Headed to ACUHO-I in Austin, Tx later this morning. ACUHO stands for the Association of College & University Housing Officers. I stand for International. This will be the third time I've attended the conference and it's by far my favorite. This year I'm presenting three times--which is pretty cool. I'll be very busy.
1000 miles. It has a nice ring to it. Today, I was able to hit the 1000 mile mark for the year after a 7.25 miles run--slightly ahead of my June 30 goal date. More than anything, 1000 miles just stand for consistency, dedication, and discipline. It's just putting one foot in front of the other foot and doing that over and over again. I take about 170steps a minute when running which would equal about 1190 steps a mile (7 minute miles X 170 steps per minute). That equals about 1,119,000 steps run so far this year. Pretty crazy.
Will try to write some while I'm in Texas. I scouted out a great park (Lady Bird Park) to run while I'm there. Happy running to you...
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Long, Sunday Run...
Good morning. I had a nice long 10 mile run this morning. Sarah had to go into work today at 6:15a so I took her and then decided to run early. It actually works out well because it's going to be 90 today. Running when it's 70ish and humid is much better than 90ish and humid. Duh... ;-)
It was a great week of training. I ran 44.25 miles this week and am now at 965.25 for the year. This week I will eclipse the 1000 mile mark for the year. I'm excited about that. Hitting 1000 miles can sometimes be hard just to hit in one year, so to hit that mark at the half way point is good. More than anything, it's a great base and I will be able to reach some time goals this fall.
My friend Aaron ran a 4:08 at Grandma's Marathon yesterday in Duluth, Mn. That's an outstanding first marathon time--especially for him considering he ran the race with a bum knee and a bum foot. It's an outstanding time. Another friend of mine, Shelly, has a big half-marathon coming up next week. She's trying to sub 2-hour it. I bet she can hit that mark.
One bit of advice for today. I get a lot of questions about running in the extreme heat and extreme cold. Specifically, why do you run in that? For me, it's two fold. One, it's just easier for me to run and deal with the weather than trying to go and run inside. Two, I tend to temper my expectations about time and how I will feel while running. For instance, I know when it's 90 and humid that I am going to feel bad at some point because of the heat. So...I slow down a bit, drink more water before I leave, and just mentally prepare myself to know it's going to be a bit rougher. Often times, I'm 30 seconds per mile slower on really warm days than I am when it's cooler. Optimal running temperatures for me are from the mid 40s to the high 60s. But...you really only get those temperatures consistently March-May and mid September-late November in Indiana. So...I know if I am trying to hit a personal record at a distance greater than a mile or maybe even a 5K, I better run races in those months. I think our bodies can handle the heat without major issues for about 20-30 minutes, but at some point the extreme heat really takes more out of you. Case and point: In the late 90s I was running as well as I've ever run. In many ways, I was more fit. I used to run the Owensboro 10 miler every summer (last weekend in June). Even though I could put a mile under 5 minutes and could normally run 10 miles at a 5:50 average or better, I could barely average 6:15 or so a mile at the Owensboro 10 miler. The heat really impacts your ability to run far like that. At 33 years old I ran 59:03 for 10 miles in the 40 degree weather. At 19 I ran 61:30 or so for 10 miles in the Owensboro 10 miler in 80 degree weather. 14 year age difference and you'd think the times would be reversed. However, I have no doubt that the explanation is heat and not age. I bring this up just to say, you can run in the heat and at the same time just understand you may not run as fast as you want and you may feel worse. It happens to everyone.
Have a great Sunday and a great Father's day to those who are fathers. I look forward to the day when I have a little one making me a cute card and giving me a big hug. Kids are awesome and my friends who have kids look happy. Sarah and I have a couple more years before we could dedicate the time necessary to raise a kid, but I look forward to it when it happens. I have a feeling I won't be running 40 mile weeks, but I'd gladly trade that for the chance to be a Dad. Happy running to you...
It was a great week of training. I ran 44.25 miles this week and am now at 965.25 for the year. This week I will eclipse the 1000 mile mark for the year. I'm excited about that. Hitting 1000 miles can sometimes be hard just to hit in one year, so to hit that mark at the half way point is good. More than anything, it's a great base and I will be able to reach some time goals this fall.
My friend Aaron ran a 4:08 at Grandma's Marathon yesterday in Duluth, Mn. That's an outstanding first marathon time--especially for him considering he ran the race with a bum knee and a bum foot. It's an outstanding time. Another friend of mine, Shelly, has a big half-marathon coming up next week. She's trying to sub 2-hour it. I bet she can hit that mark.
