Saturday, December 31, 2011

New Year's Eve Easy Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.02)mi. Pace-avg: (14:55). Speed-avg: (4.0)mph. Speed-max: (5.6)mph. Burned: (662) Calories. Headlight.


Plan: Run (3.0)mi. @ a (17:45) pace for a total of (53:17)min.
Actual: Run/walk (4.0)mi. @ an avg. (14:07) pace, bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.02)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Honey Stinger Waffle (Honey); Mid-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Post-run: dinner.

Good run tonight. It was nice very cool out tonight at (50) deg. F. when I started. The outside temp now is down (41) deg. F. I had a good run/walk/run out in the park with my headlight lighting the way, but once I passed the bridge the fog was think enough I had to take off my yellow glasses so I could see better. The headlight was almost like high-beams in the fog. People were already setting off fireworks, and maybe even firearms, in the surrounding neighborhood. And on the return leg of my run I definitely caught the heavy odor or reefer in the park.


Time to get cleaned up and see if I can find a New Year's Eve party I can crash.

Splits: Mile (1): (13:05); Mile (2): (14:24); Mile (3): (14:49); Mile (4): (14:16).


Other News: In search of a New Year's Eve party...



-Lancer!!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Post Xmas 2011 Easy Run

2011-12-28, Wednesday

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run. Actually, that was Tuesday' plan, but I'm doing it tonight, anyway.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.03)mi. Pace-avg: (15:32). Speed-avg: (3.9)mph. Speed-max: (5.6)mph. Burned: (620) Calories. Running lights, Headlight.

Plan: Run (4.0)mi. @ a (17:45) pace for a total time of (1:11:02)hrs.
Actual: Run/walk (4.0)mi. @ an avg. (15:11) pace for a total of (1:00:42.93)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.03)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Energy Gel (Mandarin Orange); Mid-run: (water); Post-run: very late dinner of Xmas left-overs.

Tonight's run went well: I finally bought the Gore Running Wear Essential Jacket I was checking out at Fleet Feet in Stockton. The big advantage to buying it in the store: I could take it home and use it the same night. And since I was in Stockton I went to REI and checked out the hydration packs again, and also the Petzl headlights. I decided on the Petzl Tikka XP2 and a Petzl CORE rechargeable unit to go with it. While the CORE was charging I loaded the (3x) (AAA) batteries that the headlight can also use, and I headed out the door.

For tonight's run I wore my Nike long sleeve running shirt, my new Gore Running jacket, my Mizuno Thermal beanie, and my new Petzl headlight; I also wore the usual Under Armor ninja hood, Nike Pro Combat compression shorts and my Nike running pants, along with running socks and my Brooks running shoes. During my warm-up walk to the park I set the Petzl for flashing white mode. It was pretty cool to see the reflective street signs and Bots Dots flashing with my light. Once in the park I switched to the high output white beam with the diffuser. I was really impressed with the brightness of the maximum setting; it's bright even when using the diffuser. The economy white mode was a little too dim with the lights in the park, but once deeper into the park, without lights, the economy mode was sufficient for running; I kept it on the high-output mode, anyway.

One of the creepier things I noticed with the headlight, as opposed to my usual Knuckle Lights running lights, was the number of glowing eyes I saw off the bike path; it was pretty surprising. I am fairly certain all of the eyes I saw belonged to the resident feral cats. On the return path I noticed at least one cat appeared to have only one eye.

My new running jacket worked out well. I ended up buying the black version because it was the only one in size XL; the blue one in Large was just a little too snug. And since I bought the black one, I decided to wear my yellow and black Brooks running shell over it, to improve overall visibility. The Gore jacket has a lot of reflective piping and stripes, but I felt better wearing the bright yellow shell with its own reflective details. The overall comfort level was cool, but not cold. On the return leg of my run I noticed my torso was pretty damp with sweat, but I did not feel too chilled by this. I believe the starting temperature this evening was about (41) deg. F. at 2345 hrs., and remained the same when I returned home.

Splits: Mile (1): (14:02); Mile (2): 14:33); Mile (3): (16:33); Mile (4): (15:45).

-Lancer!!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Winter Running Jackets and a Pre-Xmas Friday Easy Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run. 

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (4.08)mi. Pace-avg: (15:26). Speed-avg: (3.9)mph. Speed-max: (4.9)mph. Burned: (422) Calories. 

Plan: Run (2.0)mi. @ a (17:51) pace for a total of (35:42)min.
Actual: Run (2.0)mi @ a (13:58) avg. pace, bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.08)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Energy Gel w/ caffeine (Mandarin Orange), and a packet of GU Chomps (Mandarin Orange); Mid-run: (water); Post-run: dinner of some kind.

Tonight's run was nice and simple. I wore my new Mizuno Thermo beanie again, and it was mighty nice. There were a couple other runners out in the park this evening, and a few cyclists, but the cyclists were mainly BMX'ers just out in the park with their friends. I kept a pretty decent pace up using my updated running stride: Kicking up my heels a little more, picking my knees a good bit. Using this newer-to-me stride definitely feels like it is working more of the muscles in my legs, especially my calves. I look forward to using this running style more and seeing where it takes me. I am interested to see how well I can maintain this running stride during my long runs. I may have to switch back to my short stride glide for endurance, but we'll see how it goes Sunday. Running on Xmas Day? Totally crazy, but I feel the need to give it a whirl.

Splits: Mile (1): (13:36), Mile (2): (14:23).

Other News: I am trying to decide on a winter running jacket, and so I will do a little "thinking out loud" here to help myself. I believe I have narrowed it down to at least three: Gore Running Wear Essential Jacket; the Brooks Nightlife Silver Bullet Jacket; the Adidas Supernova adiVIZ Highbeam Jacket. All three seem to have a wind-stopper lining of some variety.

The Brooks jacket has an aluminum membrane lining for added warmth, kind of like wearing a space blanket while you run. I first saw similar technology on some Columbia winter jackets at the local Sports Authority store. It certainly has the Gee-Whiz(tm) factor going for it, but I'm not sure how durable it will be over repeated machine washings. Some other nice-to-haves for this jacket are thumb-hole cuffs that flip out, as well as flip out mitten covers, which would certainly be appreciated whether I am wearing running gloves, or not. I like multifunctional equipment and gear, like Swiss Army knives, et al.; I'm not sure where I get this, maybe it is a natural geek trait.

The Gore Running Wear jacket has a Gore-Tex(tm) lining, as expected. It has Velcro(R) cuffs and two large zip pockets on the sides. I tried on the XL in black at Fleet Feet, and that fit comfortably. I also tried on the blue in Large, but it was a little snug. The color selection is limited to black, blue and red, period. It has some nice reflective stripes on the sleeves. I like the black one because it fits and is in stock. The employee I spoke said these jackets are on back-order, with no estimated time of arrival. Even though black is clearly a bad idea for night-time running, I can throw on a reflector vest that I already have, or get a Brooks reflector vest that has some nice large reflective patches front and back.

The Adidas Highbeam jackets appears to have all the reflectivity one needs without additional reflector vests, et al.: The reflective strips are nice and large, front and back. It even looks like it would be bright enough to wear and be seen walking alongside the highway after your car breaks down, or if you have to change a tire in the middle of the night on the side of the road. The Stockton store says they don't stock Adidas, but the Sacramento store does. 

So far, the Brooks sounds like the best all-around bet for the winter here in the valley. It gets cold late in the year, but the early months can get even colder. I have a bad habit of running after dark, mainly to avoid putting on sunscreen, so cold winter months will definitely need some warm running gear. The Brooks jacket has good reviews on the Brooks Running website, including reviews by runners in the Sacramento area, and Oregon, places I know to be pretty cold at this time of year.

-Lancer!!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Thursday Night Tempo Run

Today's plan calls for a Tempo Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run. Dist: (5.54)mi. Pace-avg: (15:35). Speed-avg: (3.9)mph. Speed-max: (5.4)mph. Burned: (571) Calories. Running lights. 

Plan: Run (5.0)mi., including (3.0)mi. @ a pace of (16:03) for total time of (48:10)min., bracketed by a (1.0) mi. warm-up and (1.0)mi. cool-down at an easy pace.
Actual: Run (5.54) @ an avg (15:35) pace, including (3.0)mi. @ an avg. (14:27) pace for a total of (43:22.26)min., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.54)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: (2) slices of wheat toast with peanut butter, (1) cup of coffee w/ sugar and non-dairy creamer; Mid-run: (water); Post-run: some kind of dinner.

