I've procrastinated long enough. I've told Gerri over and over again that I was going to work on my core. The excuses are always the same, I'll start "after the 1st of the year", "after the Tybee Half", and finally "after the Vermont Marathon." It's time for me to step up.
Now I know that push ups are exactly a core workout, but they certainly will help the core. I'll also find an abdominal workout to use along with this challenge. This will be a struggle, but isn't everyone worthwhile that we do?
I found this challenge while reading the Shut It and Run blog. Mar is another Greenville runner and a fast one at that. I found her blog after a link was posted on the Greenville Track Club website.
Got a little behind blogging this week, and I really missed it. Decided to do a short recap of my week while I had a moment. Instead of blogging this week I was driving between locations, working on a presentation, getting some extra sleep and reading two books. I'm not much of a reader, I leave that up to Gerri and Chelsea. I'm currently reading The Total Money Makeoverby Dave Ramsey and Strong Fathers, Strong Daughtersby Meg Meeker.
This week took me to Lithonia, GA on Monday. I traveled from Lithonia to Macon & Warner Robins (GA) on Tuesday afternoon/evening. From Warner Robins to Columbus, GA on Wednesday afternoon and finally back home on Thursday after attending and speaking at a meeting on Thursday.
So far this week I have gotten in two runs. The first was a nice 5.25 mile run around the Zebulon Road area in Macon. I started at 9:22 pm and enjoyed the slightly cooler temps along with the sights and sounds of the darkness. Nothing like running in the dark, seeing lightning bugs, and listening to the sounds of the creatures of the night.
My 2nd run was Thursday morning on a park trail in Columbus. It was near my hotel and a great place to run. I found this thanks to columbusnet on Twitter. I headed out about 6:30 am and run a nice easy 4 miles.
Today has been a day to get caught up on things. Bills, expense reports, emails, blogs, etc. Tonight Gerri and I are meeting friends for dinner at Doc Chey'sand then heading to Cafe and Then Some. Should be a fun evening.
File this one under the category "better late than never." That certainly applies here since it is now Friday afternoon and the race took place on Saturday night. This was a race I wasn't even sure I would run because of the bad migraine I had suffered on Friday night (see previous blog) and the fact that I was still feeling the day after migraine symptoms.
After lounging around most of the day, Gerri kicked us into gear about 2:00. We had to get moving because laying around and watching television wasn't helping. We showered, dressed and headed into Greenville for lunch at The Mellow Mushroom. We both settled on personal pizza's and unsweet tea. Mine was pepperoni of course, the pizza not the tea. Lunch was good and just getting moving had improved how I felt and my overall mind frame.
We had plenty of time to kill, so we headed over to Woodruff Rd and hung out at Barnes & Noble. This was close to the race, which was being held on the new ICARS campus just a short distance away. It felt good to be out and about and time went by fast while I read through a Running Times magazine. About 6:00 pm we headed over to Hubbell Lighting and parked.
Now the race is called the Candlelight 5K because they line the streets with thousands of luminaries. Luminaries of course look best when it is dark, so the race was scheduled for 9:00 pm. We don't normally show up at a race three hours early but we wanted to park at Hubbell before they blocked off the street (7:30ish) and were also meeting some family and friends there.
We got our race packets, met up with Marian and Francis, and then the Warren Clan. We saw a few of the No Boundaries group that Gerri and I had volunteered to work with through Fleet Feet. This was the first time that most of them would be running in a race, having just started running about three months ago. It was nice to see them so excited.
The 1 mile fun run/walk started about 8:00 pm and eventually we started lining up for the 5K. It was not excessively warm or humid, but it is South Carolina on a late June evening. I was feeling better than I expected, so figured I would push as hard as I could. The 5K is my least favorite distance and this loop course has plenty of hills.
