Ah, beer, my one weakness. My achilles heel, if you will. --Homer Simpson

I have been ignoring my blog for a week or so. It's not that I have been lazy or too busy to post. I have been pissed off. Pissed off at me and my stupid non-athletic body. Pissed off at my parents for giving me crappy genes. Pissed off because every time I feel like I am finally starting to take my running to another level, I get hurt. Injured. Incapacitated. Wounded. Battered. Bruised. Damaged. Gammy (don't ask me--it is listed as a synonym).

So what is it this time? Well let me take you back. The other day I mentioned a training plan that I created to shave 18 minutes off my half-marathon time, right? Ludicrous, sure, especially when you consider that the half is in 6 weeks or so. Regardless, I was going to make an effort.

The meat of my plan was going to be speed work and tempo runs. I figured if I could work up to a 6-8 mile tempo run, I would be doing good for my goal. Last week or I so, I had a couple of great speed workouts--a mile on, a mile off intervals. I also did a fantastic tempo run of 3.5 miles (plus a warm-up and cool-down). I was doing great and feeling great.

Then I got a pain in my left heel. On Wednesday of last week, I headed out for an easy run to get ready for my Turkey Trot the next day. After that 5 mile run, my foot was in serious pain. I couldn't even wear shoes because the back kept rubbing up against the problem spot. Didn't take me long to figure out what it was: Achilles tendinitis. Turns out it is a common running injury. Onset occurs after an increase in miles (which doesn't apply) or an excess of speed work. Ugh.

I skipped my Turkey Trot and hadn't run at all since last Wednesday. From what I read, it is ok to do some running as long as I am not stupid about it. Today I did a 3 mile TM run and it felt pretty good. It hurts a little now, but not much. I have been icing and popping Motrin. I am hoping this goes away quickly. I need to get back on track for the half. Maybe not a 2 hour half...

I am of to Portland, Oregon tomorrow and I will be running. How can you go to Portland and not run? It is like a runners paradise I hear.

What about you? Any experience with Achilles tendinitis?

More Lazy Days

I guess I should stop being lazy and actually post to my blog. I feel like I have been as lazy with my training as I have been with blog posting. For the second straight week, I only ran 3 times. I could make excuses, but I really don't have any. The weather certainly doesn't help. In fact, I tried to run one day this week, but with 30 mph winds, I decided to stay indoors. Lazy.

Ok, so here is my week: Tuesday I ran 4 miles. I think I already posted about that. On Friday I had a great, fun run. The wifey joined me for a 7 mile speed workout at the Lake. And for the first time, she did not totally annoy me (while running). I am extremely proud of her because she has never run that far before and never with mile long speed interval's. We had a great time. And to wrap up my running week, I hoped on the treadmill for 3 miles on Saturday. I am hating the treadmill so much lately. I just want to be out there! I did manage to make it to the gym twice this week for some ab punishment and weight training.

Not too bad, I guess, but certainly not great. I have this ginormous goal of knocking 17 minutes off my half-marathon time and the race is LESS THAN 2 months away. I've got a great training plan that I just put together today that I am going to start tomorrow. Well, it might not be great. It might be crap. I will know after the race.

I flew to Phoenix today; my site is actually in Tucson and this is my first time here. Found a lot of great running spots so I should be set. The weather is phenomenal! High 70's today. It was nice not having to pack any cold weather gear for this short trip.

I guess that's all I have. I leave you with a picture of my wonderful Piper eating an Oreo for the first time in her life. Oh, and there is a good reason why we have Oreo's in the house. I promise.

From 20008-11-19 Piper's First Oreo and Fun at the Park

At the End of the Day...

I told myself that I was going to take this week off from training. I figured I deserved it. Laziness wasn't to be today. I woke up at 5:30 when the wifey's alarm went off and I couldn't get back to sleep. So I stayed in bed and turned on a recorded episode of Bones. Watched most of that before I decided to go to the gym for a quick workout. I have been trying to get back to my routine of weight training. I have been TERRIBLE with it lately--especially with ab work. And, if I am really aiming to shave 18 minutes off my half marathon time in January, I have to do everything right. That means more punishment to my abs. And it was a pretty good workout.