Tonight's run was nice. It was still chilly out (about [52 deg. F.], especially since I left after sundown, but I tried something a little different: I wore my long sleeve Nike running shirt, then my old Metromedia Fiber Networks fleece over that, then my Brooks LSD Lite Jacket II. I was a little concerned it might be too hot, or too cool, with the fleece, but it seemed to be just about right. I also used my new running beanie: the Mizuno Breath Thermo Head Pip. This new beanie worked as advertised: The fabric heats up as you sweat, the perspiration generating an exothermic reaction from the fabric. I was pleasantly surprised when one of the Fleet Feet staff illustrated how this worked with a little demo kit at the store last night; it was pretty cool. Looking at the Mizuno USA website I am now tempted to try their Breath Thermo Plus socks, as well.

I am still researching winter running jackets, and hope to find something suitable soon.

Split paces: Mile (1): (13:49); Mile (2): (14:56); Mile (3): (14:45).


-Lancer!!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Saturday Easy Run

Today's plan calls for a Rest/XT Day, but I feel like going for an overdue Easy Run, instead.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (5.69)mi. Pace-avg: (16:06). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (4.7)mph. Burned: (592) Calories. Running lights.


Plan: Run (2.0)mi. @ a (17:57) pace, for a total of (35:54)min. Actual: Run (2.0)mi. @ a (14:17) avg. pace for a total of (28:33)min., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (2.69)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: peanut butter on wheat toast, coffee w/ sugar; Mid-run: water; Post-run: dinner.

Tonight's run was very nice. I was able to maintain a good pace and jogged two (2) continuous miles this evening, which was much better than my efforts earlier in the week. I'm not sure if the pre-run caffeine infusion, or maybe the warm-up squats, did the most to help me on tonight's run. Again, I wish I had taken my camera: Watching the mist form at ground level during the return leg of my run was rather beautiful.

Split paces: Mile (1): (14:04); Mile (2): 14:38).

Now I'm  a little torn between jumping in the shower to warm up, or change into gym clothes and go workout for a bit, now that my muscles are all warmed up already...


-Lancer!!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Wednesday Easy Night Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (4.01)mi. Pace-avg: (14:46). Speed-avg: (4.1)mph. Speed-max: (6.1)mph. Burned: (466) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (2.0)mi. @ a (17:57) pace, for a total time of (35:54)min.
Actual: Run/walk (2.0)mi. @ an avg. (13:39) pace for a total time of (27:17)min., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.01)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: (1x) banana, (4x) slices of pumpkin bread; Mid-run: water; Post-run: dinner!

Tonight's run went alright, but I had to run/walk the whole way. I think I may have been a little distracted by the low temperatures.

Other News: Tried going out for a bike ride earlier this evening, but the bike chain kept jumping off the rear sprockets. I'm wondering if maybe the chain is too dry, the derailleur needs to be adjusted, or both.  will have to take it to the bike shop for some professional attention.

-Lancer!!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Jungfrau Marathon

I just read a little about this marathon held in Switzerland each year, the Jungfrau Marathon. It sounds like a pretty vigorous, and strenuous, marathon in the Swiss Alps. One day I want to run this marathon. I haven't been to Switzerland in years.

Monday Long Run

Sunday's plan calls for a Long Run, but I am running it today, instead.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (10.00)mi. Pace-avg: (16:32). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (5.3)mph. Burned: (1061) Calories.

Plan: Run (8.0)mi. @ an (18:02) pace, for a total time of (2:24:22)hrs.
Actual:  , bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.x)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Tea with honey, toast with peanut butter; Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Banana-Strawberry), Clif Shot Blocks (Lemon-Lime); Post-run: Gatorade (Fruit Punch), then dinner.



Despite my slack-tastic nature I pulled myself out of the doldrums, got over the prospect of running in the cold, cold air outside, and went out for an afternoon run. It is clear I have lost some of my running gains and was unable to run continuously for even one (1) full mile, but I expect to make that up in short order. There were several other runners in the park this afternoon, and most of them were dressed less warmly than I. All the same, I was very happy that I had layered up as if I was going out running after sundown. I think I will have to go back to Fleet Feet and investigate the Goretex running gear I saw there last time.

Once again that nagging ache in my left foot, at the ball of my foot, sprang back to life during my return lap. I made sure to pull up my ankle socks, and adjust the tongue of my left shoe, but to no avail. I experimented a little bit with different strides/forms and found that really picking up my feet and stepping forward actually made a serious difference, and the pain subsided while I maintained that motion. Trying to maintain that form, however, was much more aerobically challenging than my usual style of gliding forward as much as possible; and my quads and hams felt the difference, too.

Onward and upward! B-)

Other News: I am registered for the 2012 Zazzle Bay to Breakers, so I am very excited about that.

-Lancer!!

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Thursday Speedwork Day

Today's plan calls for a Speedwork Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Speedwork. Dist: (4.99)mi. Pace-avg: (15:16). Speed-avg: (3.9)mph. Speed-max: (5.8)mph. Burned: (577) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run a total of (4.0)mi. with (2x) repeats of (1600) meters @ a (15:19) pace, and (800) meter recovery jogs between each repeat.
Actual:  Run (2x) (1600)meter intervals @ a (12:42) and a (13:53) pace, with (800)meter recovery jogs between, and bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.0)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Chomps (Orange); Mid-run: water; Post-run:.

Temps tonight started out at between (39) and (41) deg. F. before I left the house for my evening run. It is now down to (37) deg. F.
Other News: I rode my bike these evening for the first time in many-many months. I had to drop off some mail at the Post Office and decided I should ride my long neglected bicycle:

Surface Streets: Cycled to the Post Office and back. Had to stretch my legs. Round trip: (8.11)mi. according to cycle computer. Speed-avg: (8.6)mph. Burned: (289) Calories from the Post Office back home. [Forgot to turn on the timer on my Garmin when I left the house.] Cycling shoes.

This bike ride helped me warm up my legs before I went out for my evening run; my first run in over (2) weeks. Yikes.
-Lancer!!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Back to the gym!

Finally got back into the gym for a change:

MCR: Stationary Bike: (5) min. to warm-up; Fit In (30) Room: (38:34)min. Resistance Level (5); Ab Crunches: 1x (30) rep. @ (70)lbs., 1x (30) reps. @ (90)lbs., 1x (30) reps. @ (80)lbs. Back Extensions: 3x (30) reps. @ (50)lbs.

I have been taking a break from running the last couple of days because of some continuing pain from rolling my right ankle on my last run (I was distracted by the starry sky) and some chaffing discomfort on my left instep from my gimpy (13)mi. attempt on the 13th of November. Since I decided not to run in the the Las Vegas event next month, in favor of more training time and building more road mileage, I am thinking about the Tracy Half Marathon at the end of January, 2012. It does have the advantage of being closer, and less expensive, although I fear it may be very windy at that time of year. I'll just have to see.

-Lancer!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Thursday Speedwork Day

Today's plan calls for a Speedwork Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Speedwork. Dist: (7.58)mi. Pace-avg: (15:37). Speed-avg: (3.8)mph. Speed-max: (5.2)mph. Burned: (822) Calories. Running lights.


Plan: Run (6)mi. including (3x) repeats of (1600) meters @ a (14:08) pace, with (800) meter jogs in-between each repeat. Actual: Jogged (6)mi. with (3x) repeats of (1600) meters @ (13:13), (13:09) and (13:23) pace, with (3x) (800) meter recovery jogs, and bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.14)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Mid-run: water; Post-run: Banana-Chocolate-Honey smoothie.

I really wish I had done this run before sundown. It was (56) deg.F. when I started out tonight, and it's only down to (53) deg.F. now. The ambient humidity, and some intermittent cloud cover tonight, seemed to keep the temps up enough to be just right. One blog buddy suggested that mid-50 degree temps are tank top and shorts weather, but I have to disagree: I appear to have poor circulation and my hands and feet are always cold, so I like to bundle up more to stay warm.

Tonight's run went much better than expected: I exceeded the planned pace for each repeat, and that makes me very happy. I am not too sore from running, although I hot spot on my left instep from Sunday seems to continue to ache for some reason. During Sunday's long run I had to stop and tighten my shoe-laces a couple of times. I may have left the laces too loose when I first headed out the door that night and I ended up with chaffing on both insteps; that made me very unhappy. Once I had stopped running and switched to a fast-walk for the remainder of Sunday's long run, my legs began to tighten up and continued to ache for the remainder of the workout. I was practically limping by the end.