One bit of advice for today. I get a lot of questions about running in the extreme heat and extreme cold. Specifically, why do you run in that? For me, it's two fold. One, it's just easier for me to run and deal with the weather than trying to go and run inside. Two, I tend to temper my expectations about time and how I will feel while running. For instance, I know when it's 90 and humid that I am going to feel bad at some point because of the heat. So...I slow down a bit, drink more water before I leave, and just mentally prepare myself to know it's going to be a bit rougher. Often times, I'm 30 seconds per mile slower on really warm days than I am when it's cooler. Optimal running temperatures for me are from the mid 40s to the high 60s. But...you really only get those temperatures consistently March-May and mid September-late November in Indiana. So...I know if I am trying to hit a personal record at a distance greater than a mile or maybe even a 5K, I better run races in those months. I think our bodies can handle the heat without major issues for about 20-30 minutes, but at some point the extreme heat really takes more out of you. Case and point: In the late 90s I was running as well as I've ever run. In many ways, I was more fit. I used to run the Owensboro 10 miler every summer (last weekend in June). Even though I could put a mile under 5 minutes and could normally run 10 miles at a 5:50 average or better, I could barely average 6:15 or so a mile at the Owensboro 10 miler. The heat really impacts your ability to run far like that. At 33 years old I ran 59:03 for 10 miles in the 40 degree weather. At 19 I ran 61:30 or so for 10 miles in the Owensboro 10 miler in 80 degree weather. 14 year age difference and you'd think the times would be reversed. However, I have no doubt that the explanation is heat and not age. I bring this up just to say, you can run in the heat and at the same time just understand you may not run as fast as you want and you may feel worse. It happens to everyone.
Have a great Sunday and a great Father's day to those who are fathers. I look forward to the day when I have a little one making me a cute card and giving me a big hug. Kids are awesome and my friends who have kids look happy. Sarah and I have a couple more years before we could dedicate the time necessary to raise a kid, but I look forward to it when it happens. I have a feeling I won't be running 40 mile weeks, but I'd gladly trade that for the chance to be a Dad. Happy running to you...
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Saturday Run...
Had a nice run this morning. It was about 70 degrees and very sunny with a light breeze. Just for a second or two, I thought it was September or October. Then...I recalled looking at the weather app on my iPhone and I realized it will be 90 today. I love running in the fall as it's my favorite time of the year to run. September-November are fabulous months--especially in Indiana--to run. Usually, it's cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon. There's nothing like a bright, sunny Fall Saturday with a good race in the morning and lots of good college football games during the afternoon and evening. I digress.
Today our department is off to the Damar Center to volunteer. The Damar Center helps kids who are having a difficult time and need a lift. I'm excited about it. Happy running to you...
Today our department is off to the Damar Center to volunteer. The Damar Center helps kids who are having a difficult time and need a lift. I'm excited about it. Happy running to you...
Friday, June 18, 2010
"Just a wo/man & her/his will to survive..."
I have had two back to back great runs over the past two days. Yesterday, I ran a tough 12 X 200 with a 200 recover jog on the IUPUI track and then this morning I ran a nice, easy recovery run to get the lactic acid out from yesterday. Yesterday...it was hot and about 85 degrees. I ran this same workout a month ago in 60 degree temperatures on a Saturday morning. Yesterday, I ran 46 seconds faster total for the workout than I ran last month. That's a huge difference over 3 miles. I'm not for sure when my next race will be, but I am hoping for a 5K so I can break the 17 minute barrier again.
I was listening to my iPod (iPhone) this morning while running and the song Eye of the Tiger came on. I love the line in the song that says, "just a man and his will to survive." Could there be any quote more appropriate for running? At it's core, running truly is about a runner's will to keep going---when it's hot, when it's cold, when it's raining, when it's snowing, when you're tired, when you're sad, when you're happy, etc.--Running tests your metal. It's tests your toughness and your resliency. I write about this often---this being that running help you succeed in life--but it's so very true. In this world at some point one's success does depend on "the will to survive."
Two thoughts before I head to work. One, I want to wish my friend Aaron Barnard good luck running Grandma's Marathon in Duluth tomorrow. If anything tests "your will to survive," it's the marathon. Second, I want to say, "dang, I miss the Lake Tahoe Relay." The Lake Tahoe Relay is a 72 mile race around Lake Tahoe. You run in teams of 7 and each person runs 10 miles or so. I'll post a picture below of my team from a few years ago. Maybe...I'll get enough people to read my blog, train, and then we can all go and run around Lake Tahoe together. It's beautiful, it's fun, and it's more about just having fun running than trying to win anything. Happy running to you...
