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

Steamboat...getting close

Opening day is getting close. I won't be out until early December...but it's still exciting.

Tridia iTivity

I received an email a couple of weeks ago encouraging me to try out Tridia iTivity. This sounded ok...it's supposed to be a remote support application that supports multiple platforms. The tagline on Tridia's site actually says, "iTivity lets you connect to any computer, anyplace, anytime to close more cases." Evidently "any computer" doesn't include Mac OSX because they don't natively support it.

Anyway....another rant.

Getting Cold...

The leaves are falling, as are the temps. The boat is put away, the docks are out of the water...it must be about time for snow. There's actually snow forecasted for Thursday.

Can't wait to get to Steamboat.

Climbing...

I managed to get into some trees last weekend. This was a huge step for me. I haven't felt comfortable with working my abs that hard since surgery. I needed to do some major arborist type stuff. I have an ash tree which thankfully hasn't yet sucombed to the dreaded bore.

Anyway...it was a good thing. I was exhausted...but in a very good way.

- Scott

Cool / Free software

From the "more cool software for free" category. Here are a handful of tools that I use on a regular basis that are free...or close to it.

blogspot - this is what the Minards are using for the racetograce blog
Jeff's blog
My blog


Aqua Data Studio - very nice cross-platform query analyzer - use for iSeries/SQL Server/whatever

Taco HTML Editor - html editor for Mac OSX

Delicious - bookmarking site...very nice

Firefox - web browser (need I say more?)
Thunderbird - mail client
Lightning - calendaring for Thunderbird

OpenOffice - great MS Office replacement
NeoOffice - OpenOffice, packaged for Mac OSX


VMWare Server - virtualization software - can create virtual images - amazing!!!
VMWare Player - plays virtual images with the server


I haven't tried these yet...but I'm thinking about.
Wink - demo software - like Captivate...but free
WordPress - blogging

Steamboat - First Snow...

Steamboat had their first snow on the morning of 9/18. I'll let the picture speak for itself.

Changing Temps and Refocusing

The last week has been a whirlwind. It might be the weather changing with the shift to fall, but I've caught a big burst of creative energy. In the last week I've been chasing alot of different things. I'm digging into Laszlo pretty heavy. If you're not familiar with it, Laszlo is a very unique web application development toolset. The beauty is in the interface. Laszlo creates Flash-based interfaces that allow a web application to perform as a true application rather than a bunch of page refreshes.

Fall - thinking of Winter

The weather turned pretty sharply here in the Midwest in the last few days. It's been grey and rainy and in the low 60's during the day. This is actually my favorite time of the year. The crisp air and turning leaves makes me think about skiing. I'm trying to pick up my leg work to prep for my December Steamboat trip. Last year I worked my legs pretty heavy with squats and presses and it really paid off.

I'm still planning on running the 25K next spring...so that's another reason to get my leg workout a little more dialed in.

Labeler

I picked up a Brother QT500EC last week. This was a little pricey, and before using it, I did a quick price check online. I found that this is marketed as the QT500 most places, but Staples sells a bundled package which includes a handheld labeler. I found the QT500 on sale at OfficeMax for $59. It was $129 at Staples. Staples actually price-matched it! There's still a $10 rebate at Staples, and Brother has a $20 rebate. So I may end up getting this for just $29. Nice $100 savings.

Now I just have to put this in place.

More GTD...keeping/getting on track

I'm still struggling with getting on track with using GTD. I'll get on-track with email, but fall behind on the paper side of things. I need to get better with weekly reviews. Tonight I put in place a failsafe. I was feeling many things on my mind...and feeling the stress. I cleared my mind...but I put it all in a single email to myself. This was a quick and dirty approach. The single email is in my inbox...and it arguably could've have been multiple items, but this took much less time and help me keep my momentum.