Tonight, despite the achy spot on my left foot, I was able to keep up a pretty good pace during the repeats. If I can continue to improve on that over the coming months I hope to reduce my overall pace. I am definitely looking forward to that. I am hoping to improve quite a bit over my PR at the 2011 Bay to Breakers, perhaps even as much as getting my completion time down to (1:30) hrs.

I realize I skipped a couple of runs this week already, but my feet needed more recovery time from Sunday's long run than I expected. It was worth it.

Other News: I have decided not to run the Las Vegas Strip At Night this year. Based on my long run from this past Sunday I need more road time to condition my feet for the longer distance called for in running a half-marathon. My earlier set-back from the broken toe is one of the reasons, plus my continued unemployment, which needs to be remedied post-haste (still). I think I will register for the Modesto Marathon for next year, and run the half-marathon in that event. I may try for an earlier half-marathon if my continued training gets me to a point I can run (jog) for (13.1) consecutive miles. I will still try and run (13.1) miles on 4th December and just do it on my home training course, rather than Las Vegas. It'll still count towards my overall training. B-)

-Lancer!!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Sunday Long Run No.13

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.88)mi. Pace-avg: (18:00). Speed-avg: (3.3)mph. Speed-max: (4.7)mph. Burned: (1595) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (13)mi. @ a (16:44) pace for a total of (3:37:42)hrs.
Actual: Jogged/walked (13.0)mi. @ a (17:51) avg. pace for a total of (3:52:05.66)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.88)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Glass of Gatorade (Fruit Punch); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Banana-Strawberry), Honey Stinger Chews (Orange Blossom), Sport Beans (Grape); Post-run: GU Energy Gel (Mandarin Orange).

Ouch. Today's run was actually painful. It started out pretty good, but the last half was all pain. I jogged (7.0) consecutive miles, maintaining a pace between (14:59) and (16:31) for those seven miles, but then was overcome by pain in my left foot again, between my 2nd, 3rd and 4th toes at the ball of my foot. The last time this happened I had skipped all my runs during the week, then ran my long run (and did not finish). This week I again skipped all my training runs, then over-confidently went out for my long run. Clearly, I need the weekly build up to help maintain my running gains, so I will avoid ditching out on any training runs in the future.

I am still not signed up for the Las Vegas Strip At Night run in December, and after tonight's run I am thinking strongly of pushing back my half-marathon race till later in December, or maybe even January, so I can make up some of my lost training time from September/October; I also need to get in more strength training in the gym.

Friday afternoon I went shopping at On The Run again, and actually bought something: a Saucony Epic Run Vest. I wore it for the first time tonight, and it helped keep the chill off, though I did have to throw on my running shell, too, on the return leg of my run. The two (2) front pockets on the vest offered good storage space: I kept my running lights and my ninja hood in the pockets till after sundown, so I didn't have to carry them in my hands, or put them on my running belt; bonus. The vest also has a media pocket, and a hole for the earphone cord on the inside of the vest. The reflective surface on the Saucony vest appears to be pretty substantial, compared to the Brooks Essential Run Vest I had been looking at previously. Another bonus: the Saucony vest has a clip-on USB-LED light that can be recharged by plugging it into a USB port. It was much brighter than I expected.

Tonight's run started out at about (65) deg. F. with the sun nice and bright, then dropped down to (50) deg. F. by the time I got home four and a half hours later.

-Lancer!!

Friday, November 04, 2011

Friday Easy Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.04)mi. Pace-avg: (15:18). Speed-avg: (3.9)mph. Speed-max: (5.3)mph. Burned: (633) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (16:44) pace for a total of (1:06:59)hrs.
Actual: Jog (4.0)mi. @ a (14:19) avg. pace for a total (57:15.74)min., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.04)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: glass of Gatorade (Fruit Punch) and a banana; Mid-run: water; Post-run: dinner.

Good run tonight. Looking forward to a break tomorrow.

Split paces for tonight: Mile (1): (13:51); Mile (2): (14:06); Mile (3): (14:42); Mile (4): (14:36).


-Lancer!!

Thursday Moonlight Easy Run

2011-11-03, Thursday

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (7.70)mi. Pace-avg: (15:41). Speed-avg: (3.8)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (815) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (5)mi. @ a (16:44) pace for a total of (1:23:44)hrs.
Actual: Jog (5.0) consecutive miles @ a (14:43) avg. pace for a total of (1:13:34.02)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.70)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Dinner (pork chop, stuffing, peas, cole-slaw); Mid-run: water; Post-run: Glass of Gatorade.


Excellent run this evening! I left the house before midnight and this time I made sure to add an extra layer: I used a short sleeve running shirt as a base for my torso, then added the long sleeve shirt and my running shell. That seems to have helped to keep my back and shoulders warmer than the last couple nights during my runs. I also wore a pair of neoprene gloves to keep my hands warm, and to wipe my nose when I didn't have enough to rocket-snot along the path. The last time I wore these gloves was during the Bay to Breakers in May earlier this year. I think I even forgot to wash them after the event.

There was a waxing gibbous moon out this evening, though it was obscured for part of the run by clouds. The moon and the cloud cover helped provide enough light that I ran without the lights almost the entire five (5.0) miles; I only needed the lights on a couple of sections that were especially dark due to tree cover. Tonight was a little bit warmer due to the cloud cover, and I am glad I waited for the gusting wind from this afternoon to stop before I went for my run. Once I stopped running and began my cool-down walk, I started to cool off too much. Tonight I also had the bike path all to myself.

Tonight's split paces are as follows: Mile (1): (14:31); Mile (2): (14:41); Mile (3): (14:43); Mile (4): (14:49); Mile (5): (14:51).

Other News: My cell phone has crapped out after three (3) years of faithful service. Fortunately, I have two (2) of my older cell-phones to use as back-ups. I guess I better also start shopping for a more modern cell-phone, i.e. a smart-phone.

-Lancer!!

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Another Wednesday Easy Run

I skipped yesterday's (5)mi. Easy Run. Bad, Lancer. Today's plan calls for another Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Pace-avg: (15:48). Speed-avg: (3.8)mph. Speed-max: (4.5)mph. Burned: (814) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (5)mi. @ a (16:44) pace for a total time of (1:23:44)hrs.
Actual: Jogged (5.0)mi. consecutively @ a (14:54) avg. pace, bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.67)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: (1) glass of Gatorade (Fruit Punch); Mid-run: water; Post-run: Dinner!

Tonight's run went very well. I ran (jogged) five (5.0) consecutive miles in about (1.25) hours. I must say, earlier this year I had trouble jogging for five (5) consecutive minutes, let alone (75) of them. There was a beautiful quarter moon out tonight lighting up the bike path. I used my running lights for the first (3) mile outbound leg of my run, then turned them off and used the moon to light my way back.

Tonight's pace and split pace times: Mile (1): (15:13); Mile (2): (14:50); Mile (3): (14:40); Mile (4): (14:55); Mile (5): (14:52).

The outside temperature was about (55) deg.F. when I left the house at 2130 hrs., and now it is down to (49) deg.F. My running gear did not keep me warm enough tonight. If I am going to keep running after dark this winter I definitely need a proper, i.e. warmer, running jacket. The lightweight shell is not enough. My shoulders and upper back, and the nape of my neck were all very chilly this evening during the run, and especially after I slowed down for my cool-down walk home. I am looking forward to more running before sundown, when it is still a bit warmer.

Other News: On The Run has opened in Modesto. Their Grand Opening is this Friday, November 4th.

-Lancer!!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sunday Long Run No.12

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.84)mi. Pace-avg: (17:38). Speed-avg: (3.4)mph. Speed-max: (5.3)mph. Burned: (1636) Calories. Running lights, new batteries.

Plan: Run (13) mi. @ a pace of (16:50) for a total time of (3:38:52)hrs.
Actual:  Jog/walked (13.0)mi. @ a (17:33) avg. pace for a total time of (3:48:07.41)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.84)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Mid-run: Honey Stinger Chews (Orange Blossom), PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Honey Stinger Stinger Waffle (Vanilla).

Tonights's run went alright, but my feet definitely ache after that effort. *oof* I made sure to put fresh batteries in my running lights before I left the house, and by the time I got back the lights were pretty dim. There was a waxing crescent moon out this evening for most of my run. That was nice.

