Dissertating And Running

Michael Mitchell wrote:Good run. Really good. I was happy. 52:30 for 7 miles. Texas YMCA has been good to me so far. I cannot complain. I have 21 miles for the week. Today, 7 miles, 52:30 at the YMCA at 4:10 pm. Again, no problems. Nothing to complain about.

Yeah!

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:

Michael Mitchell wrote:Good run. Really good. I was happy. 52:30 for 7 miles. Texas YMCA has been good to me so far. I cannot complain. I have 21 miles for the week. Today, 7 miles, 52:30 at the YMCA at 4:10 pm. Again, no problems. Nothing to complain about.

Yeah!

+1!

Well, I wrapped up the week. It was ok. 5 quality starts (52:45 and under). I am ok with it. 52:30 for Friday and a 52:24 for Saturday. Last three miles on Saturday were at a 7:24 pace. I ended up with 35 miles for the week. Sunday was a rushed run. I had to get in in quickly. 38:00 for 5 miles after the first mile was at 8 minutes. Today, it should be at the YMCA, but there is a small chance it could be at home. I have run an errand to the main office and I might not be done in time. We shall see. 52:30 is the goal for the day. I have 5 miles this week.

All of it. Fun. Just fun. Let me see. Monday....I did not want to run, but made myself. First mile, 8 minutes and the last 4 in 30 minutes. Felt ok, but still did not want to run. Yesterday, I literally had to run in the Y. Get dressed. Run to the treadmill. Bang out a 52:30 in really humid conditions ( yep, it was semi-brutal), run to the dressing room, shower and run to the car to get back to work. Yes. Today will be the same way. LOL. You wonder why I am so exhausted at the end of the day. Well, I have 17 miles this week. 7 miler at 4:10 pm today. I have to finish right around 5 pm so I can pick up my child by 5:45. Oh and the next two days will be so much fun. I have meetings both days from 8 am to 4 pm. All day. Then rush home tomorrow, squeeze in 7 miles at home and be done by 6 pm so we can get to a school open house ( we are thinking about the school for my son) at 7 pm. Fun. Friday, too.

Humm, let us see. I took Thursday off. Way too much going on. Friday was tough. I ran a 52:55 but it was rough. Goodness, the humidity. Saturday was a little better. 53:12 and a little cooler. Gave me 35 miles on the week. Overall, ok. Yesterday was a little humid. Saw folks running faster than I was, but then again, I am not doing it for fast pace right now, just fitness. 53:12 for 7 miles after a 10 minute mile warm up. I was soaked and thought, "Ok, I will let my son play a little while longer". I hopped on the bike and rode for an easy 25 minutes. Really loosened the legs up. Felt good overall. Today, different story. No warmup, get on the treadmill at 4:10 pm and finish at 5:03 pm, run to the showers, get changed, run out to the car and leave by 5:15 pm to get my son by 5:50 pm. So, bam, bam and bam. I did like the bike cooldown. That was nice. Not seeing it (yeah, my bike is still not working right. We have all the parts, but not put together) until Saturday. The schedule looks like this:

Tuesday: run from 12 noon to 1 pm
Wednesday: run from 4:10 to 5:03 pm
Thursday: run from 12 noon to 1 pm
Friday: (wildcard, meeting from 9 am to 4 pm). If I get to run, it will be at home from 5 pm to 6 pm
Saturday: 10 am run.

Ugghh... Meetings all week. LOL

Michael, I admire your ability and commitment to squeeze your training in to your doctoral work, family life, etc. Sounds like quite a busy time. I don't pretend to have any great knowledge of the WPA, with the exception of the ground breaking photojournalism done by the WPA photographers (Dorothea Lange, Walker Evan, Lewis Hine, etc.). Their influence on photojournalism is beyond words (literally ).

Yeah, those were great folks. My research does buttress up against them. Yeah, it is tough to train. I use the Alberto Salazar term, "Semi-Retired". I have folks wanting and needing me to get my "danged" dissertation done. Also, teaching three courses per semester has sapped me too. Add to that, running a library, finding grants, battling budget cuts and raising a 4 year old....aiighghh...