I either started to far back in the pack or the slower runners/walkers were way to far ahead, because the first mile which was mostly downhill was spent doing nothing other than avoiding collisions. It was somewhat stressful and prevented me from getting into a nice, steady groove. I also realized during this time frame that I should have used the port-a-potties before the race began.
The 1st mile was run in a reasonable 8:43 pace, but not what I would need for a PR. We had made the turn and were now headed back up hill towards the start. The hill was not steep, but steady. In addition to the hills, my bladder needed relief. As the hill crested, I used a port-a-potty for only the 2nd time during a race. The 1st time was the halfway point of my marathon, but a 5K? Are you kidding me? I thought I was fast, but my Garmin proved otherwise. There goes 51 seconds down the drain. Mile 2 including break in 10:18
As I re-joined the race, I knew any chance of a PR was now over. Mentally I was defeated and physically I was quickly approaching that point. The events of the past 24 hours had begun to take their toll and now the goal was to survive and finish the last 1.1 miles. Some more hills, both up and down, another 180% turn and back towards the finish. Mile 3 was done in 10:05 and the last portion (0.15 on my Garmin) was at an 8:29 pace. Garmin timed at 30:21, (Chip time 30:20) well off of my 5K PR of 27:58. 395/568 male finishers using Gun time of 30:40.
Video quality is not great but I can be seen in a white Fleet Feet shirt, red shorts at approx 33 seconds. Marion (white V-neck, black shorts) can be seen along with Tracy and the girls around 1:23 and for a number of seconds after as the camera turns to follow. You can see Marian almost get run over by a stroller.
Although I didn't set a new PR, or even break 30:00, I still had a good time. It's always fun getting back to the finish line to cheer on Gerri, although with her recent "speedy workouts", it may just be a matter of time before she is cheering for me at the finish.
Unfortunately I have not gotten a run in this week except for the easy 3 miler on Monday morning. I planned on 3-5 miles yesterday but was feeling out of sorts all day. Eventually that snowballed into a headache, then a migraine, then a migraine from hell. Within minutes I went from being able to watch TV to thinking that my head was going to explode. There was nothing I could do to alleviate the pain, which kept getting worse and worse. I don't often think about death and dying, but during some of these really painful episodes I often worry if the pain is a migraine or an aneurysm. During the worst of the worst, I always tell Gerri that I love her, just in case those are the last words I can say.
I know it is hard for her to see me in pain, and not to be able to do anything to help. Like most of the bad ones, eventually the nausea kicks in which of course leads to vomiting. This is actually a good thing, because once you have vomited, at least you know that relief is usually not far behind. Shortly after vomiting, the body tends to collapse, and assuming that you can actually find a comfortable position to lay your head, you pass out. For me, this phase can last from 1-3 hours, after which you can generally function, although at a reduced pace.
Now I'm having to deal with what I like to call the severe migraine hangover. The day after can be as bad as having a nasty hangover. Your body feels beat up, and you wake up with a dull headache. It's usually a 50-50 chance on whether another migraine follows the next day, since they tend to come in phases. I made sure to get up as soon as I woke up at 6:00am, because oversleeping or laying in bed can be a trigger. I grabbed some water to start to rehydrate, and will be sure to watch my food intake today.
Complicating matters is a scheduled run tonight, the Candlelight 5K at 9:00pm. I'm not sure what kind of shape I'll be in to run, but plan on giving it everything I have.
The worst part about migraines and the thing that frustrates me the most is I rarely ever get them when I'm working. 99.9% of the time I have ever had a migraine has been on a day off. I guess I should be thankful, because it would be impossible to work with a migraine, but at the same time I hate losing my off days when they happen.
I had a good Father's Day even if I wasn't able to spend time with my girls. Gerri made sure to make it special, and she always does. We got to sleep in some and boy did that feel good after the past hectic week or two. I got some great iPod and iTune gifts, and two great cards (1 from Gerri and 1 from Shadow-our cat). We had a nice breakfast and readied for church. I got a call from Chelsea wishing me a happy Father's Day which meant a lot to me. I knew I wouldn't hear from Heather since she is away at Camp Chatuga.
