TMC & Fleet Feet Half Marathon

Wow, where to start? This was my first half marathon so I was very excited/nervous and I did not sleep well last night. But I woke up excited and ready to go! Got to Sabino High School and it was COLD! Somewhere between 40 and 50 degrees and I was very envious of fellow DMer Eileen's gloves. I got to chat with her a bit while trying to stay warm and I got to finally meet fellow DMers Becca and Matt.

I started the race with Matt and we ran at a good pace for me but maybe a little too fast for him (sorry Matt!) so after about 2 miles he slowed down a bit and I tried to keep on pace. I decided to settle in around a 9 minute pace and tried to hit that for the whole shebang and come in around 2 hours. I thought it would be an excellent goal and it would keep me running for the whole 13 miles. It turns out, my legs were just not ready to run 13 miles straight. But, they were strong enough to run 10! That was the longest distance I'd ever run without stopping and it felt great. I carried a small water bottle ate gels at miles 5, 8, and 10 and really the only one that seemed to totally energize me was the first one. The others I'm sure just stabilized my energy levels instead of raising them. I ran with headphones and a music playlist that my wonderful girlfriend helped me put together. Throughout the whole race, my mind wandered and there were times I didn't even realize I was listening to music and then it would just click in.


I ran through the 5, 6, and 7 mile marks feeling great and really enjoying myself. Once I got to the 8 mile mark, I was reaching the furthest that I'd ever run continuously and it was weighing on my mind. I pushed myself past the mile 10 mark, ate my gel, and thought I would be able to continue running with the energy of the gel but my legs would not have any of it. After only a quarter mile more, I had to walk a bit. As soon as I slowed down, my quads started spasming and my legs were shaking. I got that under control after about a minute and went back into a 9 min/mi pace thinking that I only had a 5K left to go and that if I pushed myself, I could totally make it. That was not quite the case. Through the next 3 miles, I traded between running and walking. My final Garmin graph is pretty remarkable. It's virtually a straight line at about 9 min/mi for 10 miles then looks like an oscillating wave for the last 3 mi ranging from 8-9 min/mi (running) to 13-15 min/mi (walking).


As I rounded the turn onto Harrison and Sabino High School came into view I knew that I was in the final stretch. I gathered all the strength I could muster out of my legs and ran the last bit into the school and into the stadium. Becca was standing inside the track cheering and snapping photos I rounded the track and headed to the finish. I gave her a fist pump and she got a good picture of it. As I ran through the finish line, I raised my fist in triumph and as I slowed down, my legs knew it was over and wouldn't have let me run another step even if I wanted to. I walked/stumbled over to Becca and together we cheered on Matt as he came around to the finish.


Becca took some finishers pictures of Matt and I and after some post-race stretching, I grabbed some of Everyone Runs' famous post-race breakfast (amazing tortilla, eggs, beans, and salsa), eyed the line at the massage table, and headed out for a meeting at REI.


Right now, as I write this report, it is 5 and a half hours after finishing the race. My knees and feet are in pretty bad shape. The muscles aren't so bad because I stretched but my knees and feet took it pretty rough. I hope they're just road worn and not injured. This is the biggest beating I've subjected them to. As soon as I finish writing this, I'm going to sit in a cold water bath for a while.


I just checked the results of the race online and it looks like I came in 183rd out of 312 half marathon runners and 12th out of 20th in my age group (25-29). I thought there were a lot more runners but I guess that's because there were 333 people running in the 5K. Well, I was shooting for 2:00:00, optimistically running for 2:05:00 and came in at 2:06:00 with a pretty steady pace so I am very happy. And exhausted. And beat down. And proud.

Somewhere in the middle of the race. Look at that focus!

Fist pump to Becca as I come onto the track.

Coming into the finish. Looking strong?
Probably feeling less so.

This one shows how tired I'm feeling.
And how much I pronate.

The start of another awesome fist pump.

And there it is! The fist pump at the finish!

And this one shows how tired I am. 

Matt and I. Half Marathon finishers!

That's right! Half Marathon Finisher!

