Progress

I had a good run tonight. 1.5 miles and it is getting easier. I am looking forward to 2 on Thursday and then 3 on Sunday. Thursday will be good. I can chase my shadows in the neighborhood around TriCounty where the Pacers do the hill workout. Company or no, I'll be out for my two. Maybe Punxsutawney Phil's got a cousin in the neighborhood? Sunday will be the first time for three on this recovery plan. I felt like I could have gone that far last Sunday but held back to stick to the plan. One thing I do not want to do is to go too far too fast and have a relapse. It feels so good to run! May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Alan Webb's High School Mile Record - Video

Via this posting on the Complete Running Network, check out the YouTube video of Alan Webb running 3:53 as a high school miler to break Jim Ryan's long standing record. Well worth watching. He exhibited patience and self control to run a great race. Technorati Tags: Alan Webb, Complete Running Network, YouTube powered by performancing firefox

Will the hills be alive tonight

with the sound of running feet? That was how I opened an email to my fellow runners amongst the Norfolk County Pacers club looking for confirmation if anyone was going to run tonight. Alas, there was no response so I ran alone in the cold. I get bonus points for doing so right? The cold front is roaring into New England this evening dropping the temp to single digits and the wind chill to negative territory. Appropriately layered, heading into the wind going out, coming back was easy. I actually had a section of the run where I felt normal (as opposed to struggling to get back into condition). So that felt good! It can't be cold when you get a good run in. May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Running Plans

Want to run a race but not sure how to plan for it. There are many plans. All have some basics in common. Some have strengths and weakness compared to another plan. You may have heard that one friend used this one, another used that one. Which one is good for you is the real question! A dialog with an experienced runner can help narrow the choices. I, for example, could help you do that. Or you could follow any one of a number of plans. John Bingham has a series of plans for every level of runner here. The real key is to pick a plan. Follow it. Document along the way what you did and how it went. When you have completed the race, look back over what you have done and see how well it worked for you. If it worked well, don't change. There is no need to keep up with the Jones. If it didn't work for you, then talk with someone about it. For example, leave me a comment or send me an email. More than 30 years of running is what I call experience. May the roads/trails be kind to you.

wind chilled

It was COLD this morning, old man winter has finally arrived in New England. Temp in single digits and wind chill in sub-zero area. Did that stop the runners? No. Several of the Pacers were out and about for a long run (10) and the short run (3). I am still working my way back and was scheduled for only two today. I headed out into the wind for one mile and turned around to return the same way with the breeze at my back so I could warm up. Dolores and I went for our walk after I returned from the run. The cold was bothering her so we cut our route short and got our coffee with two miles instead of four. Yes, it is cold! Can't complain too much as this is the first cold this winter. Yes, global warming is here!

Cold run

Less than 20 degrees F with a wind chill further below that when I went out the door to run tonight. Why? It was the first time I was scheduled to run two miles in the recovery plan. Why let a little cold air stop me. You're crazy! No, I prefer dedicated, or passionate, determined, focused... almost anything along that line before crazy. I still think you're crazy. You are entitled to your opinion. May the roads/trails be kind to you, especially in the cold.

A coaching I will go (reprise)

I finally completed the take home exam from the USA T&F Level 1 course I took in March. I had scheduled to do the exam a couple of times earlier but something got in the way. Finally scheduled time on the train (instead of reading) to work through the exam. Doing the second pass on the train was more difficult so this past weekend, I set up the dinning room table and laid out the text and exam. I took a couple of sections at a time and worked my way through it. One question is not covered in the text. Googling for an answer helps to clarify what they are looking for but the question is bogus. It is looking for only one answer and yet two of the choices are exactly the same. A third has the same words in a different order. Order happens to be important but this one is not the proper order. The fourth answer is a throw-away. I am leaving it blank expecting it to be removed from the exam. If not, oh well. I know what they were looking for but the question was a quality problem. Results should be back in about 6-8 weeks they say. I am confident. Only one of the 200 questions is a problem (as noted). I knew many of them on the first pass and figured out the remainder (including proofing those from the 1st pass) during the second pass. Transferring the answers to the fill in the dots score sheet was the last thing I did today. It goes in the mail tomorrow.

Getting there

The mile today was timed in 9:10. Last week it was 9:40. Two weeks down. 6 miles. Another 15-20 miles of walking in the last three weeks, weight work three days each week. It's happening. Two data points don't make for a trend but I like what I see and even better, I like how I feel to be running again. Patience... the road will be open. May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Cold tonight

Yes, this is more like a New England winter today. The temp has dropped to about 28 F for running this evening. It apparently won't last long as it is reported to be in the mid-40's and rainy for the weekend. The mile was okay. My legs were stiff from sitting most of the day and on the train home. I took it easy to start and the kinks got out of the legs eventually. Stay warm. May the roads/trails be kind to you! Technorati Tags: run, running, RBF, CRN powered by performancing firefox

Easy Mile

Caught a late train out of Boston tonight but once home, and changed, the mile was easy. This is good. The mile Thursday should also be easy. This tells me all is going well thus far and I'll be able to up the mileage according to plan next week, May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Franklin Area - Beginning Runners

If this new year, you made a resolution to start running, then there is no time like the present to do so. I can help by providing some guidance and company as you begin to run. I am coming back from a 4-month layoff. I will be running slowly. I will be running three days a week. Yes, three days is sufficient training when one includes some pace work, one does some tempo work and one does some distance. Now, starting out at the bottom, only a single mile at a time, we won't worry about the different workouts until we build a base level of fitness. For me, that means you should be able to run about 3-4 miles comfortably. And no, I don't expect that will happen over night. My current schedule is laid out here. You are welcome to join me. The times and locations of our runs can be found on the Norfolk County Pacers web site. Drop me a line or comment so I will know to look for you. May the roads/trails be kind to you. powered by performancing firefox

Recovery plan

This is my recovery plan as I get started running again. This uses the three-day FIRST Plan with running on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. You can see that the mileage builds gradually each week. Dates shown are for the week ending. My running log week begins Monday and ends Sunday. The three miles this week felt better than I thought they would (fearing the worst). I supplement this running with a walk with Dolores on Sat and Sunday mornings. I schedule for some free weight work on Mon-Wed-Fri mornings as soon as I get up. Hopefully, this will keep me healthy as I come back up to some mileage.

Mileage log available

I have redone my Excel spreadsheet for the new year and have a clean copy if you would like one to track your miles run. The main sheet allows for the entry of the miles on the date. The second and third sheets are charts built with automatic calculations to show the miles per week and days run per week. If you would like a copy, let me know via comment or email and I'll send it to you. May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Second Mile

One other Pacer made it to the workout tonight. We did the warm up loop together and caught up on what's happening with each other. The mile was not long enough but we made it work. So far so good. No problem with the knee. Definitely out of shape but the mile has been good thus far. While the urge is to do more, I'll be patient and progress gradually. May the roads/trails be kind to you!

Running again

After getting clearance to run, I am running again. Today, the first run of the new year, starting from the bottom, I'll be working my way up slowly and gradually to get back to running the 6-10 miles I could do. Today, one mile. As hard as it was to do only one, it feels good! If you know what I mean, there's nothing more to say. May the roads/trails be kind to you.

Happy New Year 2007