I was able to jog continuously for the first (5.01) miles this evening, which was not as far as last week @ (6.03)mi. before I had to slow down and walk. After walking for a bit, I picked up the pace again for another (2.64)mi. before slowing down again. I managed to jog for another (0.65)mi. again during the last mile. This gives me a total of about (8.3) aggregate jogging miles during tonight's run. I really need to add some strength training and cycling into my weekly workouts so I can build up to more continuous jogging mileage on my long runs.

Tonight I wore my running pants again, along with my long sleeve running shirt and running ball cap. I also carried my running shell, my ninja hood, and neck gaiter to make sure I would stay warm enough once I needed to put those on. Frankly, tonight's temperature was low enough that I was feeling pretty chilly even with the running shell zipped up all the way, and the running shirt zipped up all the way, too. My shoulders seemed to feel the coolest tonight, so maybe I will need to add another piece of tech gear to my running collection in preparation for next weeks long run. I'm thinking maybe a Brooks running vest.

Realistically, though, I should have started earlier, before the sun went down, to try and maximize the warmer temps. The temperature readings I am getting now say (55) deg. F. and (60) deg. F. I don't know which is correct, but it feels closer to (55) at a guess. It felt like it was in the low (70) deg. F. around 5.00pm, or so.

Weekly Mileage: Plan: (30)mi.; Actual: (32.76)mi.

Training week (19) completed. Week (20) is all Easy Runs, all week. That will be nice.

-Lancer!!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Friday Tempo Run No.8

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run. However, I missed my Tempo Run yesterday, so I did that one today, instead.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run. Dist: (6.03)mi. Pace-avg: (15:41). Speed-avg: (3.8)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (638) Calories.

Plan: Run (6) mi. including (1) mi. warm-up @ an easy pace, (4)mi. @ a (15:16) pace for a total time of (1:01:07)hrs., and a (1) mi. cool-down at an easy pace.
Actual: Walked a (1)mi. warm-up @ a (16:27) avg. pace, jogged (4.0)mi. @ a (14:43) avg. pace for a total time of (58:50.44)min., and walked (1.03)mi. @ an (18:39) pace to cool-down.
Fuel: Pre-run: (2) slices of wheat toast with butter and honey; Mid-run: nothing, just water and body-fat; Post-run: Dinner! Homemade beef stew and baked acorn squash.

Again, tonight's run went very well. I got out before sundown, but sunset was imminent all the same. I jogged four (4.0) continuous miles, with decent splits and a negative split on the final mile: Mile (1): (14:43); Mile (2): (14:44); Mile (3): (14:47); Mile (4): (14:36).

Definitely getting better. Now I am looking forward to my Sunday Long Run even more. I just need to make sure I maintain a good, sustainable pace like I did last Sunday.

-Lancer!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Wednesday Easy Night Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.05)mi. Pace-avg: (15:28). Speed-avg: (3.9)mph. Speed-max: (5.4)mph. Burned: (638)Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (16:50) pace for a total time of (1:07:20)hrs.
Actual: Jog (4.00)mi. @ a (14:31) avg. pace for a total of (58:04.69)min., bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.05)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: glass of Gatorade (Fruit Punch); Mid-run: nothing; Post-run: glass of Gatorade (Fruit Punch), a banana, and dinner.

Tonight's run went extremely well! Although I did forget to wear my Heart Rate monitor strap, I was able to maintain a sub (15:00) pace for my entire (4.0)mi. run! Even better: I achieved negative splits for the first time ever: Mile (1): (14:40); Mile (2): (14:32); Mile (3): (14:25); Mile (4): (14:27). I wasn't even trying for negative splits, but there they are all the same.

Cool weather runner


I made sure to check the temps outside before I left on my run, and I am glad I did. It was (51) deg. F. when I left the house, and it's supposed to get down to (42) deg. F. tonight. Since it was so cool out I decided to wear my Nike Running pants, my new Nike Element long sleeve running shirt, my new Brooks LSD Lite Jacket II running shell (yellow/black), my UnderArmor balaclava (i.e. ninja hood) and my Adidas running cap. Oh, and my yellow shooting glasses to keep the cold air out of my eyes. This collection of running wear kept me feeling just right on my run.

-Lancer!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Another Tuesday Easy Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

Plan: Run (4) mi. @ a (16:50) pace for a total time of (1:07:20)hrs.
Actual: Jogged (4.0) mi. @ a (15:24) avg. pace for a total of (1:01:36.05)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.84)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Pizza and salad; Mid-run: water; Post-run: dinner. 

Tonight's run went very well. I jogged a continuous (4.0) mi. this evening and it felt good. My split times tonight were: Mile (1): (15:10); Mile (2): (15:21); Mile (3): (15:34); Mile (4): (15:30). Overall, a very good run.

Other News: Registration is now open for the Modesto Marathon 2012, so I think I need to register. Still debating whether I should try for the half-marathon, or the full marathon.

-Lancer!!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sunday Long Run No.11

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (10.64)mi. Pace-avg: (17:13). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (6.0)mph. Burned: (1165) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (13)mi. @ a (16:55) pace, for a total of (3:40:00)hrs.
Actual: Jog/walked (9.64)mi. @ a (17:18) avg pace, bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.0)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Mid-run: Honey Stinger Stinger Waffle (Honey); Post-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts (Strawberry Banana).

Tonight's Long Run went OK, but was incomplete due to a persistent ache in my left foot between my 3rd and 4th toes at the ball of my foot. I'm not sure what caused this to begin with, but this was only my second training run using my new Brooks running shoes. Maybe my shoes need a little more break-in time, or maybe I was overcompensating in some way by pushing off with my left foot more than in the past. Tonight the pain did not begin till I was well into the return leg of my run, so I got some good mileage out of the run. This intermittent pain sometimes occurs when I walk around the house barefoot too much. In any event, I did not want to just suck it up and power through the pain: It is only (6) weeks till the Las Vegas Half Marathon and I do not want to create more injuries before-hand.

Do you think the cars will see me?


I hope the drivers can see me on the road.

I was able to jog continuously for the first (6.03)mi. of tonight's run, then I walked about (0.22)mi., then resumed jogging for another (1.76)mi. before I had to stop and just walk the rest of the way. I wore my new Nike Element Long Sleeve running shirt with the tall collar and was suitably impressed: It kept me warm enough and cool enough at the same time; I did not overheat and oversweat. I brought along my new Brooks night running shell just in case it cooled off too much by the river, but it did not. It was very handy to have it folded up in its storage pocket and carrying it in an add-on pouch on my running belt. It's almost time to change the batteries again in my running lights. I was able to run long stretches in the park without the lights to conserve battery life, but some sections were too dark without the lights. No moon was out tonight, but there were several cyclists on my return leg that had multiple high power LED lights on their bikes and helmets. It was nice to see other people taking safety seriously.

-Lancer!!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Thursday Run in the Sun Day

Yesterday's plan called for an Easy Run, which I am going to do now.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (5.74)mi. Pace-avg: (16:09). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (5.2)mph. Burned: (619) Calories.

Plan: Run (3)mi. @ a (16:15) pace for a total time of (50:46)mins.
Actual: Jog/walked (3.0)mi. @ a (15:11) avg. pace for a total of (45:33.03)mins., bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.74)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Peanut butter on wheat toast, tea with honey; Mid-run: SportBeans (grape); Post-run: Long overdue lunch: Refried beans, Spanish Rice, Chicken Fajitas.

Today's run was a break-in run for my new pair of Brooks Trance 10 running shoes. The magic is still there: They feel great and with the Spenco running inserts they have plenty of arch support, and my Wright Socks are still keeping my feet blister free. It was a nice change to be running in the afternoon sun and there were other runners, joggers and cyclists in the park today. Since school is in session I presume many of the younger runners are from one of the high school track, or cross-country, teams.

Yesterday, I bought my second pair of Brooks Trance 10 running shoes at FleetFeet Stockton. I had put (439)mi. on the old pair, and now those will be retired from running, but will be used as gym shoes and regular walking around shoes (on those rare occasions when I do wear sneakers). I also bought a Nike Element long sleeve running shirt, a pair of Nike Sport (5) in. running shorts and a Brooks LSD Lite Jacket II running shell in yellow, so I will stand out from the rest of the background and (fingers-crossed) not get run over on my way to and from the park. Since I have also been itching to buy new running shades I decide to buy a pair of Tifosi Vogel Fototec (auto-tinting) sunglasses. I tried them on my run this afternoon and they were really good. I wanted a pair of shades that change tint on their own so I can go running with just one pair of glasses when I go out before sundown and return long after sunset. These will fill the bill. I will have to test them on a night run, too, which I plan to do later tonight.