Got home, started doing some work, gave Piper a bath (diaper leak), threw in some laundry. You know, all the normal things you do in the morning. Then, around 10 AM, I got a work call that really, really irritated me. It got the blood pumping and heart beating. I decided that a run might be the best way to work off some of that energy and calm me down.

I headed out to the lake for a speed workout. The goal was 1 mile at a conversational pace and 1 mile at my 5k race pace--do that twice for a total of 4 miles. Not sure what my 5k race pace is yet but I know I can do 8:00 miles; that is what I did at my last 5k. Didn't quite hit that today, though. Here is my split pace per mile:

Mile 1: 10:20
Mile 2: 9:00
Mile 3: 10:30
Mile 4: 8:46

Pretty darn happy with this run. 2 hour half marathon here I come! Ok, so maybe I am being a bit unrealistic, but let me have my fun!

A few things before I go:

1. My race pictures are up. Take a look at my agony. Why do race pictures always make the person look like they are walking. What do I need to do differently so I look like a speed demon?
2. Running Warehouse has an additional 25% off all sale items. Got a new pair of shoes for $50! Click here for the discount. You can't use both this discount and my site discount together--it's one or the other. Sale ends on Sunday, November 23, 2008.
3. Nike has issued a voluntary quality return on it's Nike+ Sports Band. Read: we know this product is crap so send it back. They are redesigning it after the frequent problems people have had. I know mine had to be replaced once already. I am sending that bad boy back. Details can be found here.

Tulsa World Route 66 Half Marathon Race Report

The race didn't go as well as I was hoping. I was shooting for a 2:10 time. I finished in 2:18. Ok, so I guess that isn't so bad, but it still sucks not to hit your goal. I cruised through the first 9 or 10 miles. Felt great. Then came the first of 2 or 3 big hills. That was it for me. Ran out of gas. Ran out of steam. It wasn't pretty. Who puts big hills at the end of the race?? I only did one 13 mile training run leading up to this race. There just wasn't a lot of time for more after the leg injury. I think that is what did me in.

Race morning was cold, cold, cold. But once the run started it warmed up pretty quick. I thought the race was well organized, volunteers were helpful and friendly, and parking was a breeze. I highly recommend this race--just a great all around experience.

Ok so here are all the details for your amusement:
You see, I suck. Here :
So there you go. Not awful, but not good. I plan on a better showing in Phoenix in January. 2 hours flat, baby! Gotta dream big, right?

Congrats to Laura for finishing the Route 66 Marathon and Jill for completing the inaugural Rock n Roll Marathon San Antonio.

Lazy Days

I have been feeling extra lazy this week. Not wanting to run--not wanting to get out of bed for that matter. I think it is the cold weather. I don't mind so much running in the cold weather. It is the actual process of leaving the glorious warmth of my bed, getting dressed, and heading out.

Because of my laziness, I have only run twice this week. I am calling it tapering for my half-marathon this weekend. Pretty weak, I know.

So two runs this week. First was a sad three miler at Mitch Park. I think part of my problem is that I have been leaving later than normal to do my runs. If I start at 8 or 9 in the morning, i have too much on my mind. I need to check my e-mail, call this customer, do my expenses. Today, I got up at 6 and had a great 6 mile run. When I wake early, I don't feel like there is something else I should be doing. Except sleeping maybe.

Oh, and I reconfigured the display screen for my Forerunner 405 based on Alissa's recommendations. So now it reads: distance run, overall average pace, and last average lap pace. The laps are set to a mile. These settings seem to work a little better for me. Thanks again, Alissa!

And finally, a schedule change again and it looks like I am headed back to Seattle next week. I am staying right near Lake Union which looks like a fun place to run. While researching I found this picture essay I wanted to share. Enjoy.

Lake Hefner on my Mind

I went to Oklahoma City's mecca of running, biking, and rollerblading: Lake Hefner. The Hefner Trail is a 9ish mile asphalt trail around said Lake. Hefner is "the" place to run, or so it would seem. Whenever I mention running to friends and others, they always ask "do you run at Hefner". And, until today, I have never gone out there to run. For some reason, in my mind, Hefner is the place that "real" runners run. I never felt like I belonged out there. It's funny because when I am out of town, I have no problems running wherever I can--I don't really worry about things. Maybe I was just scared of Hefner. Regardless, I had a blast out there today. With the half-marathon next weekend, I figured one time around the lake would be a perfect distance as I attempted to take it easy this week. Although, admittedly, 13.1 miles is not that much when I think about all the bloggers out there running marathons this time of you.