Race #: 10

Distance: 13.12 mi
Type: Road
Bib #: 275
Time: 2:05:52
Pace: 9:37/mi.
Place: 183/312


Upcoming Race Schedule:
December 16, 2010: Ride N' Tie mountain bike/run relay with Marty.
January 16, 2010: 13.1 Los Angeles Half Marathon
February 25-26: Ragnar Relay Del Sol!

Challenge. What does it mean to you?

Challenge. It’s a word that has a different meaning for everyone on the planet. For me, the meaning has always changed and my challenges were usually means to an end. However, in January 2009, I decided to concentrate all my efforts on an endless challenge that has already significantly changed my life. I decided to get my health under control. At the time of the decision, I was sitting squarely in the overweight category, I was beyond unhealthy, and it was only getting worse. So I took on the challenge to change and save my life.

Fast forward a year. February 2010. I am already a new man. I’ve lost 65 pounds, and am healthier and more active than I have ever been. I decided to up the ante on this challenge and road test my newfound health. I registered for my first 5K. My first training run was a disaster. I could barely run a mile and struggled to walk and run through the full distance at a 10 min./mi. pace. I learned that just losing weight wasn’t enough. I also had to increase my endurance and fitness level.

Fast forward a month. My first 5K. I ran the distance in under 25 minutes. I had reached my goal of completing the race and shaved 5 minutes off my original time. But this wasn’t the end of my challenge. I registered and raced several more 5K races, progressively getting faster, fitter, and more addicted to running and exercising outdoors.

Fast forward two months. I’ve now lost 75 pounds and am racing in my first 10K. I loved the challenge of the longer distance of the race and found myself wanted to keep running. In the back of my mind I knew that longer distance races were out there and waiting for me but that transitioning from racing a 10K to seriously training for a longer, harder challenge would take more than just will and grit to tough it out.

The next step in the challenge presented me with a choice and a lot of questions. Do I stick with just running? Increase my distance to the half marathon? The marathon? Beyond? Or do I transition to a triathlon? Having only recently started running and never been a cyclist or a swimmer, can I even complete a triathlon? But with my recent running successes in mind, I realized that my new body and mind can do more than I thought it could. So I made a decision. Fast forward to July 2010. I am competing in my first sprint triathlon. And fast forward to December 2010. I am competing in my first full marathon.

Race Seven!

Oh the hills! Oh the humanity! Haha. Anyway...
Today's race was the Tucson Heart Group Cinco de Mayo 10K. My longest race to date. And I had two goals for this race.

1. Keep a steady pace so that I can run the whole race. In training, I always tried to keep my 5K pace going for 10K and wasn't able to sustain it. This time, I slowed my pace slightly and was able push hard but not beyond my limits. As I ticked off each mile, I felt stronger and stronger. It may have also helped that the last 2 miles were mostly downhill.

2. Break 8:00/mi. I've been consistently running around 7:30/mi. in the 5K and figured I'd need to slow down to run the whole 10K and I wanted to still see that 7 in the pace. I couldn't find my watch this morning so I wasn't able to track my pace through the race. I listened to my body and slowed up when I was in trouble and sped up when I was feeling great. Fortunately, there was more feeling great than trouble. The course itself was pretty wicked. When I first signed up for this race I talked to a few folks who had run it before and they all said, "Oh, the Cinco 10K? Hope you've been training on hills!" They were right! The course started up hill and was relentless through the turn around. Although they billed the last 2 miles as downhill, the course finished after a hill.

I saw some of my running buddies at the race and it's always nice to compare war stories.

I know I've said it before but I'm still amazed at how far I've come. Down 75 pounds in 16 months, down 7 minutes in my 5K time and 10 minutes in my 10K time in 2.5 months. I never thought I'd be a runner but here I am. I am a healthy. I am happy. I am a runner.

Race #: 7
Distance: 6.21 mi
Type: Road
Bib #: 628
Time: 49:40
Pace: 7:59/mi.
Place: 172/740 (AG 15/30...just noticed that 7 of the top 10 are in my age group...haha...crap.)