Other News: Yesterday I started the Intermediate CompTIA A+ Certification Prep class and am looking forward to it. Gotta' keep moving forward on that path to IT certification goodness.

-Lancer!!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Tuesday Easy Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run. Yes, I skipped my Sunday Long Run because I was a little concerned about re-breaking my healing toe with so much mileage. Maye I'm just being overly cautious.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.15)mi. Pace-avg: (16:14). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (5.0)mph. Burned: (662) Calories.

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (16:55) pace for a total of (1:07:41)hrs.
Actual: Jog/walk (4.00)mi. @ a (15:28) avg. pace, bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.15)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Honey Stinger Stinger Waffle, (1x) Vanilla, (1x) Honey; Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Banana-Strawberry); Post-run: Dinner! Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans.

Tonight's run went well. After too long sitting idle I was a bit more winded earlier on that usual, but I got over it on the return leg and was able to jog continuously for (1.82)mi. I guess it will take a while to work back up to a continuous (30) minute jog, and I am looking forward to getting back there, and beyond. It was nice to get out and run in the sun again. There were plenty of other people out in the park today enjoying the sun.

Other News: Dinner turned out pretty good. I cooked Chicken Fajitas last night, and tonight I made Spanish Rice following an online recipe and tweaking it on the fly. It could have turned out better: I could have burned the rice a lot less, and spiced it up a bit more. Next time I will try adding more McCormick's Mexican Seasoning ([2] tablespoons, rather than just [1]) and maybe half a (14.5) oz. can of the canned tomatoes (petite diced) and a small can of Ortega Diced Green Chiles. Those modifications might just make it as good as it should be.

As of tonight, I now have (439.34) miles on my Brooks Trance 10 running shoes. At this point, I will need to go buy a new pair so I will have them ready to swap out once I hit the (450-500) mile mark.

-Lancer!!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Thursday Tempo Run No.7

Today's plan calls for a Tempo Run. Actually, this should be Tempo Run No.9, but other circumstances kicked that aside.


DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run. Dist: (7.31)mi. Pace-avg: (16:41). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (5.5)mph. Burned: (800) Calories. Day-time run!

Plan: Run (6) mi., including a (1)mi. warm-up and (1) mi. cool-down. Run (4)mi. @ a (15:26) pace for a total of (1:01:45)hrs.
Actual: Jog/walk (4)mi. @ a (16:09) avg. pace, bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (2.31)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Peanut M&Ms; Mid-run:PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Some real food.

This morning's run was adequate, but could have been better. I was happy to finally get in a morning run for a change, rather than a middle-of-the-night run (even though I really enjoy moonlight runs). I was a little over-dressed for this run: I wore my Nike ProCombat compression shorts under my Nike running pants, my Bay to Breakers Centennial tech t-shirt, New Balance running pull-over, UnderArmor ninja hood and Adidas running cap. This definitely made it warmer than necessary.

Frankly, I expected the outside temperature to be much cooler than it was. I probably would have been more comfortable with my short running shorts (to get more sun on my legs), a running t-shirt, running cap and the ninja hood on the side for when I needed it to keep my ears warm. I also really should have eaten some real food before going out for my run; the peanut M&Ms did not really cut it, but then again, it was several hours between eating those and doing my run. Another thing I should have done beforehand: Warm up my legs by doing squats with, and without, weights, like I used to do before I started slacking off so much, and before I broke my toe.

Other News: I completed my Basic CompTIA A+ Certification prep class. Now I have to sign-up for the Intermediate class next week, or as soon as I get the money for it. I hope they will accept late registrations once the class has started.

-Lancer!!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sunday Moonlight Easy Run

2011-10-09, Sunday

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (7.56)mi. Pace-avg: (16:40). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (4.8)mph. Burned: (821) Calories. Running lights; near full-moon.
 
Plan: Run (5)mi. @ a (17:00) pace for a total time of (1:25:03)hrs. 
Actual: Jog/walk (5)mi. @ an avg (16:17) pace for a total of (1:21:26.94)hrs., bracketed by (1)mi. warm-up walk, and (1.56)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: (8x) multigrain fig newtons; Mid-run: Jelly Belly Sport Beans (Grape); Post-run: late dinner.

Tonight's run went very well. I got started just before midnight and there was a nearly full moon out tonight, so it was another beautiful moonlight run in the park. I able to jog a faster pace, rather than just walk as I did last time, and I had no pain in my broken toe, though I did feel a slightly dull ache from time to time during my run. My split paces for tonight's run were: Mile(1): (14:28); Mile (2): (16:06); Mile (3): (17:56); Mile (4): (15:47); Mile (5): (17:08).

The only people I encountered in the park tonight were two (2) cyclists with no lights, and a couple of juvenile hecklers that sounded like they might have been trying to skateboard by moonlight on one of the streets that intersects a hill that enters the park. They were all mouth and I never saw them, which means they were safely ignored.


-Lancer!!

Friday, October 07, 2011

Thursday Easy Run

2011-10-06, Thursday

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.


DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (7.54)mi. Pace-avg: (17:03). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (4.5)mph. Burned: (831) Calories.


Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (17:00) pace for a total of (1:08:02) hrs.
Actual: Walked (4)mi. @ a (16:41) avg. pace for a total of (1:06:42.15)hrs., bracketed by (1)mi. warm-up walk, and (2.54)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Pepper-jack cheese on multi-grain club crackers; Mid-run: Jelly Belly Sport Beans (Grape); Post-run: late dinner!

Tonight's training run (walk) was good. It was nice to finally get out on the running path again. No real pain from my healing broken toe, but the tape (from buddy-taping my toes together) was starting to get tiresome. There was a waxing gibbous moon out in the sky, so there was plenty of ambient light in the park. I only encountered one other person in the park, and they were riding a bike. I heard the hooting of at least one owl, and the screech of one bat, plus assorted crickets. I even heard the lowing of what sounded like two cows, but it almost sounded artificial. Then again, the last time I heard a cow it was sizzling on the barbecue grill earlier this summer. :-)

I think if I just follow an Easy Run plan for the next week, and see how that goes, I may be able to pick up the pace the following week.


Other News: Jury summons. *bleh*


-Lancer!!

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Wednesday Gym Day

2011-10-05, Wednesday

Finally went back to the gym after an absence of almost two (2) months.

MCR: (5)min. warm-up on stationary bike, then (39)min. in the Fit in (30) Room. Cool-down stretching for (16)min.

Had a pretty good workout, even though a nearly (3) week period of couch-potato-ism left me huffing and puffing. *bleh* I am disappointed that the Heart Rate data did not show up in Garmin TC, even though the data was visible on my watch during my workout.


Pre-workout fuel: (2) slices of wheat toast with creamy peanut-butter; (1) cup of Lipton tea with honey; (1) pear.

Now I feel energized enough to go out running, even if it is wet and cold out now. But I need to hold off on this for a bit. Maybe in an hour.


-Lancer!!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Mighty Half-Dome!

I survived our attempt to hike, and climb, Half-Dome. None of us made it to the top. :-/

Yosemite Nat'l Park: Mist Trail/John Muir Trail: Dist.: (12.41), Pace-avg: (57:30). Speed-avg: (1.0)mph. Speed-max: (8.2)mph. Burned: (2168) Calories. That was -really- tough. Next time, heavy stair-master training for no less than (6)mos. before-hand.


PLACE-HOLDER ENTRY, MORE TO FOLLOW.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Long Run No.10

2011-09-18, Sunday

Today's plan calls for a Long Run. [Yes, I skipped my Friday Easy Run. Bad Lance!]

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.72)mi. Pace-avg: (17:03). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (1599) Calories. Running lights.


Plan: Run (12) mi. @ a (17:16) pace for a total time of (3:27:21) hrs.
Actual: Jog/walked (12)mi. @ an avg. pace of (16:48), for a total time of (3:21:40.86), bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.72)mi. cool-down walk. [Jogged a total of (6.7)mi. in aggregate.]
Fuel: Pre-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts (Raspberry); Post-run: Honey Stinger, Stinger Waffle (Honey).