Man oh man. Meeting went way beyond what I wanted. I had to rush home. Then, I started thinking about running. Then, I so did not want to, but thought, just get on and see what happens. I did. 8:26 first mile. I started upping the pace. The last two miles were at a 7:24 pace. I ended up with a 38:18, with a 29:52 for the last 4 miles. Not too bad. Today, another rushed run. I have to run between 12 noon and 1 pm. That is it. No more, no less. After 1 pm, I have to literally run to the showers and then out the door for my 1:30 meeting. Fun. I have 13 miles this week.

Stinks that you have so little time to run. Kinda impressive that you can turn in a quick cut-back run like that, though.

Mark B wrote:Stinks that you have so little time to run. Kinda impressive that you can turn in a quick cut-back run like that, though.

Thanks. Sometimes, I can still amaze me.

It is cool outside. Really nice. Humid too. It got me. This was a total gut check run. I had to totally grind this out. Get this. I not only got my treadmill wet, I got the two treadmills on each side of me wet. Lovely. First 2.75 miles, 7:36 pace. The last 4.75 miles, 7:30 pace for a 52:45 for 7 miles. Like I said, even with the new YMCA ( and for bouts of 2-3 minutes, I would feel cool air coming on me), it was brutal. Sigh. Oh well. Tomorrow at 4:10 pm, another grind, but at least I am running. I have 20 miles this week.

Meetings. Oh the meetings. I will tell you this. I was exhausted all day. I could not get the gumption up to run if I tried. It smelled like a day off, but with Friday being a total wildcard, I could not. I went home. Even then, I still did not want to run. I got on the treadmill. I talked myself into an 8 minute pace for 5 miles. Well something happened. The first mile, after speed ups went by in 7:44. 29:44 minutes later, I am finishing 5 miles in 37:28. I was perky and happy and striding well. The last three miles were at a 7:24 pace. What gives? I was totally worn out before I ran, then whammo. Well, tomorrow the run will be at either 12 noon or 4 pm. I am leaning toward 12 noon. I have 25 miles this week.

And just like that, a unit planning meeting from 10 am to 11:30 am tomorrow. Run will be from 4:10 pm to 5:02 pm. Adminstration is fun. FYI, the dissertating will be on weekends from now on. No time at all during the weekdays. The hits keep coming. Oh yeah, one more thing. I have a student who is petrified of DE. Just petrified. He needs face to face. Well, now on Friday mornings, I will be teaching for one hour to him. It has to be done. He has to learn.

I ended up with 35 miles again last week. Seems like a broken record. 52:45 for 7 miles on Thursday. I was so tired after Friday, I knew I was in trouble. Sigh. 52:41 for 7 miles on Saturday to give me 35 miles for the week. This week should be a little slower. Sunday, I just did not want to run. Just said, nope, done. Quit right as I was about to start. Yesterday felt so good not running. I mean all the way up to it. It was cool, but extremely humid. First 3 miles were at 7:36 pace and the last 4 miles were at a 7:30 pace. 52:42 and I was done. Today, my run will be at 12 noon for I have a 1:30 pm. I am thinking 52:30 for 7 miles for it is a) cool outside and b) not humid at all. Tomorrow should be interesting. LOL. I have 7 miles this week. As Joel reminded me ( well he did not, but stirred it up in me again), I need to start the P90X. I am getting a little soft in the belly area. LOL. My schedule is as follows this week:

Tuesday- 12 pm to 1 pm (run)
Wednesday- 4 pm to 5 pm (run)
Thursday- 4 pm to 5 pm (run)
Friday- 11 am to 12 pm (run)
Saturday- 11 am to 12 pm (run)

42 miles. LOL

Well, they must be completed. This was a rough run. I mean rough. I am not sure really why. It was amazing outside. Very little humidity. Inside, dear goodness gracious. Started out at a 7:36 pace. I could not breathe. Not sure why, but I thought, "hey let us increase the pace". What is the worst that could happen? LOL. 7:30 pace by the 1.54 mile mark. Then my dean calls me. Yes, I am running a 7:30 pace, talking on the phone in a stifling environment. I did it for 10 minutes. Fun. Then, at the 3.75 mile mark, I step off for 10 seconds. I just could not catch my breath. Now, conventional wisdom says, "Get back on pace and just extend it". No, dummy me says, "Increase pace". I did. 7:24 pace all the way to the finish. I was dying, but strangely enough, my legs are ok. I ran a 52:15 for 7 miles. I was soaked, but I survived. I am thinking 7:30 pace today for it is nice (overcast) and cool. It is dry too. Now, Thursday will be interesting. I think it will be humid. Sigh. Oh well, I am here. Run at 4:10 pm. I have three meetings today and a class to teach. . I have 14 miles this week.