Next Challenge: TRIATHLON! AH! 7/4/10: Holualoa Firecracker Triathlon

My new training partner!

Since I am low on funds these days (can't wait for my new job to start!) I wasn't able to blow a bunch of dough on a new road bike to train for my first triathlon.  Until today I've been getting out on my 1993 Trek Singletrack 930 mountain bike.  However, my new boss offered to let me borrow and train on his road bike, a 2009 GTR Series 3.  I took it out today for a test ride and it was AWESOME.  I'm gonna love training on this thing.

Sixth Race!

The Dash For Darfur: What can I say about this race?

I normally enjoy the race environment when there are hundreds of people all excited to be out and running and possibly helping a charity.  This one was organized by a student coalition against the genocide in Darfur.  While I'm happy to support the cause, since there were so few people at this event, I think they spent about a quarter of what they raised on the top prizes for the race (not that I'm complaining, as I'm sipping the iced caramel macchiato I got with the gift certificate I won for getting 3rd place).

1. This was a very small, very organized event.
2. The course was a bit longer than 5K (3.17 mi.)
3. The race started almost a half hour late which REALLY matters when the temperature is rising.
4. Only 26 people registered (and I think less ran).
5. 4 of the runners (if you can call them that) were jackass frat boys who A) were likely hung over, B) were jackasses, and C) tried to cheat.
6. Almost puked at the finish.  Remind me not to run in the heat anymore.

7. No matter how many people were running or who was there, I was still able to run my race and kept a PR pace.  Came in 3rd because of it.

This was my 3rd hard run day in a row.  8 miles on Friday, 5K trail race yesterday, then this 5K today.  SO EXCITED for a rest day tomorrow!  Then it'll be time to get pumped for my first 10K next weekend!

Race #: 6
Distance: 3.17 mi.
Type: Road
Bib #: No bib, #9
Time: 23:10
Pace: 7:19/mi
Place: 3/26

Next Race: 5/2/10: Tucson Heart Group Cinco de Mayo 10K!

Fifth Race!

The Spring Cross-Country Classic 2010 was just about the same time as my last 5K race.  At least it's good to know that I'm not getting slower.  Actually, considering this was an awesome trail race with some solid hills and sand, I guess I ran a bit faster than my last 5K.  As always, I got out of the gate a bit too fast (1st mile was 6:47) and burned myself out by the time I was on the hills in the second loop.  Finished strong when I saw the clock ticking towards 23:00. My legs feel pretty weka right now which I attribute to the race + yesterday's 8 miler.  I have another 5K race tomorrow, a charity road race, and unless my legs get some good rest today, it might just have to be a recovery run.  First 10 K in a week and I don't want to totally wear my legs out!

Saw some Dailymilers (@lizz7l and @sarahsdailymile) and other new running buddies out there.  Fun event!  Didn't stay for the potluck or the egg toss.  May partake in the beer garden next year, though.

Race #: 5

Distance: 5K

Type: Trail

Bib #: 1208

Time: 22:59

Pace: 7:24/mi.

Place: Men's: 41/128 (AG: 6/9)

Next Race: 4/25/10: Dash For Darfur 5K

The Next Mile

As you may have noticed, I've changed the name and function of this blog.  Gone is the cheesy nickname and in its place are the words that inspire me.  The Next Mile is a philosophy with no end.  There is always a new challenge.  Every mile is a chance to become a stronger, better me.  I am in the endless pursuit to understand who I am on the other side of The Next Mile.

I have a tattoo that quotes Dante.  In the Inferno, he wrote: "Consider your origins.  You were not made to live like brutes but to pursue virtue and knowledge."  I live by this.  Through running, I am pursuing the virtue of a stronger body, mind, and soul.  I am pursuing the knowledge of myself; of a stronger, better me.  Beyond The Next Mile is the best, most virtuous, most knowledgeable version of me.  This pursuit is life-long.  There is no end, there is only The Next Mile.

Beyond The Next Mile is...

Race Four!

Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure:

AMAZING!  The event was huge and crazy and so much fun!  So proud of our whole team, The Boob Battalion, for coming out, raising money, and finishing the race.

I started the race a little too fast since I was up front.  I finished the first mile in around 6:45 and had to slow down because I knew I'd burn myself out.  At around 2 miles, Russ, who started a little after me caught up and ran with me a but before taking off to finish the race in a blistering 22:07.  My goal was to get around a 23:00 and as I was rounding the turn to the finish, I saw the second hand of the clock slowly ticking towards that time.  This was definitely a case of leaving it all out on the course since I pushed all the way through to the end and hit my goal!  Beat my fastest 5K race time by 2 minutes (and that's after yesterday's 5 mile trail run)!!!

Race #: 4
Distance: 5K
Bib #: 351
Time: 22:56
Pace: 7:23 min./mi.
Place: 140/1108 (AG 24/121)


Next Race: May 2, 2010: Tucson Heart Group Cinco de Mayo 10K

Third Race!

A few months ago, my DM buddy Dave S. told me that he was registered for both the Catalina Trail Run and the Race For The Cure.  Two races in two days.  I told him he was loco.  He is.  But apparently, so am I.  I've been running some fast (for me) 10Ks so I made a decision.  I am going to run in any race for which I've already run the distance more than 3 times.  This 5.2 miler fell into that category so I said "screw it" and signed up.  Looks like tomorrow's 5K is going to be a recovery run!

Anyway, on to today's race: The Catalina State Park 5.2 and 10.35 Mile Trail Run!

The morning started off with a bummer.  I got a speeding ticket on my way to the race. Although it sucks, I guess it was comforting to know that I really had speed on my mind.

The race itself was FANTASTIC!  I made a new running buddy, Lorinda from Calgary, and got to race with some other great people.  This is probably the most fun I've had running yet!  I loved the variety of terrain on the trail. The trails and mountains were probably beautiful although I didn't see much of it since my head was down the majority of the time making sure I didn't land on any of those ankle-breaking rocks. We ran across a few washes still streaming with water (awesome) and through long patches of soft sand (slightly less awesome), and up two big sections of stairs (92 and 48; a bit less awesome). I felt like I was moving pretty fast and felt AMAZING when it finished.

I don't know exactly where I placed since they kind of screwed up the placing. I'll edit this when the post the final results.

Race #: 3

Distance: 5.2 miles

Bib #: 457

Time: 47:22 (official time: 45:52)

Pace: 9:06 min./mi. (official pace: 8:44 min./mi.)

Place: 37/337 (AG 6/20)

Made some new running friends and learned a lot about what I really enjoy about running. I'm definitely hooked on trail runs now!

Next Race: April 11 (tomorrow!): Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure

Rocky 4 Style Training at the Grand Canyon

This past week I had what I like to call my Rocky 4 wilderness training week.  I went up to the Grand Canyon for work (conserving historic river running boats with the NPS) and since we were staying so close to the South Rim I decided I'd keep up my training by running along the rim.  The weather was pretty unpredictable so I also got a temporary membership to the local Rec Center.  This week was going to be a challenge for me since I've never run in the cold and the Grand Canyon elevation is 6500 feet higher above sea level than Tucson.  But once I got out on the trail it felt amazing and I don't think it was a coincidence that although I have 64 songs in my Running Playlist, everytime I ran on that train both Eye of The Tiger and Hearts On Fire came on and pumped me up!

Day 1, Monday, 6:00am, 3.1 miles: Woke up early and since I was a little intimidated by the weather and the elevation so I made my way to the Rec Center.  Ran my usual 5K but the elevation was pretty effective at slowing my pace.

Day 1, Monday, 6:00pm, 3.1 miles: Was feeling good after my first day of work so I went back to the treadmill at the Rec and decided to switch it up by running intervals for 5K.

Day 2, Tuesday, 5:00pm, 2 miles: Took a short 2 mile hike (1 mile in, 1 mile out) for a picnic at sunset at Shoshone Point.  Check out the pics!

