhood really hadn't moved on since probably the sixties. And while that might not be the best for the overall upkeep of the buildings, you still got the sense that community was very important to the surrounding neighbors.

Turning the corner, I was back in the heart of the city, with the huge City Hall, Memorial Buildings and Catholic Churches. Before I knew it I was back at my hotel, a little out of breath, and a little sweaty. It was a great return to running after a few weeks off. I'm glad that I made the time to get out and explore this small part of Kansas City, and I hope you enjoyed hearing a little about it.

Injury Report

     Hello to The Running Obstetrician running faithful. It has been two weeks since the Hartford Marathon and my last blog post. I apologize to all of you out there who have been missing my running updates, and I wanted to give you guys a little check-in and let you know that I am almost back in business.

     So like many things that throw you off the running wagon, it has been a combination of events that has kept me off the trail / road for the past two weeks. The first is work, and that is boring, so I'll leave it at that. I do think that even the most engaged of runners are going to have some time when work has to come first. For those of you who can always keep running above work - a big kudos! Please send us some of your hints and strategy in the comments section below!

     The more interesting of things happened around mile 11 in the Hartford Marathon. If you read my running page dedicated to the race, and still to this day, I just loved that run. I felt great, my time was awesome, and even with the rain and cold, it was one of my best races ever. However, I do remember very specifically around mile 11 my left ankle starting to get sore. I thought to myself, "What is this?" I have never had a left ankle problem in all of my years of running, and this just seemed like an odd place for pain. With only 2.1 miles left, I was able to easily run through the discomfort. It wasn't really all that bad, even afterwards. However, for the week following, it was enough that I had a good limp for a few days, and trying to run on it just wasn't going to work. I did a little bit of cycling at the gym, but this was even a little sore. I had to unfortunately sit out the Glastonbury Apple Harvest 5K due to the injury, but there was also something else on the horizon.

     At the end of this week of left ankle soreness I started to come down with a "cold" while working overnight on call. My wife was sick, my kids were sick and my partner at work was sick, so I figured I was getting the cold that everyone else had. The call was intense and busy, and by the next day I was wiped out. Eventually with the help of my very smart wife (who is a much better doctor than I am!) I was able to figure out that this wasn't a cold, but Strep throat. Yes, another first for the Running Obstetrician. I cannot recall having strep throat as a child, but this was the real deal. Fevers, throat pain, and my goodness, horrible looking tonsils! When my wife prescribed me 10 days worth of antibiotics, I thought that this would be overkill. What I now know is that even with the antibiotics it DOES take 10 days to get over this infection, and I'm not surprised that some physicians prescribe this for 14 days.

     So I am totally on the mend. My left ankle has had a nice 2 weeks off, and feels back to normal. I am almost right with this infection, and I can see myself giving three or four miles a try this week. I am hoping to get back to my old self soon, as we have some amazing races coming up in the next few weeks, and it is just simply gorgeous out there in this New England fall. So stay posted for more training runs and race posts, and always, always, always, no matter what the time off, get back into those running shoes, and keep on running!

Hartford Half Marathon

Race: Hartford Half Marathon

Date: October 11, 2014

Location: Hartford, CT

Official Time: 1:50:37

Official Lap: 8:21

Place: 1170 / 5749

Race Stats

Speed: ★ ★ ★ .5 (little slow outta the gate, then wide open)

Hills: ★ ★ .5 (two smaller hills)

Crowd: ★ ★ ★ (good sized)

Party: ★ ★ .5 (weather put a damper on this)

T-Shirt: ★ ★ ★ .5 (nice stuff)

A rainy and chilly morning greeted those who were brave enough to come out for this year's Hartford Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. With almost 15,000 in attendance, I don't think that many stayed at home! I myself found some new rain gear for the run, and was ready for the worst. All in all, the weather was perfect for a 13.1 mile run, and I was only a little chilly before and after the race.

I have a new web page up with all of the photos and details from the race. This really is an ideal half marathon with a very fun and flat course. It is the perfect time of year (when it's not raining!), with the leaves changing. A lot of the locals come out to support the runners, and there were about 5 bands playing in the rain along the way.

My time was awesome, and I couldn't be more excited. I was hoping to run between 1:50 and 2:00 and pulled off a 1:50:37. Looking at my very steady 8:22 minute miles, this compares pretty well to some of my more recent 5K's, and really is credit to some good training effort these past 16 weeks.