I was listening to my iPod (iPhone) this morning while running and the song Eye of the Tiger came on. I love the line in the song that says, "just a man and his will to survive." Could there be any quote more appropriate for running? At it's core, running truly is about a runner's will to keep going---when it's hot, when it's cold, when it's raining, when it's snowing, when you're tired, when you're sad, when you're happy, etc.--Running tests your metal. It's tests your toughness and your resliency. I write about this often---this being that running help you succeed in life--but it's so very true. In this world at some point one's success does depend on "the will to survive."
Two thoughts before I head to work. One, I want to wish my friend Aaron Barnard good luck running Grandma's Marathon in Duluth tomorrow. If anything tests "your will to survive," it's the marathon. Second, I want to say, "dang, I miss the Lake Tahoe Relay." The Lake Tahoe Relay is a 72 mile race around Lake Tahoe. You run in teams of 7 and each person runs 10 miles or so. I'll post a picture below of my team from a few years ago. Maybe...I'll get enough people to read my blog, train, and then we can all go and run around Lake Tahoe together. It's beautiful, it's fun, and it's more about just having fun running than trying to win anything. Happy running to you...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Embracing 6 AM...
Many morning my alarm goes off at 6 AM and my intention is to get up and go for a run. I think many of us (who work full time and have personal/family duties) understand that if you don't run early then you may not be able to run at all. In the summer, you can add the fact that if you don't run early (at least in the Midwest/Southeas) then you'll be running in God awful heat. So...when the alarm goes off at 6 AM, then I've decided I better embrace it.
I read a lot about running and it's fun to dream about living in the hills of North Carolina, in Tahoe, or in Euguene at one of the USA distance running centers. Those guys get paid to wake up, run, get a massage, do some stretching, sleep, and then get up and run again. Those guys run and run and run--while getting paid to do it. For most of us, though, we get paid to do something else and running is something we do in addition to that something else. I'm lucky because I love my work and for me work is play. But...every now and then I dream of being an olympic caliber runner living the dream of a well sponsored distance runner living in Boulder, Eugene, Tahoe, or Boone, NC.
For now, though, I'll just embrace 6a, beat the heat, and keep moving my legs. After all, running is not about how fast or how far, but just about being able to have that 30-60 minutes a day of peaceful movement. Happy running to you...
I read a lot about running and it's fun to dream about living in the hills of North Carolina, in Tahoe, or in Euguene at one of the USA distance running centers. Those guys get paid to wake up, run, get a massage, do some stretching, sleep, and then get up and run again. Those guys run and run and run--while getting paid to do it. For most of us, though, we get paid to do something else and running is something we do in addition to that something else. I'm lucky because I love my work and for me work is play. But...every now and then I dream of being an olympic caliber runner living the dream of a well sponsored distance runner living in Boulder, Eugene, Tahoe, or Boone, NC.
For now, though, I'll just embrace 6a, beat the heat, and keep moving my legs. After all, running is not about how fast or how far, but just about being able to have that 30-60 minutes a day of peaceful movement. Happy running to you...
Sunday, June 13, 2010
15 strait 40+ mile weeks...
Had a great run this morning after a very nice week of training. Each week I really try to hit the magical mile mark of 40 because I know that the 40-45 mile mark is the level I need to maintain to really be competitive when racing. It's sometimes daunting trying to hit that mark with work and having a personal life. However, I've got a pretty good formula down with running before work and running a lot of Friday, Saturday and Sundays. However, sometimes your plan changes---like when you are on vacation---and you have to really be creative in hitting the mark.
This week I took off Monday and Tuesday and ran zero miles. Typiclly, I don't take two days in a row off. Probably, 2 days in a week, but never two days in a row. I like to spread my days off so that my legs get rest a couple times a week. I knew heading into Wednesday that I'd have to averge 8 miles a day for the last five days of the week to hit 40. That meant I would have to get up a 6a on Thursday to run before we made the 12 hour trip from NYC to Indiana. And...it meant I would have to run about 10 miles on Saturday morning--a morning in which it rained and it would have been easier to stay in bed. But...I really wanted to hit the 40 mile mark so I just toughed it out and did it.