I met a fellow runner who finished his run at the same time as me today. Even though I would call Chuck a fellow runner, we are not in the same league to say the least. Chuck completed the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii last month. Finished in 12 hours--finished the marathon portion of the race in 3:40. He also ran Boston this year. Awesome! Great guy, by the way. The running community continues to amaze me with how open and accepting it is (for the most part).

The only problem I had (and it wasn't really a problem) was with the Garmin. The pace seemed to be off through most of the run. In fact, at one point, it said I was running a 12 minute mile pace when I was clearly hauling butt. I noticed that Ironman Chuck was wearing a Garmin so I asked him if he ever had that problem. He echoed what Lisa said in a recent comment: the info displayed while running shouldn't be taken as gospel. The average pace, however, is normally correct. So once you download the info from the unit, that data should be pretty accurate.

Also, you may recall me mentioning problems I was having with the Garmin in Seattle. Without a doubt, it was just the area (big city, tall buildings, etc.) causing the problems. The GPS unit I use in the car had many hiccups throughout the city. I would be driving along and all of a sudden the unit thought I was on a completely different street. It was a pain--but at least I confirmed that it was not the Garmin causing the issue.

Also, I asked for recommendation on software to use with the downloaded data. Lisa (again) recommended SportsTracks and I absolutely love it. And it is free. I highly recommend you use this product instead of Garmin Connect. Thanks Lisa!

One last thing: I am home this week! First, I was scheduled to go to Minnesota and that canceled. Then, I got roped in to going to Georgia. I coworker of mine volunteered to take that from me. So now I am home. Woo-hoo! After this break, I am off to Philadelphia one week, Phoenix the next, and then maybe Portland. All over the place...

City Run Ain't No Fun

I am in rainy Seattle. First time here and I am really enjoying it. I always enjoy the big city. I know I will never live in a big city, now that I have a fam and all, so I always like traveling to one for a few days.

The hotel where I am staying is in a great location. It is the Springhill Suites downtown—within a few minutes of all the major attractions. To top it off, the hotel offers free passes to the 24 Hour Fitness which is right across the street. You can’t beat that. In fact, I used it yesterday morning. I woke up at 4 in the morning with the idea of running outside. It was cold, wet, and windy. And wet. And cold. So I headed across the street for a 4 mile TM speed run.

This morning, however, I went outside and ran through the city. It was 38 degrees, windless, and rainless. Good enough for me! Alas, I didn’t have much fun at all. There were a lot of blocked roads and sidewalks (due to construction). I couldn’t just run down a road for a mile and back up for another. I was all over the place. And for me, that is kind of scary, especially since I have a terrible sense of direction. My goal was to run to the Space Needle and back. Which I did, but it was interesting trying to make it down there. Check out the map from my Garmin. Looking at it, you would figure it would be just a straight shot. Uh, no. Well, I guess I could have gone straight down Denny, but I decided to make a side trip for some reason, probably scenery. Denny was boring--nothing to look at.

Anyway, I guess this takes me to my first review of the Garmin 405. I liked it and hated it at the same time. The problems I had might be due to running in the city--perhaps the tall buildings interfered with the satellite connection or something. Anyway, take a look at the map again. I started my run going west on Denny Way. But notice that I was recorded running through buildings nowhere near the actual road. What's up with that? The only time I received a "proper" recording is after I saw the Space Needle and ran down 5th Ave and up Virginia St.; it actually recorded me on the road and not running through buildings and such. Also, sometimes I would look down at the unit and it would say I was running a 15 minute pace and then erratically jump to 10 and then back up again. It's gotta be the buildings, right?

I am going to try it again when I get home this weekend and see how it functions. Other GPS users, what program do you use to view your data? Do you just stick with the Garmin Connect or do you have something better?

To check out my run data on Garmin Connect, click here. Take a close at my Max Pace results. You know that's off!