Back at it...

Well...here we go.

I started back into running last night. I ran about 2 miles...with lots of foot work and stretching. The ripped calf kinda scared me...I'm not anxious to feel that all to familiar "pop" again. Tonight I did 50 calf raises on each leg...on stairs...with lot's of stretch.

I'm planning to run the "Candy Cane Run" on Dec 15th...which is either 1, 3, or 6 miles. I'd like to run 6...but we'll see how the leg is feeling.

I'm sick of being sedentary...it's time to get my act together.

Big Nerd Ranch

I'm hoppin' a plane tomorrow for Atlanta. It always seems a little weird flying on Friday the 13th, but I seem to end up doing it with regularity.

I'm attending an Objective C/Cocoa Bootcamp at Big Nerd Ranch. I've been told by many that I'm already a big nerd and shouldn't bother with the class. Oh well.

The class is a bonus...I'm allowing it to myself as a reward and to keep my development skills growing. The Objective C portion of the class should strengthen my anemic C skills enough to improve at C based business functions in JDE as well as Qt-based OpenMFG.

The class is 7 straight days, so I should be thoroughly fried by the time I get home.

Treo - does it have to be this painful?

Yesterday my Treo 700P turned itself into a brick. Things started simply enough. The screen wouldn't respond, so I did a quick soft reset. The soft reset thru the device into the flashing loop. I did notice that the all-to-familiar loop was missing the screen with the Palm logo but initially didn't think much about it. I managed to do a hard reset, but to no avail. It turns out that this is an unbreakable loop and my device is evidently worthless at this point. Verizon then proceded to waste most of my day and seemingly push me directly to the Apple Store and a new iPhone. I started playing with the idea of dropping data off my phone and using the iPhone for all the data related activities and some occasional phone calls. This sounds crazy, but the fact is, AT&T just isn't an option for our company. We save a great deal of money using the IN network on VZW. I know that AT&T has mobile-to-mobile, but the lacking coverage and slow data network just don't cut it. In the process of coping with my dead Treo, I switched things over to an older Motorola 815 so I'd be back in touch. Imagine my surprise, I'd forgotten how much better the reception was with the 815. I can actually talk on my phone in my house. No more running outside to have a conference call.

I'm getting a new 700P sent to me, although I'm not sure if I want to use it. When they switched me back to the 815 they automatically dropped all the EVDO/data capabilities from my number. Hmmm...now saving at least $49/month. That base iPhone plan with unlimited data is only $59/month.

Stay tuned...

I DID IT!!!

This past Saturday I ran the 5/3 River Bank Run.

I was keeping a nice pace between 7:50 and 8:00 when at mile 6.5 I felt like my left calf exploded. The "popping" was enough pretty nasty...and suddenly I went from trying to keep in the low 2 hrs...to just trying to finish. I ended up doing a run/walk for the next 9 miles and completed in 2:40:08. Pretty slow...but I did it with a calf muscle tear.

I'm now nursing my leg back to health and will hopefully get back into some racing this summer. I'd like to run a marathon this fall. It sounds like Chicago is closed...so I'm much more likely to do either the GR Marathon or the Boyne2Boyne.

I'm doing the "science experiment thing" with supplements right now. I'm doing a couple of protein shakes a day and I'm doing a handful of other things such as fish oil, glutamine, and starting to toy with creatine. I'm taking the opportunity of a bum leg to get some upper body weight training in. We'll see if creatine really works.

- Zuke

Running...and setbacks...

I haven't posted in awhile because I was experiencing a little let down with running. My knee had been hurting a little, and I backed off on the training to get it healed up a bit. When I started getting back into things, I made a huge mistake. I didn't have much time to get a run in, so I was rushing a bit. A bit too much rushing for adequate stretching. I ran a 4.5 mile trail run, during which I ended up straining my calf. I know better than this, I've suffered calf strains in the past, including last summer/fall to both calves.

So...I dropped the running back to pretty much nil. The Riverbank was starting to come into question. This week I managed to get a couple of 4 mile runs in, as much to test my lungs as anything. The lungs felt decent, so I opted to run the optional "run the course" run with the Mentor Group of GR Running Club. I planned on running til my legs or lungs told me it was time to turn around...then walking if necessary. I ended up running the entire course. It really felt good. I'm hurting now...but I've built my confidence up. I kept my overall pace to a little under 10 minutes and ended up with a 2:30 (it's a 25K run).