15 strait 40 mile weeks is great because it means I've really had the consistency needed to start to work on running faster races. I'm looking forward to continuing to build the base over the summer and then really hit some fast times when it cools down this fall. So far this year I have run 921 miles. My goal is to hit 1000 miles before June 30 (half-way mark of year) because my goal for the year is 2000. I know if I continue to hit 40 miles or so a week for the rest of the year then I'll reach the 2000 mile mark. Hope to be able to really continue training like this. Happy running...
This week I took off Monday and Tuesday and ran zero miles. Typiclly, I don't take two days in a row off. Probably, 2 days in a week, but never two days in a row. I like to spread my days off so that my legs get rest a couple times a week. I knew heading into Wednesday that I'd have to averge 8 miles a day for the last five days of the week to hit 40. That meant I would have to get up a 6a on Thursday to run before we made the 12 hour trip from NYC to Indiana. And...it meant I would have to run about 10 miles on Saturday morning--a morning in which it rained and it would have been easier to stay in bed. But...I really wanted to hit the 40 mile mark so I just toughed it out and did it.
15 strait 40 mile weeks is great because it means I've really had the consistency needed to start to work on running faster races. I'm looking forward to continuing to build the base over the summer and then really hit some fast times when it cools down this fall. So far this year I have run 921 miles. My goal is to hit 1000 miles before June 30 (half-way mark of year) because my goal for the year is 2000. I know if I continue to hit 40 miles or so a week for the rest of the year then I'll reach the 2000 mile mark. Hope to be able to really continue training like this. Happy running...
Saturday, June 12, 2010
A real nice vacation...
Sarah and I had an awesome vacation last week visiting the East Coast. It was a much needed break for us after six months of Sarah's intense medical school studies and my intense work schedule. We both love what we are doing professionally, but everyone needs a break from time to time. We were able to travel through 8 states and DC: Ohio, PA, West Va, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New York, & Washington DC. All in all, we had a very nice time.
I mentioned this briefly in my last post, but when on vacation I do tend to scale back my expectations for training so that my legs get a break and so that I can enjoy time with Sarah. I was, however, able to run in West Virginia, DC, Virginia, and New York (places I've never run in before). Going into the trip I really felt like West Virginia-with it's mountains and beauty--would have been my favorite place to run. However, when I ran there I never found a good place to run (we were only there for a short time). Believe it or not, my absolute favorite place to run was in Brooklyn at Prospect Park. (see picture).
Prospect Park is this 570 something acre park in the heart of Brooklyn. There are trails and nice paths on the road. The park truly is designed for runners, walkers, and cyclists. In a place where there is a TON of traffic and a lot of people, it was a treat to find this place. And...Sarah's brother and girlfriend (who we stayed with in Brooklyn) only live about 5 minutes by foot from the park. It's a runners paradise right in the middle of Brooklyn. I had a great run this morning in the rain. Ran about 10.25 miles. I was able to hit the 40 mile mark for the week last week and should be able to hit the 40 mile mark this week as well. I had a great time on vacation, but was able to get up a little earlier and make sure to get some miles in. When I don't run, I'm a pain in the butt so Sarah does understand. It's great to have a wife that gets it! Have a great day. My family is in town for my uncle Ray's wedding so it should be a great day. Happy running to you.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Vacation starts today...!
On vacation starting today. Actually typing my blog on my iPhone while waiting for our new tires. I dropped my car off, ran 7.25 miles, and now just waiting for them to finish up. Technology is amazing.
When I'm on vacation I try to temper my running expectations a bit. I'll probably run 5-6 times over next 10 days, but being with Sarah will be primary goal. We are travelling to WV, DC, Williamsburg (VA), Long Island, and Brooklyn. So...I will try to run in states I've never run in (WV, VA, NY). Looking forward to leaving today. Sarah & I will have fun--even if I try to sneak in a couple long runs. But...hey...at least I'm not trying to sneak in a race, right?
Probably my last blog until June 12. Happy running!
When I'm on vacation I try to temper my running expectations a bit. I'll probably run 5-6 times over next 10 days, but being with Sarah will be primary goal. We are travelling to WV, DC, Williamsburg (VA), Long Island, and Brooklyn. So...I will try to run in states I've never run in (WV, VA, NY). Looking forward to leaving today. Sarah & I will have fun--even if I try to sneak in a couple long runs. But...hey...at least I'm not trying to sneak in a race, right?
Probably my last blog until June 12. Happy running!
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