The party in Bushnell park is usually worth sticking around for. This year its was just a little too wet and chilly. I couldn't be happier with the race, the feel of my legs and my time. I'll hang on to my beer ticket, and see if it's any good next year!  : ) 

Tempo Run - Taper

Tempo: Three repeats of five minutes warm up/cool down pace, followed by five minutes of 5-10K pace.

Distance: 3.4 miles

Time: 30:21

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ .5 

Gut: ★ ★ ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Papa Roach, Metamorphosis

The excitement continues. Really getting into a taper is nice. One, it is a lot less running! And two, you can just feel the enthusiasm. I have a bunch of racers at work, and everyone was so excited to tell me how their final week is going when I walked in yesterday morning. I liken it to the night before some big exam in high school. Really, if you've studied all along during the semester, and got in the right amount of studying right up until the exam, there is not much that you can do (better or worse) the night before the test. Might as well sit back, review some notes, and enjoy yourself.

One mistake that I made this year was to get my bib number shipped to me. Sure it's more convenient, but there is a lot more fanfare about driving into downtown Hartford the night before and picking up your number. It's not quite a party, it's actually more like a bunch of running related items on sale, mixed in with some free stuff that you really don't need. But the whole environment of people coming down to get there number, rubbing shoulders with your fellow runners, is all the more exciting. I may actually just go down for an hour or so to hang out and check out the merchandise. 

So not too much to do between now and race day. I have a short twenty minute jog in two days - I'm not even sure what that's all about! Probably just to keep you doing something. The key here is to avoid injury at all cost! Shouldn't be a problem though, all this training should certainly keep injuries away, and looks like it's going to be a great race when all is said and done.

Distance

Run: 75 minutes of easy distance, hilly.

Distance: 8.6 miles

Time: 75:01

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: Linkin Park, Minutes to Midnight and Meteora 

The taper continues. It was another beautiful fall morning, and a very nice easy run. This was my last distance run before the marathon next weekend. This early morning run was very popular, and I saw many of my contemporaries getting in their final distance run while I was out and about. I noticed again this morning several of last year's marathon long sleeve shirts, which lead me to do a little reflecting on my own running fashion.

First and foremost, I am mostly about function over fashion. I like to be cool when its hot, and warm when it's cold. I do like the wicking type of shirts, because more than 5 or 6 miles in a cotton t-shirt does eventually make you feel like you are running in a wet towel. Hats and gloves become required gear once it starts getting below 50 degrees, and certainly below 40 degrees for even the "toughest" runners out there. My partner also bought me some leg warmer / compression stockings, for lack of a better word. These are quite functional (perhaps, or so says the box they came in), and they do add a little flare.

So I guess my running fashion is similar to my regular fashion. For the most part I like to match. I see some folks who put on really the first thing that jumps into their hands, and well, I guess I do put about 15 seconds of thought into making sure that at least my shorts and shirt are matching. I actually did a very nice job today with my NY Giants blue hat, KC Royals shorts and last year's light blue New Haven road race shirt. I also have a little light blue and a similar neon yellow in my shoes to pull it all together.

The other option is going a little over board. For example, I bought some knee high neon pink socks for a movie I was filming a few years ago, and these socks always turn heads. They do well in October, as they are pretty much the same pink you see everywhere for breast cancer awareness. Bright colors are always good because they can be a little over the top, and also they alert cars that you are running on the side of the road!

I've given some thought to picking up a new running outfit for the half marathon this weekend. Really, this is not my style to be so into style. But, I am pretty excited for this thing, and I think that unlike last year, I am not going to be able to get away with the shorts and t-shirt, as it was unseasonably warm then, and it has been seasonable cool recently. I'll let you know what I pick out, or you can just look at the photos when I get the page up under Races next weekend.

So anyway you do it, strut your stuff. Think practical and stay safe, but outside of that, anything goes!

Hills

Hills: 40 minutes of continuous hills

Distance: 4.4 miles

Time: 40:35

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: The Darkness, One Way Ticket to Hell...And Back

Ain't nothing more concerning than walking out the door at 4:30AM and smelling a fresh skunk spray. You just know that that little critter is still somewhere close, and probably in an ornery mood. With it being so dark out, you really aren't sure where the little guy could be. Fortunately we didn't have any run-ins. Although, I do think that I might have seen a small fox run across my path as I was half way up a hill!

This run was a good example of how good it is to just get started running. It's Friday, and all these early mornings do start to add up. Plus, it's getting colder out there, and just standing around to put my headphones on gets chilly, even with the proper clothes. So when I hit start on my running ap and stopwatch, those first few steps are not the most exciting. About 0.25 miles into it, you're thinking, "man, are my knees sore? What's this all about?!"

