New Shoes

I was long over due for some new shoes so I headed to down to Ragged Mountain Running Shop this weekend.   I worked with the staff to evaluate a few different shoes.  We covered the standard check list about injuries and current shoes.   I explained that I am working to reduce my over-pronation and heel strike, that I have enjoyed the Brooks shoes recently but like ASICS, and that I want to get a more technical shoe with a balance of stability.    We tried on a ASICS 2170 and 1170, but settled on the Brooks Ravenna.   

I did my first run this morning in my these shoes and enjoyed the cushy yet structured feel.

Charlottesville 10 Miler - Prerace

I did not travel this week in hope that to have a good tape week with a few easy runs.   Things don't always go as planned around here.  Monday into Tuesday night one of the kids was up sick multiple times through the night which prevented my run on Tuesday.  I decided to take Weds as a recovery day.   My taper week has been busy with work and I have been able to get some good rest and recovery.  The interesting thing about tapering is the impact on your mental view of running.   I often find that in the middle of the taper week I start to question if I will even remember how to run.  With the instant drop in running frequency I feel out of balance with my day to day activities.

Race bib numbers were issued today, and I will be bib number 1683. 

Mid March Review

The C'Ville 10Miler is in a couple weeks and I am excited to race again.   I am hopeful that I will meet my target pace of 8:20/Mile but have my doubts.  Taper week starts on Sunday after one last long run.  My training continues to progress and I remain healthy.  I am finding my business travels are having an impact on my speed workouts.   My typical speed workout is usually the morning after a long travel day, which has left me tired and the workouts more daunting than normal.  Much of the workout difficulty is mental, and I find once I get into the workout I am able to do what is required.   Due to travel, most of the speed work outs have been on Treadmills.  I find running on treadmills to be a constant grind, which forces you to keep up with no real time to recover.  The tempo and long runs have been difficult but enjoyable. 

I have enjoyed the best of weather in Virginia and Connecticut for running outside so far this spring. It is nice to shed the layers of winter gear for spring / summer gear.  I am hoping that it does not get to hot to soon.  The longer spring days are nice, but it is still dark when I head out in the morning.
My current training plan has me targeting 4 days during the week with a long run on Sat. With travel that has not been possible because I travel early one day during the week and miss a recovery run.  Even with that, I have been making the 20-25 Miles a week consistently since starting the plan.  That distance and frequency is proving to be  comfortable and challenging level. I have reached more than 25% of total mileage for the year, which is right on pace.  My run cadance has improved and staying on target for 90 Steps /Min. Looking back at Q1 2012 I am happy with my running efforts and results so far.

2012 Charlottesville 10 Miler

It is official!  I am registered for the C-Ville 10 Miler.   Training has been going pretty well despite my heavy travel schedule.   The next 3 weeks are a long haul with long runs, speed work and tempo runs.    I am excited to run this race again and hope to run the course a few times as I prep for race day.

Mid Feb Report

I am enjoying my training plan for the C'Ville 10 Miler because it has enabled me to run with purpose, provided a bit more variety in my workouts and given me the opportunity to get in some longer runs.   Although I am just a couple weeks into the training plan I am feeling good, starting to see the results of the workouts and running healthy.  I am excited for the race at the end of March.  Still need to register for the race to make it official.

I continue to travel for work which has made some of my training more difficult due travel fatigue.  However, I am taking advantage of running at the local high school track for speed work when traveling - something I don't have access to at home.    Eating healthy is always a challenge while on the road and it is something I need to focus on more to cut down on the calories from large meals and alcohol.   Overall I have been making good choices and trying to eat meals with high protein such as sushi or chicken.

My shoes are starting to show the wear of the increased mileage and frequency.  What I am finding with the Brooks Switch is that my foot strike is pushed the outside edges even when I am landing on my forefoot.  I am thinking that I these are too much of a stability shoe and may need to find a shoe that is a bit more neutral.  I also noticed that the Switch sole is a firmer than I would care for on some of the longer runs on hard surfaces.  I am ok with the feel and fit of Brooks Switch but I think I will either go back to the Brooks Adrenaline or some type ASICS shoe.

