Clawing My Way Back

Sounds very encouraging Mike - nice to see you running while feeling good and you give a good reminder about drinking enough fluids - sometimes it seems ridiculous how much you can actually lose in a relatively short period of time. I too will be enjoying the "cold front"!

Nice to see some improvement, Michael.

More hydration is good, especially with the swampy weather you're getting. But are you doing anything for electrolytes?

Taking a supplement like Endurolytes or Succeed is supposed to help a lot, especially for people who are prone to cramping. I even started using them (it's not hot here, but pretty humid when I run and I end up looking like a margarita glass by the time I'm done) and I've noticed my legs seem to enjoy running a lot more.

Something to consider if you're not doing it, perhaps.

Well, I am ahead of schedule. It was hot. I mean hot and humid, but I survived it. The pace was an 8 minute pace the whole way. I took in fluids at the 20 minute, 30 and 40 minute marks. I am thinking the worst is over. I guess it was a hydration issue. Sigh. Bike ride tonight with Pilates. I end with 25 miles this week. Not too bad.

Michael Mitchell wrote:Well, I am ahead of schedule. It was hot. I mean hot and humid, but I survived it. The pace was an 8 minute pace the whole way. I took in fluids at the 20 minute, 30 and 40 minute marks. I am thinking the worst is over. I guess it was a hydration issue. Sigh. Bike ride tonight with Pilates. I end with 25 miles this week. Not too bad.

The whole 7 miles? That is another good sign. 25 miles is good, but even better is figuring out the hydration thing. Good luck with the cycling.

John Kilpatrick wrote:

Michael Mitchell wrote:Well, I am ahead of schedule. It was hot. I mean hot and humid, but I survived it. The pace was an 8 minute pace the whole way. I took in fluids at the 20 minute, 30 and 40 minute marks. I am thinking the worst is over. I guess it was a hydration issue. Sigh. Bike ride tonight with Pilates. I end with 25 miles this week. Not too bad.

The whole 7 miles? That is another good sign. 25 miles is good, but even better is figuring out the hydration thing. Good luck with the cycling.

Yeah I know. I guess I was really skimping on the hydration. When I was at the YMCA, I would just think about getting it done, not hydrating. I was barely hydrating after the runs. Well, that is over. I am shooting for 42 miles next week. Sundays are usually my day off, so I will bike for an hour during my son's nap.

Mark B wrote:Nice to see some improvement, Michael.

More hydration is good, especially with the swampy weather you're getting. But are you doing anything for electrolytes?

Taking a supplement like Endurolytes or Succeed is supposed to help a lot, especially for people who are prone to cramping. I even started using them (it's not hot here, but pretty humid when I run and I end up looking like a margarita glass by the time I'm done) and I've noticed my legs seem to enjoy running a lot more.

Something to consider if you're not doing it, perhaps.

I will Mark. I am trying. I think I have it figured out. Last year, when I was running primarily at home, I was really taking in the fluids. Since I have switched much of my running to the YMCA, dummy me forgot about it. No more. I am done with that. Powerades will be by my side from now on. By the way, before my race in October ( the one that I somehow luckily got first in my age group), I did not take in any fluids at all. Not before, not during and not right after. Wanna guess why I got injured? Sigh. Oh well, I learned. I will look into your suggestion.

John Kilpatrick wrote:Sounds very encouraging Mike - nice to see you running while feeling good and you give a good reminder about drinking enough fluids - sometimes it seems ridiculous how much you can actually lose in a relatively short period of time. I too will be enjoying the "cold front"!

Well for us, we have the first real "bona fide" fronts come through around September 25. I say cold front, but it usually just dries us out and the nights are comfortable. You want real fronts, October. Usually for the race I run, it is in the mid 40's and sunny. I am hoping for it to be that way again. Yeah, I have gotten the "drink more fluids" drummed into my head now.

Ahead of schedule sounds good. What do the Y people think of you?