And then, half way through the first set of hills you start to realize that you are warming up, the tunes are good, and this run is going great. I cannot believe how far I have come on this hill in just the past few weeks. This hill run is SUPER steep, and long. Today I felt like I was running this thing with an ease that I certainly did not feel the first time I ran it. It may be the cooler weather, but I do think that some of this training is paying off!

By the time I am on the last down hill to home, everything just felt right. I was nice and awake. My legs felt great, and my overall conditioning felt really good too. I switched out more of a speed / tempo run this morning for these set of hills, and I'm glad that I did. Something I would have never said 3 months ago!

Tempo Run

Tempo: Eight repeats of 3 minutes warm up/cool down pace, then 3 minutes of all-out fast pace (obviously this gets slower by the end!)

Distance: 5.4 miles

Time: 48:41

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: Genesis, We Can't Dance

Well running fans, it has become obvious that even the most passionate of us gets a little tired, bogged down and sick sometimes. It is official that the weeks where I work all-night on call, I am just that little bit less motivated to get up early in the morning and make that late-week run. I dropped a run two weeks ago (call week), and then again last week (call week). To make matters worse, return of the GI bug this past weekend, and loss of my distance run. With under two weeks to the half marathon, I'm not too excited about this.

The good news, today's run felt great - and I'm still a little queasy from the weekend. My legs felt really good underneath me, and maybe sometimes its good to get a break in there. Looking ahead, I should be able to hit all of my runs between today and the half marathon, so I think that I will be good. Think of it as a "very serious taper" up to this point.

In all seriousness, this kind of stuff is going to happen, and it's important to recognize that it's happening, and then get back on the horse. Ain't nothing wrong with dropping two runs, as long as you don't let those two be the beginning of a two or three week stretch, where you will start losing some time and endurance.

So I'm feeling good. I'm back at it. And we'll see how the rest of the week goes!

Tempo Run

Tempo: Ten minutes easy warm up. 2 minutes sprint, 2 minutes easy; repeat times 5. Ten minutes of easy cool down.

Distance: 4.2 miles

Time: 40:23

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Disturbed, Indestructible

After running that longer distance over the past weekend, my legs needed a few extra days to recover. So I didn't get out to this week's mid-week runs until today, Wednesday. I found mostly that my quads were sore, which is great. I usually have left lateral knee pain and hamstring issues when I'm injured. This was more that "good" pain you feel after a good workout.

This all got me to thinking about pain and running while out this morning. All five of my sprints this morning were up a slight hill. By the last one, there was some definite pain. I was listening to NPR on the ride in to work the other day, and one of the old cranky dudes was talking about why people like to do things that appear to most other people as painful. The conclusion was that you don't like the pain part, but rather the part when the pain goes away. I think that this is true. The best part of a race is when you sprint through the finish line, and then it's all over. There is a whole infusion of hormones, adrenaline and endorphins right at that moment. It is a great feeling.

Then there is the lasting pain of say a great workout at the gym. My wife talks about this all the time. She'll say, "My arms are sore from working out. This is great!" And I totally get that. It's like the quad pain that I have been feeling over the past three days.

Then there is the pain that you get while on a run or after a run, that isn't the same. The key here is to figure out is this an upcoming injury, or is this just the aches and pains of being a runner. Almost everyone who runs will tell you that your legs have good days and bad days. This isn't just energy, power and endurance, some of it is pain too. There are runs where as soon as I start out my legs are achy in all different spots. I usually say to myself, "just keep running, and this will go away after 0.5 miles or so". And, it usually does. I'm sure a warm up and stretching would prevent this!

Injuries are a whole 'nother ballgame, and really put a damper in the whole processes. There are two kinds of injures, with two kinds of pains. There is the acute injury like a fall, twisted ankle or hamstring pull on the treadmill (yikes!). This pain is sudden and you really can't miss it. Most of the time you are stuck with a long rest and a walk home. Then there is the nagging injury - often a left over from an acute injury. These often come with some form of not-smart training. Wrong shoes, too hard, too fast, too long, not warming up, not stretching. You get what I'm saying. But like everything in life, the key is to learn from your injuries, get back to running when you can, go slow at first, and run smart. In no time, you are back to the good pain, and the bad pain is behind you!

Distance

Run: 120 minutes of easy distance, hilly.