We headed off to New Spring Church and like always enjoyed the service. I especially like the services when Lee performs and he was great yesterday. I also ran into an old co-worker after the service as we headed to our car.
After church we drove to Greenville for lunch at Barley's Tap Room. We had our usual hummus and pita and instead of the voodoo past I decided on a whole wheat calzone with pepperoni and onion. After lunch we walked around our beautiful city, hung on the Liberty Bridge for a while, watched a group rehearsing for an upcoming Shakespeare in the Park performance and headed back up to Luna Rosa for some great gelato. I got the Banana's Foster with the Velvet Chocolate and it was delicious. Think of eating frozen bananas coated with chocolate.
We headed home, and spent the rest of the day relaxing. I surfed the internet some, catching up on twitters, blog posts and forums, read some more of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and of course watched the U.S. Open. Is Tiger Woods simply amazing or what? Gerri went to the Carrie Underwood concert with a friend, a good distraction for her with LSAT's tomorrow.
This was the 2nd year that I was running in this race in Simpsonville, SC. The race is small with only about 500 runners, but the field is fast. Winning time was 26 minutes! The course runs through this small southern downtown as well as through some rolling hills throughout the local neighborhoods.
Because the race starts at 6:30 am, and is about 30 minutes away, the alarm went off at 5:00 am. Ouch! Got up, dressed and got on the way. Once we arrived, we headed down into the park to get our race Bibs. Since I needed a natural break, I waited in line for a port-a-potty while Gerri gathered up our goodies. We eventually met up near the start line about 5 minutes before the race started.
The race begin with little fanfare at 6:30. The temp was about 75 degrees and humidity was 65%. Sticky but not horrendous for a mid June run. This would be my longest run since the marathon, so I had modest expectations. Enjoy the run and try to stay under 50 minutes.
About 1/2 mile in and a quick check of Garmin revealed the pace was about 9:32. I was feeling okay, but decided it would be best to back off just a bit. The first two mile splits in the downtown area were 9:39 and 9:37. We crossed the street and headed into the more undulated neighborhoods, which also had some shade opportunities.
The only water stop was at Mile 2.5. Plastic cups? What the heck were they thinking? I grabbed a cup, walked for about 10 seconds while I drank the water and then started up again. Mile 3 was 9:43 and Mile 4 in 9:44. At this point I was starting to battle the "slow down, you're working to hard" demon and the hurry up and finish strong demon. I decided to pick it up just a bit and finished feeling good with a final Mile 9:28.
Final time was 48:11. I later found out when I got home that my 8K PR was 48:09. If I had pushed even a little, I could have easily taken a minute off my PR. Since that wasn't the focus today, I decided to not let it bother me.
I grabbed a few waters, walked back up to the corner and cheered on the runners still finishing. I was extremely impressed with a tiny 7 year old girl that finished just a few minutes after me. And looked great doing it too! I saw our friends Wanda and Kaye and gave them a big yell. In the distance I could see Gerri, running and looking strong. I gave her a big yell as she crested the hill and turned towards the finish line. After all of her injuries, I was so happy to see her looking so happy and strong at the end of a race.
We then headed to Stax Omega for a nice big breakfast and shared our race stories. After breakfast we headed home, showered and spent most of the day relaxing. This afternoon we went to Olive Garden for soup and salad. We then drove to Furman University so that Gerri could find the building that she will be taking the LSAT in on Monday. She prayed and sharpened pencils and I said a long prayer for her as well.
Back home, we watched some TV, Gerri took another practice test (162!!!) and we just cherished being able to relax and spend time with each other. Life is good!
After work in Jacksonville I made the trip up I-95 to Kingsland, GA. This area is best known for Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, the home of the Atlantic Fleet, a group of Ohio Class submarines that carry Trident II nuclear missiles.