The hills are brutal...which makes the last 4 miles or so pretty tough. I didn't injure myself, and my calf actually feels better than before the race. Getting it hot and loose seems to help. The time off healed up my knee as well.

I'm off to Steamboat for the week before the race...actually for work. I'll run out there...but not the big miles. Hopefully running at altitude will help me come race day.

- Scott

Kent City Ridge Run

Last weekend I ran the Kent City Ridge Run 15K. It was a good race, a bit cool, very foggy. Wow...those are some tough hills out there. I ended up running an 8:40 pace, which I felt decent about, especially considering those hills. This is the first time I've raced this sort of distance and it gives me a little more confidence for the RiverBank. I hadn't ran at all the week before because of my knee pain. I could feel the difference in my lungs in particular.

I'm also noticing my lack of motivation when I don't have a race in the immediate future. The combination of muscle strain and not having a race in the next 2 weeks has lead me to skip way too many runs. I'll look to get things back on track during the weeks before and after Easter.

Running...a bit of pain

Like most of us born in the 60's...I lived thru the childhood teachings of "no pain, no gain". This seemed ok at the time, and there's certainly a nugget of truth to it, but in running, serious pain usually means no gain.

I have been taking it easy on my running schedule, trying to get my knee a little healed up. Nothing serious, but I sense I have some strain on my inner right knee, below the joint. I'm using a band, which helps, and things do seem to be getting progressively better.

Today I decided I had to get a run in, no matter how short. I was crunched for time and decided that if I couldn't put in the distance, I'd run a little tougher short run. I opted to run Seidman Park. This is a trail run packed with lots of hills, roots, mud, sand, etc. Remember, I was crunched for time. The first mistake was crunching my stretching time. I stretched, just not to my normal extent. My calves paid the price. A 4.25 mile run has left me limping and icing my left calf. The good news is that the knee feels great. I'm going to finally check into getting a decent deep tissue massage and see if it helps out.

Trail Running...

I've found that the only way that I train consistently is to be comitted to a race. I have a definite let down if I don't have a race scheduled on the calendar. Understand, I'm terribly slow, so the competition side of the race isn't much of a factor. I have been entering races with the primary goal being to finish. This is kind of silly for a 5k or 10k, but obviously pushes me for the 10 milers and longer. I'm currently set to run the RiverBank run (25K) in May. This race has me loosely following the published training schedule. In addition to the suggested training, I'm planning to run either the Strider's Classic 10 miler or possibly the RiverBank 15K training run on April 21st. It's pretty crappy that the RiverBank folks opted to schedule the training run on the same day as the Strider's run. The Strider's run has been around for years and many people use it as a tune-up for the RiverBank. Gazelle's is helping to organize the training run, so was the date purposely set to screw with Strider's??? The Grand Rapids running community should be a bit more cooperative than this. I think this only hurts the effort to get more folks running. Just my 2 cents.

Ok...back to trail running. I'm in Steamboat this week, enjoying the snow, getting good leg work-outs, and getting behind on my miles. Hopefully the skiing/snowboarding will serve as good cross-training and I'll catch up on the cardio back home. I spied an advertisement for a 10k here on June 30th. This is a big race, it's actually the USA Track & Field 10k Trail Championship. This race is on the mountain, starting at 6884' elevation and climbing to 7963' before descending and doing a second loop. This has peaked my interest. I obviously love being in Steamboat, and the thought of tackling a 10k at pretty serious elevation is tempting. I'll keep the blog posted if I decide to push forward with this.

Here are the relevant details:

Climbing: 1,109' vertical X two loops = 2,218 total vertical
Min/Max Elev: 6,884'/7,963'
Climb/Desc distance: 1.34mi/1.76mi

On the map of the race, the road just to the North of the course is Storm Meadows Drive, this is where our condo is.

I'm trying to figure out my next "big run" following the RiverBank. I'm thinking it will probably be the Chicago Marathon. I've never tackled anything approaching that type of distance, but the RiverBank should give me some confidence.

Enough for now.