Humm. I had a rushed run, as usual. I had exactly 55 minutes to run. I did. At home. My treadmill is slipping badly ( called the technician already), but I mustered onward. First 2 miles, 7:36 pace, second mile, 7:30 pace and the last four miles, 7:24 pace. That figured up to a 52:15 for 7 miles. Now, am I getting stronger? I am not sure. I am doing Pilates, so who knows. I have a 7 miler at the YMCA today ( another rushed run...LOL) and I am thinking 7:30 pace due to the humidity outside. We shall see. I have 21 miles this week.

Let me see. Catching up. Ok, Friday, 53:12 for 7 miles. Not too bad. Nice inside. Saturday, 52:55 for 7 miles. Again, nice inside. I will say ( I had to work on Saturday) that I was on the last mile and half and this gentleman got on beside me. Now, normally I do not care, but I was pacing at 7:30 and watching the Nationwide Series on the television. He started running at an 8 minute pace. Now, again, I usually do not care, but for some reason, it felt wonky beside me. Not sure why. Wife says I am nuts, but it was sorta kinda throwing me off. Oh well, got it done. 35 miles again this week. I wanted to run Thursday, but I was exhausted. Sunday. Oh Sunday. I had a late start. I had to get to the YMCA ( I promised my child he could play) , so I was rushed. Got there. I ran. 7:35 pace for the first two miles. Then, I hit the pause button. I am like, "what just happened". I have never done that. It is far enough up on the control panel, I should not hit it. Well, I did. Now, fortunately, that was a good thing. My soleus was killing me. I changed shoes. Yeah, I actually brought another pair of shoes. I love my Asics Gel Express, but I cannot find them anymore, so I got a pair of Asics Gel Excites. I am going to have to retire my Express. They each have over 600 miles on them, but it is time go. Anyway, I changed my shoes. Started over. I talked myself into going 7 miles. Not sure why. I hated stopping. LOL Half at 7:35 pace and half at 7:30 pace for a 52:42 for 7 miles. I ended up with 9 miles altogether. I am a little tired, but good to go for my 7 miler at 4:10 pm.

I took Monday off. Just too many things going on. Tuesday. To start off with, I was exhausted. I never could get my sea legs underneath me at first. That being said, the run was...well, let me describe it. I struggled at first. The first 1.5 miles, I struggled. I was at a 7:35 pace and my boss called. Yep, second time in a row on my Tuesday lunch run. I was talking and running. Well, I sped up. 7:30 pace until the 2 mile mark. Then she called again. Fun. I am now running at a 7:30 pace and talking. Then I sped up to a 7:24 pace. Now, here is the weird part. My exhaustion is going away. Very weird. Ok, then she called again. This is getting to be, well, I do work on my lunch breaks. I sped it up to a 7:19 pace for mile three. Yes, I have not run this fast in at least a year. Another weird one. My exhaustion is gone. I get to the 5 mile mark at 37:20. Ok, this is cool. Then the 6 mile mark at 44:50. Ok, cool. 10K mark at 46 flat. Again, I am barely breathing. Humm. I get to the 7 mile mark at 51:55. I have not run that fast in at least a year. I ran an extra 1:30 for good measure. Again, I am not sure what to say. I have a 53:12 for 7 miles today at 4:10. I have 16 miles this week.

Sounds like you're doing a terrific job of seriously confusing your body, Michael. On, off. Fast, faster. Pause. Rest. Go again. I'm not sure what benefit it has for, say, extra-long runs... but it's certainly mixing up the stimuli, and that's probably not a bad thing.

Watch the soreness, though. With your stress load, you could easily run right over the edge of a cliff and, coyote-like, not notice it until you look down and see 1,500 feet below your tootsies.



And the cool-superhumid thing? Yeah, I totally get that. I think I need S-Caps more in the winter than I do in the summer!