I left the house a bit after sundown, but there was still light in the sky. Throughout the park it was mostly a twilight illumination. There were quite a few people at the main picnic tables tonight, but they were mostly gone when I looped back around later. Tonight, instead of jogging all the way to the end of the county road the meets the end of the bike path, I tried multiple laps through the park. That seemed to take  longer due to the repetition. My running lights crapped out on the first return lap, so I relied mainly on ambient light, with a few zaps of my new SureFire LED light, from time-to-time.

On my return leg, the fourth leg, the moon finally rose. It was a waning quarter moon, but nice and bright all the same. Surprisingly, there was a police cruiser in the lot near the picnic tables. I don't know if they were there to chase off any late-night park people, or something else, but I did see the red and blues light up when two (2) cars drove down into the park. One turned around immediately, the second thought he'd just loop around the lot anyway, then leave. There was no apparent incident.

Now that I'm home, sitting here writing my blog entry, I feel like a creaky old man, so I better get stretched out, eat and shower.

Weekly Mileage: Planned: (24) mi. Actual: (22.29)mi. Missed it by that much.

-Lancer!!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Thursday Tempo Run No.6

Today's plan calls for a Tempo Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run. Dist: (7.57)mi. Pace-avg: (16:31). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (4.8)mph. Burned: (812) Calories. Running lights. 

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (15:40) pace for a total time of (1:02:43)hrs. 
Actual: Jog (4)mi. @ a (14:47) avg. pace for a total time of (59:08.02)mins., bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (2.57)mi. cool-down walk. 
Fuel: Pre-run: Clif Bar around 1745 hrs.; Mid-run:GU Roctane (Pineapple); Post-run: Honey Stinger waffle (Honey).

Tonight's run went very well, despite skipping my Easy Run on Tuesday, and leaving the house after dark, and without my neck gaiter (to keep the wind chill off my neck). D'oh! There was almost no one in the park tonight, no doubt due to the chill, but also more likely because high school football is back in season; and the new TV season has started, too. I could hear the crowds and the marching band out in the park. Not sure which high school was playing tonight, but the sounds carried with the chill night air. I did not need to use my running lights much tonight, except for (2) occasions when cyclists with bike lights were approaching: I wanted to make sure they saw me before their lights lit me up.

There was a large waning gibbous moon out tonight so my lights were mostly redundant. Running by moonlight is very soothing. The biggest hazard I encountered tonight was while passing the golf course: One of the sprinklers shoots pretty far past the fence that runs parallel to the bike path, and I was hit solidly with a wall of water. C'est la vie.


Other News: I have completed my Half-Dome equipment shopping. I think the only thing I really need is some trail mix for the hike, although I also plan to take some of my running fuel, like Chomps, and Energy Blasts. I will have to be sure not to overdo the sugar on the hike.


-Lancer!!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Half-Dome Equipment

OK. So I finally got out Monday and bought some more gear for the Half-Dome trip next week:

  1. Sleeping bag, rated for (0) deg. F., which will no doubt be far more than enough;
  2. Camelbak (3) Liter water bladder;
  3. Outdoor Products Skyline 8.0 backpack, water bladder compatible; returned, hip-belt unreliable;
  4. closed cell foam pad for going under the sleeping bag, but I think the tent cabins have cots;
  5. (3x) Camper's Mirrors by Stansport, for use as signal mirrors, et al.;
  6. (3x) Emergency/Solar Blankets;
  7. (4x) Pairs of Wool-blend socks for hiking;
  8. (1x) pk. Camp soap sheets (50);
  9. (2x) Life Guard Glow Red LED lights sticks;
  10.  
More later.

Tuesday: Returned the OP backpack, haven't committed to another one yet, but have two (2) good candidates. I will be checking Royal Robbins again, tomorrow. Testing the CamelBak Antidote (3) Liter bladder: No leaks yet. The plastic taste does not seem to be much of a problem, yet; that may change on the trail. I need to do at least one lap through the park with my gear that I am wearing, and carrying, on the Half-Dome hike sometime this week.

Skipped my (3) mile Easy Run today: Just too tired for some reason. I could even go out and do it now, in the dark, but I am trying to keep myself to a morning wake-up schedule, and not a "sometime in the afternoon" wake-up schedule.

-Lancer!! 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday Night Easy Run

Today's plan calls for a(n) Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (8.20)mi. Pace-avg: (16:27). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (4.8)mph. Burned: (884) Calories. No running lights.
 

Plan: Run (5)mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:26:25) hrs.
Actual: Jogged (5) mi. @ a (15:22) avg. pace, for a total time of (1:16:49.65) hrs., and bracketed by (1)mi. warm-up walk, and (2.20)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Nothing (water); Mid-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Post-run: Honey Stinger, Stinger Waffle (Vanilla).

Tonight's run went very well. I made a conscious effort to jog the whole (5) mi. at a near (15:00) pace. And I succeeded! My splits for tonight's run: Mile(1): (15:09); Mile (2): (15:13); Mile(3): (15:20); Mile(4): (15:39); Mile(5): (15:30).


Going forward I will have to make sure and keep focused the same way. Tonight, I tried a Honey Stinger waffle for the first time. Other running bloggers have mentioned them, and I found some at Dick's Sporting Goods, so I had to buy a few to try. It was only vanilla, but it was pretty good. The weather was pretty cool, and overcast. The moon came through pretty clearly, even with the clouds, so I didn't need my running lights tonight.


Other News: The Half-Dome endurance march is getting closer: Only a little over a week away.


-Lancer!!

Friday, September 09, 2011

Another Friday Easy Run

Tonight's run is another Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.06)mi. Pace-avg: (16:22). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (657) Calories. No running lights.

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:09:08) hrs.

Actual: Jog/walked (4)mi. @ a (15:39) avg. pace for a total time of (1:02:35.73) hrs., bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.06)mi. cool-down walk. 
Fuel: Pre-run: Nothing (cold water); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Dinner!

Tonight's run went well. I warmed up with a set of (30) squats without weights, then (30) squats with an empty straight bar. I still can't recall how much it weighs: somewhere between (5) and (10) pounds, I think; I never weighed it. There were some people on the path tonight, even though it was growing overcast. On the return leg the wind picked up and it started to sprinkle, but no real rain. At one point the cool wind turned very warm, like a hair-dryer, which was actually nice, although I wonder where all that warm air actually came from. Bonus: there were flashes of lightning in the clouds on my way back home. That was actually pretty cool. No thunder, though.

I jogged the first (1.07)mi. of the Jog phase on the outbound leg, then had to walk a bit. Then I was able to jog for (1.53)mi., and had to walk the rest. The humidity due to the weather change kinda' got to me, but I also started out a little fast, initially: (13:28) pace. I should have set a (15:00) pace and kept at it, but I didn't actually plan that. As always, I am just trying to make sure I am going at a pace faster than the one on my daily plan.

-Lancer!!

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Another Thursday Easy Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (7.88)mi. Pace-avg: (16:14). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (11.7)mph [(6.8mph)]. Burned: (854) Calories. No running lights.

Plan: Run (5) mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:26:25) hrs.
Actual: Jog/Walked (5) mi. @ a (15:11) avg. pace, for a total of (1:15:54.38) hrs. Bracketed by (1) mi. warm-up walk and a (1.88)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Tall glass of Gatorade (Berry), then dinner.

Tonight's run went well. I left the running lights at home, because I knew it would not get too dark: Tonight's moon is still waxing gibbous, and larger than Tuesday night. There were still quite a few people in the park tonight since I actually left the house before sundown.

My Garmin Forerunner seems to be freaking out since it logged my max speed tonight at (11.7)mph. Tchya! As if. I mapped the data to Google Earth, and I see that the path logged by my Garmin also has me crossing through a couple houses, then back-tracking a bit, on my way to the park. Even bigger,"As if!" My Garmin locked in the satellites pretty quickly tonight, although that is not the first time it has been able to do this. I wonder if I should have turned it off, and restarted it. I did that earlier in the week (just in case), and it seemed to be as accurate as it normally is, so I will have to ensure I do that going forward. The rest of the data may be skewed a bit, but the graphs in TC look fairly normal. The tallest peak in the Speed graph actually reads (6.8)mph.