- Scott

Ouch...

I have been enduring a breakneck pace in the last few weeks. I'm ridiculously overbooked, which in itself isn't so bad, busy is good. I'm dealing with a kind of backward customer in the Toledo area. Last week while I was there...and working late...I ended up settling for some quick Taco Bell after work. Mistake. I thought the onions tasted funny, and sure enough, by noon the next day was hurtin' bad. I ended up losing 14 lbs over 6 days and got knocked further off my running goals. I've managed some running...but I'm way behind on miles. I've obviously sworn off Taco Bell for the indefinite future and I'm slowly working my way back into a running routine. I've drank an incredible amount of Gatorade and Vitamin Water...and I haven't had Diet Mt Dew for over a week (small miracle). Since I'm off the caffeine, I'm trying to stay off of it. It can't hurt to drop a little more garbage.

Running at Altitude

I'm in Colorado this week. I love being out here...and the snowboarding is great exercise...but I still get behind in my miles for the riverbank. Today I decided that had to change. I did a normal training run, but I did it at altitude and with LOTS of hills. Our condo is somewhere around 7500 feet, so I started at 7500...went up to about 8000 and then back down to around 6500 and then back to the condo. Nothing like vertical rise to give you a solid workout. My Nike+ said I ran 2.42 miles...but it felt like at least 5.

I'll try to get a long run in this weekend...but I'll do it down near town...at around 6500 and without too many hills.

- Scott

Getting short...

It feels like the time until the RiverBank run is getting really short. It's not, we still have 103 days, but like I said, it feels short. I took some time off to go out West, which was a little hiccup in my training plans. Don't get me wrong, snowboarding in Steamboat with a couple of Ski Patrollers is a good workout. I am up to 8 miles now...which I think I'm ok with. The trick is going to be having a good week and capping it off with 9 or 10 miles next Sunday.

I was thinking quite a bit today about motivational phrases, words, songs, etc. I was thinking about this while running. One of the "modes" I like to get into while running is a distracted mode. This is when I'm thinking about things other than running. My pace is solid, and my mind just drifts off and I usually snap back to reality a mile or two later. It would be great to turn that on and off as needed. Back to the words and phrases...

I find myself saying "dig" to myself quite a bit while climbing hills. Another one is "distance not pace".

Anyway...time to get back to work.

- Scott

Mentor Training

Tomorrow morning I'll join in on my second mentor run. Last week I ran 3 miles with the group, and although pace isn't supposed to matter, there is a natural competitiveness that pushes me. I ended up getting in a quick workout. I'm looking forward to our 4 miles tomorrow.

I'll see where this group ends up. Every bit of support for the 5/3 will be appreciated.

- Scott

gmaps-pedometer

This one will go down in the "why didn't I try that before" category. I have been running with the Nike+ Sport Kit since July, but had never tried the gmaps pedometer before. Tonight, after grinding thru a 4 mile night run in the cold rain, I synced my run and started browsing Google for other Grand Rapids RiverBank runners. I happened upon Scott Zanskas blog where he talks about using gmaps to double-check his Nike+. I entered my typical route, and whatdoyaknow? Pure amazement.

Here's my running route from tonight. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=636375

Only about 120 days until the big run.

Oh yeah...tonight was the 5/3 KickOff at Craig's Cruisers. I was amazed that getting there at 10 after 5 made me a "late comer". I signed up officially for the race and also joined (officially) the Grand Rapids Running Club.

Beth and I have also signed up for Gazelle's Fun and Fitness program. This is essentially a package of 3 races for a discount amount. There's supposed to be a shirt as well, but they seemed to have ran out of them forever ago.

Things seem to be going well. I'm stretching better than I probably ever have. The "slow and steady" approach appears to be paying off. I listened to my body this week. I only took one day off, but I also ran nice and easy when I thought it was appropriate. This weekend should bring a couple of tougher runs...primarily the 7-miler on Sunday. Saturday's 4-miler with the Mentor program should help me push my pace. Yeah yeah yeah...I know the pace doesn't really matter at this point.

enuf...

On Track...