Day 3, Wednesday, 6:00am, 3.45 miles: Decided to bite the bullet and take off on a sunrise run along the South Rim.  It was unbelievable!  It was cold but invigorating and the glory of the sunrise made every step worth it.  Check out how happy I am after the run!

Day 4, Thursday, 12:15pm, 2.25 miles: I didn't make it for a sunrise run so I tried to sneak in a bit of a lunchtime run at the Rec Center.  Was able to get in 2.25 miles before I had to get back to work.


Day 4, Thursday, 5:30pm, 3.45 miles: Since it was beyond freezing in the morning, I decided to postpone my run for the sunset.  I went out to the same place that I watched the sunrise the morning before and was treated to amazing blues and purples of the Canyon at twilight.

Day 5, Friday, 6:00am, 3.45 miles: On my last available morning, I made the sunrise run again.  Just as amazing as the first time.  A bunch of runners out this morning.  I tried to keep pace with a Marine on the way back but he was just too strong of a runner for me!

This turned out to be an incredible trip, both professionally and for my training.  While the runs were tough, they certainly helped me gain perspective on what it's like to run in a different environment.

Upgrading my running acumen...

I learned a few important things about running today. Thou shalt not discount the following factors during a run:

1. RACE DAY ADRENALINE: In yesterday's race, I was so pumped that my pace (probably around 7:00/mi) was pretty damn fast for the first 2 1/4 miles. Today I settled into a slower pace for the majority of the run.
2. RUNNING WITH A PACK: I thoroughly enjoyed doing this in the race yesterday. I was able to keep up a pretty fast pace by focusing on staying with a few key runners and allowing them to push me and motivate me.
3. WIND: SUCKS. The wind this morning was pretty wicked and kept my pace in check. It made quite a few of the sections very rough this morning.
4. KNOWING THE COURSE: There is no replacement for knowing where you're going and what's coming up next. Even though I ran slower today, I felt much more comfortable on the course.

So why did I run slower today? Was it due to the first 3 factors (no race day adrenaline, not running with a pack, major wind)? Was it because I haven't done a lot of morning running? Or was it that I just plain old ran slower? I guess we'll have to experiment a little more.

Either way, I really like this neighborhood course and and will make it my major training course...until I can find another. I even like the couple hills. Although that one on Bilby up to Metropolitan towards the end of the run is pretty tough.

Second Race!

The Sierra Morado 5K Walk/Run by Pulte Homes started off AMAZING. I was keeping pace with some of the top runners and was in the top ten pack (the guy in first was WAY in front and killed the rest of us). Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance and sprinted up a dirt hill thinking the finish was just beyond that. Turns out it was a little more than a half mile further down the course. My sprint took a lot out of me and my legs and slowed me down significantly for the last section of the race. I'm certain had I just kept my pace/known where the finish was, I would have finished within the top ten and somewhere around a 7:30 min/mi pace. However, I am proud to say that even with that disappointing setback, I was able to finish strong, sprinting the last bit through the finish. Here are my results:

Race #: 2
Distance: 5K (3.1 mi)
Bib #: 391 
Time: 25:42 
Pace: 8:17/mi 
Place: 14/142 overall

P.S. Kudos to Aaron as well for finishing the race strong! (gotta get him on DM)

P.P.S. I gotta get a pedometer/interval watch or a Garmin to track my distance and progress so this doesn't happen again :(

Next Race: April 10: Catalina State Park 5.2 & 10.35 Mile Trail Run!

Race Day #2: Sierra Morado 5K Walk/Run by Pulte Homes

Race Day #2!


A little story to commemorate the day: Way back in early February, I started thinking about running. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep myself motivated since I had never before been interested in running. So I asked my friend Aaron if he wanted to train for a 5K with me. Before I even finished asking, his eyes got wide and he said, "Hell yeah." Our plan was to run the Midtown Sertoma 5K (March 13) but life got in the way (for him, not me) and he wasn't able to run it. Now, finally, Aaron and I are running in a race together, as we had planned all those weeks ago.


So pumped!