Distance: 12.5 miles

Time: 118:35

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ .5

Gut: ★ ★ ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: Metallica, Death Magnetic and St. Anger

Tomorrow may be the first day of fall, but today certainly had the feel of summer about it. I officially dropped a run this past week - which made me feel terrible, but work and lack of sleep just led to it not happening. Catching up on sleep and the weekend's events made this week's distance run a little tricky. I managed to get out at about 10:30 this morning, which was nice, but a little more than I bargained for.

This was my longest run before the half marathon in a few weeks, and so I knew I was looking at about 12 miles. We had some rain earlier this morning, and I had to put the run off until a little later. There was actually some break in the clouds, and I made run for it, literally, at 10:30. The after effect of the rain was that it was quite humid, and the sun poked through the clouds several times, making the 74 degree weather seem pretty hot and steamy overall.

While tough and painful, it was actually a good set-up for the upcoming 13.1 miles. I certainly was dehydrated for the second half of the run, and I was able to experience the overwhelming occasional feeling of wanting to stop and take a break, and instead powering through it. I had a few moments of running in this weird fog where your brain is staying stop, but your legs keep going, and you really don't seem connected. Then there are those times you are just in a fog, and when you come to, you've cleared a mile. All great practice for what I hope to be a good showing in a few weeks.

Part of me wants to give it another go next weekend, and see how I do. Really, there is no point in shooting for a personal best on a training run. A lot of the lessons learned about why today may not have been the most optimal 12 miles will hopefully be learned for the upcoming race. And in the best news possible, no sign of injury, and we are starting our taper! I'm very interested to see how this all plays out!

Tempo Run

Tempo: Ten minutes easy warm up. 25 minutes at half-marathon race pace. Ten minutes of easy cool down.

Distance: 4.9 miles

Time: 46:27

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: The Offspring, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

Man, I am totally in my element running in this cool weather. There is just something about running with a winter hat, light gloves and leggings under my shorts that makes me feel all cozy on these cool fall morning runs. This morning's run started off nice and cool once I got outside - you certainly couldn't comfortably pull this run off in shorts and a T-shirt. Once I got started on the first 0.5 mile of the warm up part of the run, I was all warmed up and the cool air around me was nothing but refreshing. At the end of the run, seeing the steaming coming pouring off of my gloves and arms in the light of my head lamp while drinking some water was very cool and mysterious.

I also think that some of my favorite runs are in the fall. The Hartford Half Marathon is coming up in just a few weeks. That's really what most of this training is leading up to, and it's been my biggest run of the year. But after that there are some great 5K races around town, and then the Manchester Road race on Thanksgiving. We've got some great races in the Spring and in the Summer, don't get me wrong. But the fall time just seems like the perfect time of year for a road race.

So I'm psyched to have found my running hat and gloves. And I'm even more excited to get out in this beautiful early fall weather and put them to use!

Distance

Run: 90 minutes of easy distance, hilly. Last 20 minutes at race pace.

Distance: 9.4 miles

Time: 93:11

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Led Zepplin, Led Zepplin (Disc 2 and 4)

You can't having a running blog without eventually tackling the issue of the bathroom. Now I'll try not to get into too much detail, but this post will cover the concept that I like to call the "poop emergency". Most everyone has heard of this concept when they start thinking about distance running, and certainly there must be something to it. So here goes.

Now I've never had the whole catastrophe of not making it to a safe at least semi-private location for this on a long run, or in a race, but I've certainly seen it happen. I think the concept is either: 1) you don't want to give up the time to find a secure location to take care of things, and therefore slow up your pace or 2) the proper locale just doesn't present itself in time. Either which way, things are pretty uncomfortable, and then rhythmic pounding of the pavement does little to help.

Now the smartest of runners will have this all wrapped up before the start of a serious race or long distance run, but sometimes this just cannot be planned for. When you find yourself stuck, it usually comes on gradually, but then there comes the moment where action is required. When the brain-intestine link decides it's time, the clock is ticking. When reasonable alternatives do not present themselves, it's time to look for plans B, C and D.

When you find your location, it's close to the best thing in the world. It's nice to catch a break from the race pace, but even better is getting back into the race. It becomes like you are running a whole other race, and for a few miles you can take on anything. It's like all the emotion and turmoil of running the race and crossing the finish line all wrapped up into a two minute reenactment in a cruel (and usually hilarious after the fact) mini theater.

So prepare as best you can, but if you are going to find yourself going out for more and more long distance runs, beware of the "poop emergency", and watch as your cut off for things that you thought you would never do begins to become much more flexible!