The running has been going well. I've managed to start getting my miles up, last week's big run was 6 miles. Today is an off day, although I might talk myself into a night run. I've jumped in with the Grand Rapids Running Club's Mentor program. I'm running each Saturday, although I'm not following their program. I'm kind of blending the 5/3 program with the mentor program. I'm currently saving my bigger runs for the weekend. This Sat/Sun should be 4 and 7 miles. Sunday is my big day.

Now if I could just get some weight to come off. I hope that I'm gaining muscle, which should be adding weight and retaining some water. I've actually gained about 5 pounds since beginning a couple of weeks ago. I've tightened up the nutrition, so we'll see what happens. I should be improving my cardio either way.

I'm heading to the 'boat next Thursday, so we'll see if the running helps with the breathing.

- Scott

Missing running???

Recovery day...off day...rest day...

Whatever you call it...it feels strange after running for 4 days straight and still having energy to do more. I actually considered running late at night, but we're in the middle of a heavy downpour that has been going for hours. I've done my fair share of running in the rain...but I couldn't bring myself to get soaked tonight. The key now is to run Friday and Saturday.

- Scott

I feel pretty good...

I'm officially going to pat myself on the back. Beginning Friday, 12/29, I officially went back to running. I'm planning to run the 5/3 25K in May, so it's time to get busy. I've now ran 5 of the last 6 days. Today I did some interval work and my lungs were burning.

Before anyone reads this and decides to lecture me about beginners taking on too much too fast, let me explain my current state of fitness.

Starting in the Fall, I traditionally switch to a hardcore leg and core routine. This is in preparation for skiing/snowboarding. This year was no exception. By October I was doing some heavy leg presses and hitting my abs pretty hard. This always pays off when I head to Steamboat in early December. My December Steamboat trip went well, now I'm prepping for a return to the 'Boat on the 18th of January. The running should help with the cardio aspect, which never hurts at altitude.

Here's my dilemma, I've now ran 4 days straight and I plan to run a longer run on Saturday (today is Wed). I want an off day, which I think I'll take tomorrow and then run a steady 5k on Friday. I've been running a 5k as my standard route and comfortably finishing these, with more consistency each day. The "expert" training recommendation for Saturday is 7 miles. The "beginner" training recommendation for Saturday is 3 miles. I think I'm going to work on a middle distance...maybe 5 miles?

I need to work out my individual plan and figure out my taper for the May 12th run.

- Scott

It's been awhile. I'm sure that's a recurring theme in these blogs...but so be it. Since my last post in October, I've been out to Steamboat...I attempted to ski in Tahoe (not enough snow)...xmas has came and went and I've gotten myself back into running. As you can see...I've been busy.

I'm planning to run the 5/3 Riverbank Run in Grand Rapids, MI in May. This is the biggest run I've ever attempted. This is a 25K, which should be enough to scare the crap out of me. I've heard many people who have said they train for it and then end up running the 5K instead because they're not ready. They usually say that it was worth it because it got them in shape. I'm thinking differently. I want to get a regular routine going. I'm not trying to "become a runner", I'm not big on defining oneself as a "runner" or as a "Republican" or whatever. Titles suck. Anyway...I'm just trying to get back to the shape I used to be in. I think I'm in decent shape now...I've been running about 5.3K as a regular workout...but I would like to lose my extra weight. Dropping another 25 - 30 lbs would help me with Snowboarding, not to mention golf. The idea of sticking around to see my grandchildren someday is a good goal as well.

I've also decided I'd like to work on my Astronomy knowledge. I started doing some reading in the summer, which lead me to get some decent binoculars for xmas as well as a Celestron SkyScout (very cool by the way). While reading a column in an astronomy magazine (sorry can't remember which mag, or which writer) the author answered a question about which telescope a beginner should buy. His answer was that a beginner should first learn the constellations before dropping the cash on a telescope. I followed this advice, although a couple of nights in the backyard playing with the skyscout have me craving a nice scope. It will have to wait.

GTD has been tough to stick with. The ideas are great...and I've definitely put much of it in practice, but the end of year demands on my time have driven my email box back up into the hundreds.

I'm heading back to Steamboat on the 18th for a long weekend with the "Walloon guys". This gives me just a couple weeks to get my running routine truly established. The kids are great...growing like crazy. This is enough for now, I'll try to post again later.

- Scott