I had an early dinner at Cracker Barrel. Whole wheat French Toast, Bacon, Hash Brown Casserole and finished off with some un-sweet tea. I was in the mood for some ice cream, so I had a frozen mug with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, toasted almonds and topped with a cherry. Yummy!
I check in to my hotel, checked email, surfed the web and just relaxed. Around 8:00 I got dressed and headed off to find a local track. After some searching due to a street name change, I eventually found the track. It was a nice rubberized track with only a few walkers including 3 members of the local Fire and Rescue Squad.
I planned on 4 easy miles, and achieved my goal. The weather was still warm and humid. 87 degrees and 80% humidity. Mile splits were comfortable between 10:01 and 10:24. This will be my last run before the Sunrise 8K on Saturday.
One more day left and then home tomorrow evening. Hope to be home around 8:00pm for dinner with Gerri at Pizza House.
The title might seem a little confusing. I'm not aware of some fancy new training program called the Jacksonville track workout. I'm in Jacksonville, FL for work and I did a track workout.
I drove to Jacksonville yesterday afternoon after having lunch with Gerri. It was a pleasant ride and gave me a chance to listen to some of my favorite podcasts. I got my three restaurant night visits in before getting to my hotel around 10:00pm.
Had a good visit today, then an early dinner (Greek Salad, Spaghetti and Bread). Came back to the hotel and relaxed for a few hours, allowing the heat of the day, the rain and lightning to subside. About 7:45pm I drove over to the Fleming Island High School track in Orange Park. I had the track all to myself while summer football workouts were going on nearby.
I started with a fast warm up mile, something under 10:00. I then began my first ever interval workout. I decided to do 800's because in the future I would really like to incorporate Yasso 800's into my routine.
After the mile I walked a 1/4 mile, then did an 1/2 mile in 3:58. Another 1/4 mile walk and then the 2nd 1/2 mile in 4:23. After another 1/4 mile walk I did my 3rd 800 in 4:17. I did another 1/4 mile walk/jog but then had to stop because the area was being closed and I did not want to risk being locked in or the only one around. I would have liked to do one more 800 followed by a mile cool down run.
Overall I was pleased with the workout considering it was my first track workout, the heat and humidity were a bit unpleasant and my early dinner was not sitting well on my stomach. Another run done on the marathon recovery as well as getting ready for the upcoming races on my schedule.
Flew to Connecticut yesterday. Uneventful flight, but a brutal 1 hour and 40 minute wait in line at Budget Rental Car. Their system was down and they did not have enough help to properly deal with the situation. We eventually got on the road to CT.
Stopped in Norwalk at Stew Leonard's, the worlds largest dairy store. Had lots of yummy samples, ate some chocolate yogurt and then had a cheeseburger and corn on the cob. Perfect opportunity for Gerri and I to have some fun while killing some time. We'll have some pics to post when we get back home.
Wandered up US 1 from Norwalk and drove along Fairfield Beach, before eventually jumping on I-95 and getting to the Comfort Suites in Stratford. We chilled during the afternoon and early evening before eventually grabbing some dinner at Uno's Chicago Grill in Fairfield. A nice BBQ chicken pizza on flat bread and 20oz. Amber Beer. Back at the hotel we wound down and finally turned in around 11:30pm.
Got up this morning for a run. Gerri had found a nearby run on MapMyRun.com. We got out of the hotel around 8:00am, and the temp was already high 70's and humid. We drove the short distance, parked and started out. The run was through quiet, well maintained neighborhoods and along the beautiful Long Island Sound.
This was my 2nd recovery run since the marathon two weeks ago, and unlike the very uncomfortable 2 miler earlier this week, this one felt good. We got in 2 easy miles, stopped briefly at the car for a drink and I unfortunately had to take care of a GI disturbance. We started back up and traveled along a beautiful section along the Sound with no buildings to disturb the view. The fog was still sitting above the water and in the distance you could see the ferries headed to Port Jefferson and Bridgeport. This was a very peaceful and most enjoyable section of the run.