Hills

Hills: 10 minutes easy out to the hill. Three sets of 8 minutes hills (one minute up, one minute down) with 5-6 minutes easy run in between sets. 10 minutes easy run home.

Distance: 6.5 miles

Time: 56:56

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: Sevendust, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow

There was just no way that I was getting up at 4 AM this morning. I hit the snooze only once, and decided no way! The sleep felt good, but I spent a good portion of the morning trying to figure out how I was going to fit in this hill run AND the weekend long run. After a lot of thinking, it was looking like I was going to have to drop this run.

Then everything really fell together in the afternoon at work, and I was out of there way ahead of my usual schedule. I drove home and realized that I didn't have any of my work constraints keeping me from running at night, being Friday night and all. So I quickly checked in with the family, threw on my running stuff, and headed out for the hill up the road.

What a beautiful evening it was running at sunset. The view from the hill was perfect for checking out the setting sun lighting up the clouds in the sky all different colors of red, pink and orange. Since I wasn't waking up during the first part of the run, like on my morning runs, I had great energy the whole run. And since I wasn't rushing off to work right after I was able to sneak in some extra distance in between the hill sets, which extended the great run.

Moral of the story - mix it up and think creatively, it just might create the best run of the week!

Tempo Run

Tempo: Five minutes easy warm up, then three sets of 10 minutes half-marathon race pace, followed by five minutes easy (I dropped the last five minutes of easy running to wrap things up)

Distance: 4.5 miles

Time: 45:55

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: Guns 'N Roses, Use Your Illusion I

Oh yeah, what a great run this morning. It is beautiful out there, and the fall is certainly coming. What a great time of year for running.

So this morning I was thinking of writing down all of the things that I need to do to get out the door to run. I wanted to write this down mostly for memory, because it seems like I always miss something and then have to come back in and get it.

For starters, my alarm clock goes off at 4:00 AM. A five-minutes snooze times two, and I'm out of bed at 4:10 AM. Then it's in to the bathroom to brush my teeth and the usual. I keep my running watch in the bathroom, so I have to remember to pick this up and put this on. Now if I was smart enough I have on some of my running clothes from the night before, otherwise I need to find the right socks, shorts, shoes and shirt. This morning's shirt had to be long sleeve, and as it gets cooler there will be the pants or leggings. Then I grab my phone and running shoes and head downstairs.

Here we have to get the coffee started, and I mean HAVE TO! I want to make sure I have a nice cup of joe while I write in my blog when I get back. I usually put my shoes on in the kitchen, and then fill up my water bottle. Lastly I grab my head lamp and put it over my head (this is what I forgot this morning. This little device is still new to me). Then I unlock the door, head outside and grab my headphones out of the car.

If I'm lucky I'll have all this stuff gathered, and will be putting my water bottle down on the fire hydrant before 4:30 AM. Then it's a matter of picking the music for the run, setting the stop watch, and taking those first steps up the hill around the loop that is my neighborhood. It seems like a bit of a routine, but you have to have it, because believe me, it's early!

Distance

Run: 80 minutes of easy distance, hilly. Last 20 minutes at race pace

Distance: 8.8 miles

Time: 80:14

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ .5

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Chevelle, This Type of Thinking Could Do Us in

The great diagnostician returns! I'm not sure if you read my last post, but suffice it to say, my run on Thursday was bad news. I thought that a few strange combination of events were coming together to make the run so bad, but by the end of the morning, I had it figured out. I was SICK! It was one of those awful 24 hour GI things, but then it was over. The funny part is that I wasn't able to put together the chills, body aches and upset stomach symptoms to come up with why that run felt so bad! By the end of it all, I am impressed that I pulled off that work out with the way I ended up that day. I am not impressed with my self-doctoring skills!

Today's run was exactly the opposite in how I felt. It was a beautiful weekend morning, and this long distance run was great. My legs felt great on the long continuous portion of the run. The increased pace at the end was a challenge, but good to start pushing myself at a distance. I'm sure that I ran at least the 8.8 miles, and looking back on previous runs, I bet I was even over 9 miles. This phone ap that I have really isn't cutting it anymore. I may have to think about another technology investment, if I am going to keep distance accurately for everyone (and myself!). We are on pace for a good week!

Tempo Run

Tempo: 15 minutes easy warm up, 15 minutes of a steady pace (picking up your breath), then 15 minutes all out (5K race pace / breathless)

Distance: 5.2 miles

Time: 46:05

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ .5

Gut: ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ .5

Soundtrack: AC/DC, AC/DC Live

Man, this was not a great run this morning! Nobody likes complainers, but this tempo run just felt bad. Don't get me wrong, I got in my time and my pace, but I'm still feeling yucky about it 15 minutes after it's over.