Today is an off day. That means, one hour bike ride watching soccer. This should be fun. After the run, I was sore on my Achilles and a little on my Soleus, but nothing that was/cannot be worked out. Going to mow, which help even more. Otherwise, looking forward to a good week, both work wise ( tons of things to do. I am now reporting to the president of the college and not the dean. She loves to push us to what we can be, not where we have been. That is why I respect her a ton.) and running wise. I am gunning for 6 straight runs of 8 minute pace. (7 miles) The folks at the YMCA? They are busy doing their own thing. Sometimes I get weird looks, but otherwise, they are there for themselves.

1 hour bike ride equalled 15 miles. Sunday bike workout. Really nice. I will get up at 6 am to get my 30 minutes on the bike tomorrow. The goal is to stick with an 8 minute pace for 7 miles to Wednesday. I will then make an inventory if I am ready for 7:45 pace. I think I will be, but I need assurances from my body. Until then, lots of fluid and GU. Oh by the way, so little squeaks in the bike. I am going to have to tighten some items down. Otherwise, good for the 114 I paid for it. I have 15 miles biking this week.

I swear this summer will be one to remember. Sheesh. I am mowing yesterday at 9:30 am. It is 85 degrees and it feels 95. I am doing the backyard, when I feel something bite me ( or so I thought) and my finger, lower part, swelled up. There was no pain, just swelling. I went and biked and did my normal routine. I had my appointment with my DC ( who is also a nurse practioner) and figured I would let him see it. Guess what? I broke a small blood vessel. Yep, that is what I did. Hydration. You gotta be kidding me. I was going to bike this morning, but got lazy and said...nahhh...I will hydrate 20-25 oz before my 7 miler, GU 10 minutes before, hydrate during the run and finish with 20 oz afterward. That should do it. Talk to you later.

Well, not quite that bad. LOL. I took yesterday off for I had to work until 5 pm, so I lost my lunchbreak. I normally run from 4-5 pm, but not yesterday. Maybe it is a good thing for two days off. I do have my routine down. 20-25 oz of fluids and a GU 10 minutes before the run. During the run, one or two swigs and finish off after the run with 20-25 oz. That should do me. I am running 7 miles at an 8 minute pace today, tomorrow and maybe Thursday. Friday and Saturday, I will experiment with 7:42 pace. That would give me a 7:30 pace to start on Monday. I did bike 15 miles last night in one hour, so I got some aerobic conditioning. I am still shooting for 42-43 miles this week. I have 30 miles biking and no miles running this week.

Seems things are clicking better for you and you have some short-term goals with the training as far as paces etc. Nice job getting out there and good luck today on the run!

Kenny B. wrote:Seems things are clicking better for you and you have some short-term goals with the training as far as paces etc. Nice job getting out there and good luck today on the run!

That is right. It is raining. At least I think that is what is called. LOL. Yeah Kenny, I should be ok. Still have not decided on what to listen to. Since I am running for 56 minutes and not 52 today, my choices are somewhat limited. I am on a Savatage kick right now, so it could be Streets (64 minutes) or Gutter Ballet (57 minutes). I would love some Megadeth today,so it could be The World Needs A Hero (57 minutes) or Countdown To Extinction (56 minutes).

Hey man, sorry I haven't called you back but calling during the day is probably best for me...I no longer have the 1+ hour commute home anymore.

Also, I picked up a guest pass (7 days) to join the Y because I just can't handle this ridiculous heat anymore. I won't be running every run on the treadmill but I will probably do 1-2 a week and most of those will be doubles (i.e. lunch or after the kids are asleep). I plan on trying out the 24 Fitness next week to see which I like better. They just built a new 24 Fitness down the road so it will be worth looking into at least. You knew this day was coming, didn't you?

Joel H wrote:Hey man, sorry I haven't called you back but calling during the day is probably best for me...I no longer have the 1+ hour commute home anymore.