My total jogging distance tonight was (2.12)mph on the first leg of the jog, and then (1.84)mi. on the second, inbound leg; total jogged miles: (3.96) non-continuous miles. Something in my belly didn't feel quite right tonight, so I did not try to pursue my (4) mi. continuous jogging goal for tonight; not even the three (3) mi. goal. Since I went to the movies this afternoon, and tried to get out the door for tonight's run as early as I could, I may not have had enough water in my system, but I did not get sick, or anything, so it's OK.

Tonight's splits: Mile (1): (14:07); Mile (2): (14:12); Mile (3): (16:59) walking; Mile (4): (14:57); Mile (5): (15:50).

Other News: I finally got out to the movies and saw Captain America, The First Avenger. It was really good, and I am glad I saw it on the big screen. I still regret not seeing The Green Lantern on the big screen, but it'll no doubt be available on disc in time for Xmas.

-Lancer!!

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Another Easy Run Tuesday

Back to a better start this week: I went out for my Tuesday Easy Run, after sundown.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (7.72)mi. Pace-avg: (16:47). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (5.0)mph. Burned: (839) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (5) mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:26:25) hrs.
Actual: Jog/Walk (5)mi. @ (16:05) avg. pace, for a total time of (1:20:26.21) hrs. Bracketed by a (1) mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.72)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Late lunch at Panda Express; Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Home-made Belgian waffle with butter and Strawberry-Apricot jam.

Tonight's run was good. I went out after dark and only encountered a couple of folks on the trail tonight. Tonight's moon is waxing gibbous and there was plenty of light out for my run, even without my running lights. I was surprised that it was still in the low (90s) when I left the house about (2000) hrs. Looking at weather.com now, I see it is still (80) deg. F. outside. So, the warm summer nights are here.

Other News: Went to the dentist today for a check-up and cleaning. Had a good time talking to my hygienist, who also enjoys running, but with two (2) young children at home, does not get enough time to go out and run, even with the stroller. I wrote down a couple of running blogs for her to checkout, including mine. Maybe she'll even get time to check them out.

-Lancer!!

Monday, September 05, 2011

Long Run No.9

2011-09-04, Sunday

After blowing off the rest of my scheduled runs this week, it is now time to execute my Long Run, anyway.

DC Bike Path/Surface streets: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (13.09)mi. Pace-avg: (17:09). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (5.9)mph. Burned: (1440) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (11) mi. @ a (17:22) pace, for a total time of (3:11:07) hrs.
Actual: Jog/Walk (11) mi. @ a (16:58) avg. pace for a total time of (3:06:34.89)hrs.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Roctane (Vanilla-Orange); Mid-run: Sport Beans (Berry); Post-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts (Strawberry-Banana).

I have been a little down in the dumps all week, possibly because I have not been running, or exercising at all, this week. Clearly, this has been a mistake. Tonight, while getting prepped and dressed for my run I was actually getting pretty excited about it. Perhaps I should just make sure I dress for my run, even when I don't feel like it, to make sure I stay motivated to get out and do it.

Tonight's run went quite well: There was no one else on the trail in the park tonight, so that was quite nice. The batteries in my running lights need to be changed already (too many night runs). I did turn off the lights during long sections of the path tonight, and there was still enough light to see the trail, even with no moon out. I was thinking of running on surface streets around the perimeter of the park (all the way out and back), but decided that with the Labor Day weekend there will definitely be too many inebriated knuckleheads out on the roads behind the wheel, and running in the park poses no danger of being run-down by said knuckleheads (at least, so far). Besides, running on the streets means breathing far too much exhaust from passing cars, and that would just suck; so fie on that.

I read this article earlier in the week on active.com, which mentioned "sugar belly" from consuming too much sugar in ones hydration and fuelingand was glad I was not overdoing the sugar in my "training diet": for hydration on my runs I stick to straight filtered water, although my fuel definitely has sugar in it.

Weekly Mileage: Planned: (23) mi. Actual: (13.09)mi.
Shortfall: (9.91) mi.

Post-run Weight: (197.8) lbs.

-Lancer!!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Long Run Sunday No.8

Time for yet another Long Run.

DC Bike Path/Surface streets: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (13.17)mi. Pace-avg: (16:42). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (5.3)mph. Burned: (1428) Calories. Running Lights.

Plan: Run (11) mi. @ a (17:27) pace, for a total time of (3:12:07) hrs.
Actual: Jog/Walk ((11) mi. @ a (16:29) avg. pace, for a total time of (3:01:18.54) hrs. Bracketed by a (1) mi. warm-up walk and a (1.17) mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: PowerBar Fruit Smoothie Energy bar (berry Blast) [2-hrs. pre-run], GU Roctane (Mandarin Orange); Mid-run: Sport Beans (Orange), GU Chomps (Strawberry); Post-run: Whatever is quick.

Tonight's run went pretty well. I slept very late into the afternoon so I did not get out the door till after sundown. I noticed one of my running lights, the one that got dropped earlier in the week, was dimmer than the other one. I think the LEDs might have been jostled loose when the unit was dropped, but it's hard to tell for sure. Anyway, the lights still work well, though I have noticed a good deal of dimming since my last run. I was hoping to get more life out of the batteries, but that may not be the case after all. We'll just see.

There were surprisingly few people out on the bike path tonight. Usually, I run across at least five, or more, groups during the course of my Sunday long runs. I think I only came across three this evening. The first group I encountered was on my outbound leg, and they were not carrying lights at all. The second was a cyclist with a bike light, and the third was a BMXer with no lights at all, and I startled him out near the orchard on my return leg because I had turned off my lights to exercise my night-vision. Frankly, we startled each other. I checked my heart-rate data in TC, but I don't see any unusual heart-rate spikes due to that last encounter.

My best jogging effort this evening was (3.44) mi. continuously. The splits for that are: Mile (1): (14:14); Mile (2): (14:31); Mile (3): (16:51).

Weekly Mileage: Planned: (22) mi. Actual: (30.72) mi.

Well, now I am pretty tired and very hungry. Better stretch out and eat, post-haste!

-Lancer!!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Friday Night Easy Run

Today's planned work out is a simple Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy run. Dist: (4.33)mi. Pace-avg: (15:52). Speed-avg: (3.8)mph. Speed-max: (6.0)mph. Burned: (490) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (2) mi. at a (17:27) pace for a total time of (34:55) mins.
Actual: Jog (2) miles @ a (13:27) pace for a total time of (26:54.60) mins. Bracketed by a (1) mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.33) mi. cool-down walk. 
Fuel: Pre-run: Late lunch; Mid-run:nothing; Post-run: Dinner!


Tonight's run was really good, despite getting out much later than planned. I finally found my short running shorts (track shorts?) so I was able to wear them for my run. The best thing about them is they are much cooler to run in when it is warm/hot out, which is why I bought them in the first place. I warmed up before the run by doing (30) reps. of squats with an empty straight-bar, then repeated with a curl-bar loaded with (30) lbs. of weights. [I also did that before Thursday's run, too, and I think it made a real difference.]

I kept up a pretty solid jogging pace for the entire two (2) mi. and was very pleased with that. TC shows the splits for that as: Mile 1 (13:05), Mile 2 (13:50). Not bad.

Time to stretch out, eat, and get on with the evening.

-Lancer!!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thursday Night Speedwork No.3

Went out for a Speedwork training session tonight.

DC Bike Path/Surface Streets: 1/2 Marathon Training, Speedwork. Dist: (7.52)mi. Pace-avg: (16:11). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (5.7)mph. Burned: (839) Calories.


Plan: Run (3x) (1600) meter intervals with (800) meter recovery jogs in-between each interval.
Actual: Jog/Fastwalk (4x) (1600) meter intervals @ a (14:49) pace, with (800) meter recovery jogs in-between. Bracketed by (1) mi. warm-up and (1) mi. cool-down walks. Oops.
Fuel: Pre-run: Late lunch; Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts, Strawberry-Banana; Post-run: Banana-Chocolate-Honey Smoothie, then Dinner!

So, I made a mistake and actually jogged (1) mile more than I was supposed to. That's what happens when I avoid the computer before my run. Although, it might not be a bad idea to actually print out the training plans like other people do, so I don't have to turn on the computer. I already had the workout loaded on my Garmin Tuesday night, so that would not have been a problem. I just wanted to avoid distractions like FB, and others. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? I must be getting stronger, since I am clearly not dead; not even Undead. Although I was a bit woozy.

