Goals for June 2008

I ended May with a couple of weeks doing 26 miles. I'll be maintaining that for the first two weeks of June. I've been increasing mileage pretty steadily since February and I see this as a bit of a plateau. Starting the middle of the month I'll ramp the mileage up slowly and will keep increasing farily steadily until my marathon taper in September. I'll be doing 29 miles a week by the end of the month with long runs up to 12 miles.

I also want to do some weight training. It's funny, but even though I know my fitness level has gone up, I don't "feel" fit. I think that adding another form of exercise like weight training would not only be healthy, but would help me feel more physically fit.

Training Log - May 31

Today was another picture perfect day for running. I did a 7 1/2 mile loop that went down by the Twin Bridges. That makes 26 miles for the week. Next week I will be doing about the same, only with a 10 mile run on Saturday.

Training Log - May 30

I was a bit sore after my 10k yesterday and it was raining out. The result was that I decided to strap on the heart rate monitor and take an easy walk on the treadmill. I was surprised that even with a 7% slope I couldn't get my heart rate up to the goal I had set. I suppose that all this running really has increased my fitness level!

Training Log - May 29

This morning was a great morning for a run. I did another 10k, only I did it 2 1/2 minutes faster than I did on Tuesday. It's funny how sometimes you feel like just plodding along and other times running faster seems effortless.

Notes to Self About Summer Running

The TIART topic this week is about dealing with the heat and humidity while running. It's a topic that could probably be better addressed by someone living in Florida than Northern Minnesota. Here people start whining about 75, are grumpy at 80 and downright surly at 85.

Still, 85 with humidity is a cause for concern when running, and I've learned some lessons the hard way. Like when I was training for my first marathon I went for a long run and didn't hydrate enough. It was 90+ and humid. When I finished, I felt rotten. Really terrible. Pounding headache, nausea, cramps...it was bad. I even thought about heading for the hospital. Instead, I started drinking water. And kept drinking. After two liters I started to feel a little better. After four liters I felt okay. Several hours and 5 liters later I finally had to go to the bathroom.

I don't want to experience that again, so I thought I would jot some notes to myself.

1. Drink, Drink, Drink. In the summer it is a constant battle to take in enough fluids while running. It is next to impossible if you start your run dehydrated. The best strategy for me is to simply keep a glass of ice water on hand and keep sipping throughout the day.

2. Drinking on the Run. Unless it is above 70, I figure I'm good for a 10k without drinking on the run. I'll do 5k without water regardless of the heat. If it is warmer than 70 and I am running more than 5k, I'll plan water stops about every two miles. When I lived in the city, I would stop at parks that had drinking fountains. Living in the country, drinking on the run means that I have to stash water bottles along the road. If it is real hot, I'll freeze them first so that they will be cold when I reach them. I always stop and drink. The few seconds it takes is worth staying hydrated. During hot weather races (and long distance races) I will slow to a walk to make sure that my paper cup of water doesn't end up splashing down my shirt (feels good, but doesn't help).

3. Water or Gatorade? I've always been a water only guy. I've tried Gatorade on a run, but wound up with stomach cramps. I've always been a little suspicious of the marketing hype. Cool commercials, but who is going to spend a fortune countering the claims? I suppose if I was training in some really hot place I would look into it a little more. Until then, water is fine with me.

4. Run Early. Duh. It's cooler in the morning.

5. Run Short. Long runs are partly physical, but much of the discipline is mental. If it's 90 and the day calls for a 15 mile run, I'm not too proud to cut it short. Frankly, I think it takes as much mental toughness to do 10 mile on a hot day as to do 15 on a cool day. Most marathons (Chicago was a recent exception...) are run in cool weather. I don't need to run long distances in hot humid weather to prepare for the conditions I'll be seeing this fall.

6. Remember: Heat Waves are Temporary. They bring their own challenges, but if you look closely, winter is just around the next corner. At least that's the way it is here in the north woods of Minnesota.