So problems: 1) It's getting cold again. That's mostly just a sad thing. I can't believe I will be wearing long pants and a hat soon! But my cold little ears set up for that brain freeze type of headache, which kept popping up every half mile or so. Now, the good part about cold is that my water bottle gets nice and cold while it's sitting and waiting for me on top of the fire hydrant outside my house!

2) This run was FAST. I think that I psyched myself up for it a little, but the last 15 minutes had me working. In reality that's the point, but I also think that I was a little extra tired getting up this morning, as I burnt the candle on the other end last night getting caught up on some work.

3) Lastly, and what I think is the big culprit here is that I decided to get a little extra protein in my diet as of this past weekend. You know the chalky chocolate powder stuff, with more protein than your intestines can handle! I figured this would help me replace some of the less healthy meats that I'm eating through the week, and would help me lean up a little with the running and my recent strong showing at the gym. The problem though, is that this stuff just makes you bloated, especially for the first few weeks. So this run this AM was a big dose of nausea, and I really wasn't able to get in my half-way sip of water. That definitely wouldn't have stayed down - yuk!

So there you have it. Now that this blog is written, I'm feeling better about the whole thing, and by the time I get to work, I'll be very happy that I got this run in under my belt - even if it didn't feel so hot while I was doing it!

Hills

Hills: 45 minutes of continuous hills. Faster up the hills, easier on the flat parts.

Distance: 4.2 miles

Time: 44:44

Performance Stats (out of 5 ★)

Legs: ★ ★ ★ ★

Gut: ★ ★ ★ ★

Energy:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Mind:  ★ ★ ★

Overall:  ★ ★ ★ ★

Soundtrack: Fun Lovin' Criminals, Crime and Punishment

Nothing better than new stuff! So after the race yesterday I took one good look at my running shoes and new it was time for a new pair. The back of the left heel was fairly worn, and the sides of the heal were starting to buckle in. I've had those shoes for about a year, and they have seen plenty of distance.

I made my way over to the New Balance store and bought a new pair of the exact same show, the 1260. I'm not exactly sure what the number stands for, but the shoe has been very reliable and came recommended by the salesman a year ago. I also purchased New Balance inserts at the time and again, and these have worked out well too. A little less pounding on the foot, and they keep you from over-pronating while running. I'm convinced these shoes did a lot to reduce my knee tendentious over the past year. The shoes felt great today, and I never missed a step (nice!). It felt like running in my old shoes, which is exactly what you want.

Since I was out, I decided also to look for a running head lamp. I found an excellent LED lamp at the local EMS. They had all sorts of kinds, but I settled on one of the brightest, and one that could be recharged. I put this on today, and ran up my steep dark hill next to my house. It was as if I was running in the day-time. Now, the whole road wasn't lit up, but I could see exactly where I was going, and where to put my feet. It certainly gives you a little more confidence that you are not going to end up on your face doing hills.

Not a bad set of purchases. Running certainly isn't the most expensive hobby, but sometimes you do have to make some investments in keeping yourself safe and healthy. One wrong step, and it's back to square one!

New Haven Road Race 5K

Race: New Haven Road Race 5K

Date: September 1, 2014

Location: New Haven, CT

Official Time: 26:44

Official Lap: 8:37

Place: 836 / 3191

Race Stats

Speed: ★ ★ (deadly error at the start this year)

Hills: ★ .5 (if there was a hill I missed it)

Crowd: ★ ★ ★ ★ (fairly crowded)

Party: ★ ★ ★ ★ (rocking!)

T-Shirt: ★ ★ ★ ★ (creative and cool)

This is my second year running the New Haven Road Race 5K, and I love it. It is a great flat race with a bunch of bands along the way, and a really great after party. This year was pretty hot, and fairly muggy. Even with that, there was a record showing.

Check out my web page dedicated to the New Haven Road Race for all of the details. They did manage to sneak in a little snafu this year attempting to make the start better. The thought was that splitting up he men and women would allow us to get into a running pace faster. Unfortunately, the men's start ran right into the finish gates after 100 yard of running, and the bottleneck here killed any hopes of a personal best.

Once we got going, the very flat course was quite forgiving as usual. The bands were great, and lots of folks turned out to cheer the runners on. The after party was a blast with free beers, and delicious garlic ciabatta bread - love it!

I'll be back next year. Let's hope they find a little more creative way to get this race started!!