During my cool-down walk home I was trying to attach my running lights to my fuel-belt and ended up dropping one of them. I wanted to keep my hands free so I could finish off the remaining Energy Chews. Well, the light went out as soon as it hit the ground. Since it landed on the power button I figured,"No problem." I pick it up and click the button a couple of times, no light. "Great," I thought, "already broken." I clipped it to my belt, finished off the 'Chews, then took a look at it. I was able to pop open the battery compartment and sure enough, the batteries had dislodged when I dropped the unit. I snapped the batteries back into place, tested the light (it worked) then snapped the battery compartment closed. I was very happy I didn't break it.

Tomorrow's training run is a mere (2) mi. Easy Run. I'll try not to overdo it.

-Lancer!!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tuesday Night Easy Run

Headed out for my Easy Run tonight after dark.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (5.70) mi. Pace-avg: (16:21). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (610) Calories.

Plan: Run (3) mi. @ a (17:27) pace for a total time of (52:23) mins.
Actual: Jog (3) mi. @ a (14:29) pace for a total time of (43:26.06) mins. Bracketed by a (1) mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.7) mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: a strawberry yogurt and some Pringles Original about (2) hours beforehand; Mid-run: Gu Roctane Orange-Vanilla; Post-run: Dinner!

So I went out tonight after dark, partly because I was being lazy, and partly because the temps were in the high nineties. Also, I really wanted to try out my running lights with fresh batteries. As it happens the alkaline Duracell batteries I installed in the lights after Sunday's Long Run made the lights enormously brighter than with those Carbon-Zinc batteries. Those batteries that were shipped with the lights may have been running down while sitting on the shelf, and reading a Wikipedia article about them indicates they do not have a very long shelf life.

Now that I have the new batteries in, and completed an all after-dark run, I can say that the KnuckleLights(tm) live up to the advertising more than I had previously expected. It almost feels like you are running in a larger pool of light. I was even able to see more than five (5) feet in front of me when I pointed the lights down the path. I'm not sure I could even see that far with the previous batteries. I definitely feel safer running with brighter lights at night.

Tonight I was able to jog continuously for three (3) full miles. It felt good to finally make it that far without having to walk during the "Jog" phase. The splits in TC show:

Mile (1): (14:07)
Mile (2): (14:30)
Mile (3): (14:48)

I don't really know what it means yet, but that's OK.

Anyway, better stretch out and eat.

-Lancer!!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Long Run Sunday No.7

Went out for my Long Run today.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (12.38)mi. Pace-avg: (17:00). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (6.2)mph. Burned: (1358) Calories.

Plan: Run (10) mi. @ (17:33) pace, for a total time of (2:55:34) hrs.
Actual: Jog/Walk (10) mi. @ (16:49) avg pace, for a total time of (2:48:06.62) hrs. Bracketed by (1) mile warm-up and (1) mile cool-down walks.
Fuel: Pre-run: (2x) PowerBar ProteinPlus (Reduced Sugar) Bars (Chocolate Peanut Butter); Mid-run: (1x) pack of Sport Beans (Grape), had half the pack at around (3.5) miles in, then the rest on the return leg around mile (6) or (7); Post-run: Banana-Chocolate-Strawberry-Honey Smoothie (homemade), then dinner of leftover pizza and salad.

Finally got in my Long Run, even though it was later in the day than originally planned. It went pretty well overall, though my running lights crapped out on the return leg. Pretty sure it is the batteries, but I will have to check that out later.

OK. I just replaced the batteries that shipped with my KnuckleLights(tm), Panasonic Carbon-Zinc AAA batteries, with some good old-fashioned Duracell Coppertop AAA batteries. I tested them in the dark backyard and the light appears to be even brighter than with the Panasonic batteries. SWEET! Now I am really looking forward to using these on my next after dark run. I hope there will be even more depth of field visibility when jogging over uneven blacktop, et al.

While I was still on the return leg of my training run I was ambivalent about trying to jog in the dark, even though I had my SureFire with me. Once I got past the fenced off orchard and onto flatter ground I decided to give it a try. Dark as it was I was still able to see the dashes on the blacktop. There was plenty of ambient light pollution for some visibility, even without the running lights. I did use my SureFire for illumination from time to time, but not quite as often as in the past.

I met some goals today: I was able to jog continuously for (30) minutes or more on two parts of this evenings run. On the outbound leg I "jogged" [fast-walked, speed-wise, but it felt more like jogging] for (2.42) miles over (37) min. @ about a (15:33) pace. And on the return leg  I "jogged" (2.04) miles over (31) min. @ about a (15:33) pace. Both times I was trying to maintain the pace for a full (3) miles, but fell short.

I didn't eat much today before my run. For breakfast I had (2) slices of wheat toast with creamy peanut-butter, and two (2) mugs of tea with honey. I drank a good amount of water during the afternoon. Then I had the (2) PowerBars about one hour before my run. I did not feel weighed down and heavy at all during the run, but I was a bit worn down during the final cool-down.

OK, better stretch out before my muscles get too cooled off. Good night!

-Lancer!!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Am I Average?

This entry is inspired by P.-, and she was inspired by Darlene (I don't know her), who was inspired by this article here at RunningUSA. I will add my responses below:

Typical U.S. Male Runner
Demographics:
  • Average Age: 44.8 - Close: (41) y.o.
  • 73.5% Married - Not quite. Divorced many years.
  • 78.8% College educated - Yes. A.A. [had to get something for the time I spent at the community college] and a B.A. that I don't use professionally.
  • 76.4% Earn a household income of $75,000+ - Not so much at this time, and even then I only had one year, many years back, where I made even close to this amount as a single person.

Running History:
  • Average number of years running: 16 years - Not even. Just started this year.
  • Average number of running events participated in during the last 12 months: 9 events - Only two (2) events so far.
  • 67.9% have completed 1 marathon or more in their lifetime - Not yet, but am working up to it for next year.

Running Routine:
  • 79.2% Run/Jog 4+ hours each week - Yes. My training plan has me running [OK, jog/walking] at least this much.
  • 82.5% run 12 months a year - Only (6) mos. so far.
  • Average number of days run per week: 4.5 - Yes. My plan has me "running" four (4) days a week.
  • Average number of miles run per week: 29.5 - Close. I did (28.42) miles three weeks back, and am building up to more.
  • 55.8% describe themselves as ‘Frequent/Fitness Runners’ and 32.7% as ‘Serious Competitive Runners’ - Frequent/Fitness runner, yes. Competitive, not really.
Running Preferences:
  • Favorite race distance is the Half-Marathon (31.7%) - Working up to that in December.
  • Interested in entering next year: 
    • Half-Marathon (69.7%) - Not yet.
    • 5K (58.5%) - Not yet.
    • 10K (58.0%) - (1) down this year.
    • Marathon (56.9%) - Next year.
Motivation:
  • Primary motivation to start running: For Exercise (22.0%), Competed in School and Never Stopped (15.2%) - For exercise, that's me.
  • Motivation to continue to run: 
    • Staying in Shape (75.2%) - Yes.
    • Staying Healthy (70.8%) - Yes.
    • Having Fun (58.9%) - Yes.
Product Preferences:
  • Average number of running shoes purchased in last 12 months: 3.4 pairs - Only (1) pair so far this year, but expect I will need a new pair before the end of September.
  • Last running shoes purchased: 
    • ASICS (29.1%) - Not in years.
    • Nike (15.9%) - Never.
    • Brooks (14.1%) - BROOKS is my brand!
  • 56.4% spent $90+ on their running shoes - Yes.
  • 42.9% purchased their running shoes at a specialty running store. - Yes, Fleet Feet.
  • Favorite brands of running apparel: 
    • Nike (56.1%) - At least three (3) pieces.
    • ASICS (33.8%) - None.
    • Under Armour (32.0%) - Only (2) pieces.
  • 76.2% spent $100+ on running apparel in the last 12 months - Yes, I confess.
  • 66.6% purchased running apparel at a specialty running store - Not yet, just the shoes and socks.
Health:
  • Average Weight: 171.2 - Still hovering around (200) lbs.
  • Average Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.2 - Not sure, haven't checked.
  • 47.7% are content with their weight - Not yet. Needs to drop more.
  • 45.9% are content with their fitness level. - Not yet. Much more room to improve.
Guess this makes me somewhat average all around.

Today I made sure to use as a rest day only, exercise-wise, because of my tight right quads the last two (2) days. Here's hoping it pays off for tomorrow's Long Run.

-Lancer!!