Training Log - May 27

I ran a 10k up the Scenic today. The weather was perfect. About 50 degrees with a slight breeze out of the north. It was one of those days that I could have run forever. And I probably should have, considering how much I ate celebrating Memorial Day.

Training Log - May 26

Just a quick 5k today. Unique in that it was the first time in a long while that I ran in the rain. When I started it was a light mist but turned into a drizzle for the last mile. Except for the mess it made of my glasses, I enjoyed the coolness of the rain.

Training Log - May 24

The start of Memorial Day weekend. The tourists are back. I ran 10 miles up the Scenic Highway. It was already 50+ degrees when I left at 8:30. Today was the first day that it actually felt hot while running. It was also the first day with bugs. The gnats were pretty thick until the breeze kicked up.

I think winter is finally over. Maybe I'll take the plow off the 4-wheeler today.

Training Log - March 23

A three mile run today under spectacularly blue skies. It looks like tomorrow is going to be a great day for my 10 miler. The only downside is that I think I may have caught my wife's cold. It's always hard to know when to step back from training when a cold hits. I usually try to push through it, unless I am just too worn out.

Training Log May 22

Well, its been a while since I've posted on here, but thankfully not because I quit running. In fact, I haven't missed a run. Last week I did 28.5 miles just like I planned and this week I did 3 on Monday, 5 on Tuesday and another 5 today. The weather has been perfect for running. Cold enough in the morning to keep the bugs down and warm enough to wear shorts. I'm going to run three tomorrow and 10 on Saturday. This will probably be my standard for a few weeks before I start the climb to marathon distance.

Training Log - May 12

I felt much better this morning, more refreshed and ready to go. I ran a 10 miler up the Scenic Highway. Somehow a 10 mile run is a threshold of something. Perhaps it goes back to when I first started running and couldn't imagine being able to ever run that far. Today it was fairly easy. I'll settle in at this mileage for about a month and then we will start pushing for the marathon in October. Here we come!

Training Log - May 9

Ran 5k up the Scenic Highway today. Tonight I am really tired. Not just physically but emotionally as well. I'm trying not to think it might be overtraining, because I really don't think it is. I've been pushing myself, but not that hard. It's probably a combination of things, particularly the stresses of the building program at church (we have our last service in the old building on Sunday). It's really been going great, so I really cannot complain. In fact, I love being a part of all that is happening.

At the same time, I think that wisdom dictates that I put off my long run until Monday. I was going to get up at 5:30 and run 10 miles so I could get to church for the work day tomorrow morning. I think I'll count the work day as "cross-training" and run on Monday. So next week will look like 10-0-3-5-3-7.5= 28.5 miles.

I was going to write an article for Take it and Run Thursdays for the Blog at Runner's Lounge, but was too busy to get it done. I was going to write about marathon training and the commitment it takes. In particular because the long runs tend to take longer than the actual running time because they can drain the energy for a whole day. (Do you really think you are going to paint the house after a 15 mile run?). I guess this is one time that I should listen to myself and put off the long run until Monday, which will be a light day physically for me.

Besides, there is a 50% chance of rain in the morning.

And snow tomorrow night.

Training Log - May 8

Today I ran 4.5 miles up the Scenic Highway. It was about 50 degrees and sunny. A beautiful day for a run. Tommorrow is a 3 miler, and then a 10 miler early Saturday before the church work day.

Training Log - May 6

Today I ran 5 miles at dawn. There is something about a good run early in the morning that sets the mood for the rest of the day. No matter what happens, I've already accomplished something. That feels good!

Training Log - May 5

Today I ran 5k up the Scenic. It was my usual route. My legs felt a little heavy, probably the after-effects of my long run on Saturday.