100 Push-up Challenge: Back to square...2

Damn moving screwed this routine up too.  Starting Week 4 over again but so friggin' determined to get this that I'll do what I have to.

Week 4:

Day 1 (3/24/10): These all went really well.  My form's getting better so my shoulder doesn't hurt after these anymore.

Day 2 (3/26/10): Had to take a bit of a longer break between sets 4 and 5 but rocked my 10 above rule for Set 5.

Day 3: Sunday (3/28/10): 120 seconds between each set.
Set 1: 23 pushups

Set 2: 33 pushups

Set 3: 29 pushups

Set 4: 29 pushups

Set 5: Max (minimum 40)

200 Sit-up Challenge Redux

Moving last weekend threw a wrench into my planned routine for the 200 Sit-up Challenge.  It was going really well for the first couple days and since I'm pretty damn gung-ho about completing these challenges, I'm starting over tonight.

Week 3 Redux:
Day 1 Redux (3/23/10): After missing a few days and starting Week 3 over, this went really well.  It jumps up pretty high for the next day.  We'll see how it goes.

Day 2 Redux (3/25/10): These went pretty well, too.  Can feel my core getting stronger every set!

Day 3 Redux: (3/27/10) 60 seconds between each set.
Set 1: 33 sit-ups
Set 2: 42 sit-ups
Set 3: 30 sit-ups
Set 4: 30 sit-ups
Set 5: Max (45 min)

Faster and faster...

I was planning on running 5 miles today but due to a fascinating but long lecture on Roman Mosaics in Tunisia (and some chatting with the lecturer), I got to Reid Park pretty late and decided to just run 5K.  The run felt really great pretty much the whole way which is why I was able to run it faster than I ever have before.  My PR time for the 5K was 23:00 flat (7:25 min/mi pace).  I am SO looking forward to the prospect of another PR in Saturday's 5K race.

Back with a vengeance!

On the heels of a very disappointing 5K on Wednesday and a day off yesterday, I decided to do a long run. Long run = understatement. I stopped off at Fleet Feet for some advice on hydration and nutrition during long runs and got some great advice and bought a few different brands of gels to try them out.  Here's my time breakdown:

4.25 mi in 00:35:00. (8:14 min/mi pace) Took my first gel, orange flavored Accel Gel.
7.5 mi in 1:06:00. (8:48 min/mi pace) Took my second gel, orange flavored GU gel.
10.75 mi in 1:41:00 (9:23 min/mi pace) Took my last gel, orange flavored Hammer gel.

Legs were pretty beat up so I had to walk a little between short runs to get through the whole half marathon distance. But I did it!!!
First Half-Marathon Distance: 13.1 mi in 2:12:00 (10:04 min/mi pace)

I just couldn't continue running after this so I walked the rest of the way back. Finished the whole 15 miles in 2:45:00 (overall 11:00 min/mi pace).

My longest previous run without walking was 7 miles. Beat that by 3.75 miles and destroyed that 7 mile time by 6 minutes! My previous longest distance period was 9 miles. Beat that by 6 miles!

The gels were an interesting new twist for me.  I wanted to compare the effects of the 3 different brands but realized that no matter what I'd be more tired after the second and third ones.  Even so, I didn't like the taste of the Hammer gel and didn't really feel much from it.  I think I'll try the Accel and GU again.

I think I'm going to start taking it a bit easier.  I have to remember that I have plenty of time to get ready to run a marathon and don't need to injure myself by doing too much, too soon.  I got pretty frustrated after my poor showing on Wednesday that I overcompensated today and just ran until I could barely walk.  I'm going to focus on my next 5K and following 10K and shelve the 13.1 milers for a little while.

They can't all be PR's...

Today was just not my day on the course.  Everyone has their up days and down days, so they say.  Sure I've had some rougher running days but this one was a doozy.  And it's unfortunate because it was such a beautiful day out.  So perfect for running.  I guess after running a distance PR of 9 miles on Monday, a 5K time PR of 23:34 on Tuesday before an ass-kicking yoga session, I was bound to have an off day.  I spent all day debating whether or not to run since I was so damn sore from the yoga but decided to just push through and take to the course.  I swear I'm going to take the day off tomorrow (except for my sit-ups) and get pumped for a solid weekend of running and cycling.