Great Running Books

For Christmas I received a copy of Dean Karnazes book "Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss".   Before reading this book I knew a bit about Dean Karnazes and had seen the movie "Marathon Man".  I was surprised how much Dean opens up in this book and shares pieces of his life, why he runs, and his perspective on his fame.   It is an easy read and suggest that you pickup a copy.

I also received "Why We Run: A Natural History" by Bernd Heinrich. I am just getting into this book but enjoying it.

Mid Jan Report

The first two weeks of January have been good.  The weather in Virginia and Connecticut has been great for running and I have been able to get out for a number of runs.   

Last weekend I headed out on a long run from ACAC downtown and headed to the Monticello Trail.   The 2Mile run to the bottom of the trail was non-eventful even when crossing under I-64 with many cars exiting and entering the freeway.   Once at the trail, I started to remember the 2011 Montalto Challenge.  The crushed gravel and board walk trail is a lot of fun to run.  It is a steady incline as you climb to Monticello Visitor Center ~2Miles from the trail head.   All in all a solid 8mile run.

My business travel resumed this week and I expect to be on the road a significant amount for the next few months.   Even with the travel I was able to get a number of runs in this week.   I got a nice 6Mile run in on Wednesday and a good treadmill run in on Thursday.  

I did not get a significantly long run this weekend due to a busy Saturday schedule with the kids.   I tried to make the most out of the 3Mile run by doing some speed work.   I was able to brave the bitter cold and get a decent run in, but I must admit I wish I had more time to get a longer run in.

So far so good; I have been able to stay healthy and committed to my training.   I am starting to look at races for the spring - first one up will be the C-Ville 10 Miler at the end of March.  I will start training in earnest in the next week or so.  I will craft out a training plan and set a goal.

2011 Retrospect

I have taken a small hiatus from posting to this blog, but I have continued to run. My work required a significant amount of travel and with the holiday season activities, my time for posting was at a minimum. My runs as of late have been more maintenance and recreation than for training. I expect that I will get into a training cycle in mid to late January to run in a few racing in the spring.  I would like to take this opportunity to do a year in review and set goals for 2012.


2011 In Review 
A very productive running year in 2011 were I ran a number of races of multiple distances from 5K to Full Marathon and did performed at levels to achieve achieve Personal Records.  Some overall high metrics to show depth of commitment and running follows with comments.


Goal Metrics
# Runs: 175 - That is basically running every other day! This was in line with my goal.
Total Distance: 993.89 mi  - Fell short of my goal of 1K miles by just a few miles.
Avg Speed: 6.5 mph - I ran a bit slower towards the end of the year, due loss of training plan focus
Avg Run Cadence: 87 spm - I worked on pushing this to 90 spm, and made good progress as the start of the year this was ~85 spm.

Other metrics
Avg Time: 52:41 h:m:s
Avg Distance: 5.68 mi
Max Distance: 26.43 mi
Avg HR: 160 bpm

I was lucky to stay healthy this year with limited injuries.  I suffered from a small case of Plantar Fasciitis, which probably had an prolonged impact due to my continued running.

2012 Goals
My goals for 2012 will be very similar to my 2011 goals:

Races: I plan to run a few races this year, highlights include C'Ville 10Miler, Some 1/2 Marathon in the spring and a Full Marathon in the Fall.  I will also pick up a few 5ks or 10Ks based upon schedule and opportunity.
#Runs: I plan to continue to run 3-4 times a week.
Total Distance:  I plan to target 1000 Miles this year.
Avg Speed: Increase speed to Average over 6.5 mph
Avg Run Cadence: Increase cadence to 90 spm and continue to improve on mid-foot running form.
Blog: Post more meaningful blog entries.
Special Activities: Run with my daughter

Running has become a big part of my life in the past year.  I will continue to run and train to meet these goals as the experience and benefits this has brought to me are huge.

Happy new year and easy running in 2012.