Running Routes

Today while I was running a different route I thought about routes that have been favorites over the years. One thing these routes have in common is repetition. I'm not sure if I ran them so much because they were favorites, or if they became favorites because they became so familiar. Here are three from the old days:

• "To the lake and back" was a three mile run that started at our apartment in Highwood, IL and headed down a hill and past the Highland Park High School. It then headed past a couple of beautiful mansions and -ended at a spot that overlooked Lake Michigan. It was a staple of our running routine.
• "To the bridge and back" headed the opposite direction and ran along the Metra train tracks past the old Fort Sheridan. It was a six mile route that we ran at least once a week.
• "The 7 1/2 Loop" ran through the streets of Highland Park and then along the converted train tracks back to Highwood. The best feature here was a ravine that funneled the cold air above Lake Michigan inland. Dropping down into that ravine would lower the temperature by 10-15 degrees...a wonderful thing on a hot day.

Today most of my runs start from home. Living out in the country means that most of my runs are "out and back" routes rather than loops. The shortest loop is about 7 1/2 miles. "Around the block" is at least 10. Typically I run "up the Scenic Highway" which takes me past several small lakes and marshes. The shoulders are wide and gravel which is good for my knees. Sometimes I'll run "down the Scenic" which is hillier and has an asphalt shoulder, but I'll only do this when I am desperate for a change of pace.

Training Log - May 3

Today was sunny and about 40 degrees with a 20mph wind out of the northwest. I choose to run a different route today. I ran down 8 to 336 and over the Twin Bridges. It was fun to run somewhere new, and the water is so high in the river that it comes right up to the shoulder. I'm glad I took a route out of the wind.

The run totalled 9 miles. I felt tired but good at the end.

Training Log - May 2

Just a quick 5k in a light drizzle. Weird to be running in the rain after all these months of snow. The ice finally came off the lake last night. That's the latest I can remember.

The Whys of Running

I've gotten serious about my running. Over the last few years I've slowly worked myself back into being able to run 10 miles and now am focusing on training for a marathon this fall. As I was running this morning I was thinking about the benefits I've discovered to running, and more specifically training for something as big as a marathon. Here are a few of them:

• Physical fitness. It sounds obvious, but I feel better about myself when I am "in shape" than when I am "out of shape." One problem of the problems I have is that having trained for marathons in the past I now consider "marathon shape" to be my standard for physical fitness. I haven't been "in shape" for many years.


• A Distraction. As a pastor, I have a never-ending job. I love it, but I need the demands of a big race to help me focus on something else for a while.


• Nature. One of the reasons I the treadmill so much is that I enjoy getting out and seeing the changes each week brings. Running here in the Northwoods is special because there is the chance to see all sorts of wildlife. I've seen bears, deer, fox along with huge assortment of birds.


• Discipline. When I am disciplined in my running, it carries over to other areas of my life.


• Ice cream. Need I say more?


• A sense of accomplishment. Okay, pride. There's a sick sense of gratification when a non-runner says, "I saw you running today, how far did you go?" and you can answer "Only six miles today" because it was your short midweek run. Slightly better is to be able to shrug your shoulders and say, "Oh, about 20 miles this morning." The look you get is priceless.

Goals for May 2008

Looking back at April I see that I did about 95% of my training runs, and didn't miss any of the long runs. One of the goals I had was to get some weight training in, but I think I lifted once all month. I suppose my excuse was the fact that we had three major snowstorms in April (over 4 feet of snow) and I needed to do some heavy shoveling. That counts, doesn't it?

Over the last several months I have been adding distance to my long runs every week and have increased my total weekly mileage from 15 in February to about 24 at the end of April. The next six weeks or so are a little bit of a plateau in my training. I'm planning on keeping my mileage at about 25 miles per week through May. Once mid-June hits I'll start ramping up again with the October marathon in mind.

Here are my plans for this month:

• Alternate long runs of 10 miles and 7.5 miles starting the second Saturday in May.
• Increase the distance of midweek runs slightly, so that on my 7.5 mile weeks I run 10ks on 2 midweek runs.
• Weight train 2x per week.
• Do some bike riding if the weather finally permits. This may replace one short run during the week.
• Total weekly mileage peaks at 26.

Training Log - May 1

Ran about 5 miles down the Scenic this morning. This is the first time that I remember the ice still being on the lake on the first of May.