It just gets better and better...

I had planned to do a light running warm up before yoga but it turned into a fullout run at a pace faster than I've ever done before. I started at an 8 min/mi pace, which was my racing pace.  Instead of lowering the speed on the treadmill when I got tired, I raised it, pushing myself even harder.  For the last 3/4 of a mile, I was running at a 7 min/mi pace and when I finished, it felt AMAZING.  I turned in a 23:34 5K.  This pace would have lifted me up to 26th place in the last race I was in.  I'm getting better and faster and loving every second of it!

And to add to the excitement of the day, when I stepped on the scale, it read a feathery 165 lbs.  15 months ago, I weighed 235 lbs. and when I started to get healthy and fit, I made 165 lbs. my ultimate weight loss goal.  It took a lot of time and hard work but I lost 70 lbs.  That's 30% of my body weight!  But I'm not going to sit on my much slimmer laurels.  My new goal is a further transformation of my body.  While the loss of 70 lbs. of fat has given me a more svelte figure, it is still going to take some time to get my body into tip top shape.  But if reaching this goal is any indication, I'm looking forward to conquering this too!!!

While I'm at it...why not another challenge?

I am really starting to love putting my new body, my motivation, and my spirit to the test.  A year ago, I wouldn't have even dreamt that I could run a 5K, let alone 9 miles, or do 100 pushups.  So what's one more challenge?  Introducing, the 200 Sit-up Challenge, from the makers of the 100 Push-up Challenge.  I keep hearing that I need to strengthen my core, in order to become better at...well...everything.  Better runner? Strengthen your core.  More flexible?  Strengthen your core.  Better in bed?  Strengthen your core.  Better student?  Strengthen your core.  So, to that end, I'm taking on the challenge.  I took the initial test and was able to knock out 54 crunches putting me in the "Good" category.  So, like the push-ups, I'm starting on Week 3.

Day 1: (3/16/10) I'm not used to doing actual crunches.  I'm used to using an ab machine so these are going to be a bit rough going at the beginning.  But as with the rest of my exercise regimine, I'm pushing myself to get it done.  Just like the push-ups, I'm going to try to stay 10 above the minimum in Set 5.  Was able to get through it today.  Jumping up 8 more per set for Day 2.  Should be a pretty good challenge.

Day 2: (3/18/10) I don't think my form was all that great for Day 1 which is why my neck hurt.  I decided to do today's with my knees up.  They were a bit easier and didn't strain my neck as much.  I'll stick with this style for a while.

Day 3: (3/20/10) Moving this weekend threw a wrench into the routine for this challenge so I'm starting over next week.

Where in the world did this come from?

9 miles? 9 miles? Holy crap.


Hello, absurdly long run, my name's Kevin. Nice to kick your ass. I have no idea where today's run came from but I felt like the freakin' Energizer Bunny, I kept going and...well, you get it. I had to walk a few times and grabbed some water out of my car each time I passed it but I was still able to stay under a 10 min/mi pace through the whole thing. This makes me think with a little more training, I'll can actually do all of the races I'm planning! This was BY FAR (2 miles) a PB for me in distance. Thank you new running shorts and new (functioning) iPod!

Hundred Pushup Challenge...one step closer

Week 3 went pretty well.  Was able to get through all of the pushups and maintain my "10 over minimum" rule for Set 5.  My bad shoulder took a beating in the last set of Day 3.  Not sure how it'll hold up this week, but I'm going to find out!

Week 4:

Day 1 (3/17/10): Just like today's run, these were pretty rough.  Still pretty damn sore from yoga yesterday so each set was a trial.  I had to rest a little more than 60 seconds between the 4th and 5th set so that I could still push myself to get it done and hit my "10 over" mark for Set 5.  Shoulder held up well, though.