Also, I picked up a guest pass (7 days) to join the Y because I just can't handle this ridiculous heat anymore. I won't be running every run on the treadmill but I will probably do 1-2 a week and most of those will be doubles (i.e. lunch or after the kids are asleep). I plan on trying out the 24 Fitness next week to see which I like better. They just built a new 24 Fitness down the road so it will be worth looking into at least. You knew this day was coming, didn't you?

Yes, yes I did. You will learn, in time, to love the treadmill. To understand the ways of the motorized life. Enjoy my friend.

I think "tolerate" is a better word than "love" in this case. I "love" running and I will "tolerate" the treadmill if it allows me to do something I "love" to do.

Joel H wrote:I think "tolerate" is a better word than "love" in this case. I "love" running and I will "tolerate" the treadmill if it allows me to do something I "love" to do.

According to Larry Cosgrove, meteorologist for the Houston Examiner, this pattern is set in for awhile. Yes, that means August too. For me, I have resigned myself to the fact that it is getting hotter in these parts. By the way, on this pace, July 2011 will be in the top 5 of all time. Woo Hoo. Sigh.

Good gosh is it was humid. I cannot tell you how humid it was ( I am thinking 65-70 percent). I had to take three swigs of Powerade to get through this. Also, my legs were trying to cramp, but luckily, did not. I hate being injured, and then still I hate the road getting back being this tough. This was a survival run. Lost in the shuffle was a 7:53 pace after the first two miles. Some of the pace was 7:46, so I am knocking on the door. Still, tomorrow should be better. I will call ahead, have them lower the temperature. Oh yeah, the treadmill did me no favors either. I am going back to my old one by the television. LOL. I have 7 miles running and 30 miles biking.

I am still recovering. Man, that was brutal yesterday. Plan of action:

1. Switch treadmills. That one I was using was just not good. I am not sure what is going on, but dang it I am going back to the one I was using before.
2. Hydrate- I still need to hydrate and GU. It did not let me down yesterday, but dang the humidity was a killer.
3. Get the YMCA to lower the thermostat by 2-3 degrees before I go over there. I was told to call an hour ahead. I will.
4. Pace between 7:53 and 7:47 today for 7 miles. It was torture yesterday. Something tells me it will be ok today. If I can, venture down to 7:36 pace for 10-15 minutes to try it on.

That should do it for me today and tomorrow.

Yep. I just did not feel like battling the humidity at the YMCA. I got home and got real lazy. So, 8 pm, here I come.

First, I did not run last night. It could be a combination of, "I am so tired of summer", I am tired of my work or fill in the blank. Well, I did bike last night. 15 miles in 1:00 hour. Problem is that the Marcy ME is starting to wear down. Yeah, it is 3 weeks old. I am not going that fast. Sheesh. I got up this morning so not wanting to run, but did it anyway. Started at a 7:53 pace and trended downward to a 7:36 pace. The gastroc was bothering me a little bit, but it stayed afloat, as it were. Very very humid this morning. I put on the dehumidifier for this afternoon's run. I ran a 38:50 (5 miles), which was the fastest I have run in a month. Today's run will be at least five and should be 7 miles. The plan is 7:47 pace to trend to a 7:36 pace by the end. I am running at home, so I will talk later. I have 12 miles this week running and 45 miles this week biking.

On a personal note, I have just sent my first three rough draft chapters of my dissertation to my committee. Woo Hoo. I am so happy. Four, five and six should be on their doorstep (well email folder) in September and the last chapter in October.

Woohoo on the dissertation! That deserves a medal in itself.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Woohoo on the dissertation! That deserves a medal in itself.

Thanks so much Michele. Yeah, I have been working on this thing since 1996 in some form or fashion. This is the furthest I have ever been in the process. I have a long way to goal, but this is a goal nonetheless. I have been at the University of South Africa for two years now in thier program. I am progged to finish December 15, 2012, but we will see. By the way, I have never been Pretoria and this program is online/correspondence, so that is why I do have to travel.