I finished up with 4.34 miles in 48:27. Slow by my standards but I was very happy with it because it was a pain free recovery run. We stopped by Dunkin Donuts on the way back for some Iced Coffees, then back to the hotel. We ran into Warren, Emily and Don in the lobby and spoke briefly with them about the service and the plans for the day. My mother, Emily, has lost a lot of weight in the six months since her heart surgery and looked to be in the best health condition that I had seen her in for a long time.
We took some time to relax and cool off and now must get ready for the day ahead. The viewing begins at Jesse Lee United Methodist Church at noon, followed by the Service and then burial in Union Cemetery in Easton. It sounds like everyone will be gathering at Aunt Marge's house following the burial. I'm strangely at peace with the day ahead, although I'm sure there will be times throughout the day that memories will break me down.
Life is too short, but it helps to know that Grandma lived a wonderful 90 years. She and Grandpa played such an important role in developing who I am as a person, that I know saying goodbye for the last time will be difficult.
Two days down, two to go. Started in Vidalia, moved on to Hazlehurst, now in Statesboro and then Savannah tomorrow. Vidalia is home of the sweet onion, Hazlehurst has nothing to offer, Statesboro is an interesting little town and home of Georgia Southern University. Savannah is a great southern historic city with outstanding architecture, food and of course Tybee Island.
Tybee was not only the site of my 2nd Half Marathon, and current PR, but also the place that my lovely bride and I tied the knot in a beautiful sunrise ceremony on the beach just over 4 years ago.
I may get a chance to run in Savannah tomorrow, although temps are going to be near 100. Otherwise this will be purely a business trip and I can look forward to getting home on Friday night. Hoping to meet Gerri, Chelsea and Heather downtown for dinner before their crazy summer schedules start.
Gerri and I will be flying out of Charlotte on Saturday morning to LaGuardia and flying back on Monday afternoon. Looks like viewing, service and burial for my grandmother will all happen on Sunday afternoon. Probably dinner with Don and Warren on Saturday night and then Gerri and I can wing Monday.
Hockey is in the third period, so I guess I'll call it a night, and settle in for the evening. Hopefully this game doesn't go three OT's too.
After a trip to Vermont and a few days at home, it's time to get back to work. That means leaving home for parts, sort of known. After finishing up lots of paperwork this morning, I finally got on the road around 2:00pm. Destination, Vidalia, Georgia
Two routes available. You can go back roads at just over 200 miles or highways more than 100 miles more. Since it was a beautiful day for driving, I selected the slower but shorter back roads. The directions from Street Atlas were less than spectacular, but with some luck and a decent sense of direction I eventually made it in about 4:30 hours.
The great part about driving is being able to get caught up on my Podcasts. Since I haven't been traveling much, my iPod was jammed with over 100 podcasts just waiting for me. I listened to my old buddy Steve Runner @ Phedippidations, three Dave Ramsey podcasts and a new one with a guy named Chad that speaks fluent Japanese. I listen to the Englishpodcasts. Luckily, I have many more hours in the cars this week to knock out some more.
After arriving in Vidalia, I grabbed a quick dinner at Zaxby's, Blackened Blue Salad, then did my evening shop at the Krystal restaurant. I stopped by the water tower to take the picture. This is near the small park with lots of Little League and softball games going on. There is a 1/2 mile paved running/walking path in the park that I used last time I was here. I may or may not use it tomorrow.
I finally made it to my hotel. Here is a snapshot of the front. The hotel is nice enough, although the room was about 90 degrees when I got here and after an hour or so the air conditioner is still struggling to get the temp done into the comfortable range. I won't be happy until there is frost on the windows:) I'm going to travel with my camera and see if I can find an interesting pic or two to add to my blogs. I still have the final chapter of my marathon blog to finish tomorrow, and hope to get back running again Tuesday afternoon/evening.