Day 2: Friday (3/19/10): 90 seconds between each set.
Set 1: 25 pushups

Set 2: 29 pushups

Set 3: 25 pushups

Set 4: 25 pushups

Set 5: Max (minimum 36)

First Race!!!

Just finished my first race!  I ran the Midtown Sertoma 5K Run & Walk for Better Hearing.  It was a pretty cool event and I look forward to doing it again next year (this was the first annual).  I ran at the pace I'd been training with for the last week, exactly what I wanted.  Thanks to Russ and Maggie for training and racing with me!

Race #: 1
Distance: 5K (3.1 mi)
Bib #: 29
Time: 24:56
Pace: 8:02/mi
Place: 41/262 (8/14 in age group)

Next race: March 27: Sierra Morado 5K Walk/Run by Pulte Homes

5Ks 1 and 2!!!

First 5K in 2 days!!! Just registered for the 2nd! I'm running the Race for the Cure on April 11. If you're interested in sponsoring me, go to: http://sazraceforthecure.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=333453&u=333453-286485252

Thanks!

A Hundred Pushups...almost

Just signed up for the Hundred Pushups Challenge (http://hundredpushups.com/).  Started at 30, have 4 weeks to bring it up to 100.  That'd be pretty awesome.  Let's see if this works!  Anyone want to join me?

Started at Week 3 (as instructed).
Day 1 (3/10/10): Not so bad.  Last couple were tough but the first 4 sets went great and my set 5 max was 30.


Day 2 (3/12/10): Went well!  Same as last week.  Last few were hard but my set 5 max was 35.  Going to try to stay at least 10 pushups above the Set 5 min.

Day 3 (3/14/10): This time my bad shoulder really started to affect me performance in the last set.  Still, I pushed through the pain and reached my 10 over minimum for Set 5.  I'm going to pay for that.  Hopefully it will be better enough to hurt again in three days!


On to Week 4!

Race Week

It is officially RACE WEEK!!!  Only 4 more days before my first 5K and I am PUMPED!  Here's my plan for my last week of training (which will be easier since I was laid off today):

Monday: Well, since I've already completed my Monday training I'll just summarize.  Ran 3.75 miles on the race course at about 8 min/mi.

Tuesday: Run minimum of 4 miles and maximum of 5 miles at Reid Park at a lower than 9 min/mi. pace. Late class.  Took the evening off.


Wednesday: Gym Day!  Warm up with elliptical then lift weights and give my legs (and the rest of me) a really good stretch and workout. 5K run at Reid Park at 8 min/mi.


Thursday: 5K run at Reid Park at 8 min/mi. Gym Day! Warm up with elliptical then lift weights and give my legs (and the rest of me) a really good stretch and workout.


Friday: Chill Out!  No running, no weights, no stupid activity that's gonna get me injured the day before the race (because I'm just that lucky).  Some good stretching, maybe some yoga at home. Biked 5.5 miles to stretch the legs and get some exercise in before the big day.


Saturday: RACE DAY!  KICK SOME ASS!!!


*All of the above is weather-permitting.  We've gotten some pretty stormy weather round these parts the last few days but I have a good feeling that it's going to be clear skies all week!

Indoor Rock Climbing

In looking for new, fun activities to add to my cross training arsenal, I remembered that Tucson has a pretty sweet indoor climbing gym.  I went for the first time 2 weeks ago with Jill and loved it so much that I've been trying to get back since.  It's a pretty awesome full body cross training workout.  This weekend Jill and I finally got to go again and brought Melissa and Eric with us.  As always, Melissa brought along a camera.  If only it were a little cheaper, I'd go VERY often.

*Thanks to Melissa for the pics!

Mountain Biking

In an attempt to expand my 5K cross training to fun, new experiences, I went mountain biking with Melissa at the Sweetwater Preserve.  I only started cycling in May so this was the first time I'd ever really been out on some awesome mountain trails.  Mel had found this trail a couple of weeks earlier but it took some time to coordinate schedules before getting out there.  It was pretty freaking awesome!

*Thanks to Melissa for the pics!

View for mountain biking don't get much better than this round these parts.