Catching up. Ok, Thursday, I ran on my messed up treadmill. I ran an easy 20 minute run (2 miles) in the morning and 5 miles (39:30) in the afternoon. Not too bad, but my treadmill is slipping badly. The repairman will come Tuesday to fix. Friday was interesting. 2 miles in the morning at 18:00 and then I worked until three. Then I picked up my son, hightailed it to the Lake Houston YMCA ( which is 40 miles from work). I was just starting out at a 7:35 pace when I got a text from my wife. We are going to TGIF, hurry...run, pick me me up and we meet at the eatery. Great. Well, not to go into too much detail, but I have been having problems with the lower extremities that are kin to irritation ( sorry to have too much TMI here), and well let us say huge discomfort during the run. Got it done in 53:12 for 7 miles and hightailed it out of there. Today was really really bad. I had one, irritation, two, bike rash, three, loose stools and four, a combo..been up since 5:30 (son) and my wife had pink eye (allergies, better now though). Really rough run. Then, with the YMCA closing (Kidzone, where my son plays) at 2 pm, another rushed run. I mean really rushed. Got there by 12:30, got running by 12:53, finished at 1:46, showered by (long, long way from gym to bathrooms..lol) 1:55 pm and got him at 1:59 pm (53:12 for 7 miles. I did feel horrible, but the run is done). Just in the nick of time. Thank goodness. Tomorrow, hopefully will be better. I ended up with 40 miles this week. I actually napped after my run. I never do that. At least tomorrow, I get to spend more time. I will say I have to run Sunday and Monday, because Tuesday, I have a meeting from 12-5 pm. Yes, 12-5 pm. I then have to get my kid and get him to soccer practice by 6 pm. Hello fun.

Well, since I cannot cover up the dashboard on the treadmill, I have to play mindgames with myself. I watched NASCAR ( Yep, I saw that wreck Dannica had. Man oh man) and counted the songs I had until I had 3 minutes left to run. What helped is that the A/C was blowing really cold air right on top of me every 6 minutes (yep, I counted, lol) and that helped. Still had GI issues and semi rash issues, but we are SO much better now. I ran a 53:12 because I want to give myself a clean bill of health before getting back down to a 7:19 pace. In order to give my son extra playing time, I biked for 25 minutes and 5 miles. That loosened the legs up a bit. All in all, not too bad. Today, I run from 4:05 pm to 4:58 pm, rush to the showers, rush to the car, rush to get my son and get him fed. LOL. Tomorrow will be so interesting. I already have to get up at 5:30 am as opposed to 6:00 am due to the fact I have to leave work at 4:45 pm to get my son to get him to soccer practice ( wife will meet us there, she has patients all day). I have a meeting starting at 12 noon to 4 pm. So, do I a) run a 30 minute cardio run in the morning from 5:45 to 6:15 and get out the door by 6:30 am or b) Run at 10:15 am for 7 miles or c) just take the day off. Decisions. I have 7 miles this week.

Yipes. Those sound like some challenging workouts! Hope the "irritation" resolves itself.

Your ability to steal time from a very busy day to get these runs in is as impressive as your paces! Good work.

I have no idea how I do it. I guess it is just instinct now. I just found out that three employees are out today. I have two full timers, in which one of them, has to stay until 8 pm. If they cannot, then I have to and my sister in law will have to pick my son up from daycare. Lovely. Never ends. My run will have to be rushed at 2 pm if that happenes. Big smile. Sigh.

And like that, the run is gone. I could not even run today. I have PEPs (employee evalutaions) that have to be done today. One of my folks that are working today will stay to close, but wants to run home and eat from 4 pm to 5 pm. Sigh. Oh well, I can run tomorrow from 10:15 am to 11:15 am. At least it will get done. Yea!!! Sigh.

I run at 10:30 am today. I just hope I am awake. Ha ha. 53:12 for 7 miles. Nothing fancy. I just found out that not only do I have a meeting from 12-4 pm, I have to pick my son and my wife up and we go to soccer practice. Woo Hoo. Fun times in the city. Traffic on Tuesday are just murder in Houston. Also, with my son having his swimming moved to Thursdays, my run will move from 4 pm to 2 pm in the afternoon. Just getting 42 miles a week in is a chore. LOL. Thank goodness I am not TRAINING for anything. LOL. Oh yeah, during my meeting (shush.,....LOL), I will be working on my dissertation by long hand. Training report at 8 pm tonight. Still bummed I did not get to run yesterday. Sigh.