Lancer's 2011 Recap

So another year is here already. This is a brief recap of my athletic endeavors from 2011:

Cycling: (470.11) miles.
Walking: (474.4) miles; including Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, the 100th Bay to Breakers, and Yosemite.
Running: (139.37) miles.

Running in particular has been a big achievement this year. Before I started working out at the gym and riding my bicycle even more than in 2010, I would have been hard pressed to even run for my life. Now I totally can! I ran/walked in the 100th Bay to Breakers on May 15, 2011, something I only did once before in 1984; it was great to do it again. I am already registered for the 2012 Bay to Breakers in San Francisco and am looking forward to it.

Attempting Half Dome in September, 2011, was also a big achievement. I didn't reach the summit, or even the base of the cables, but I got much further than I expected (the base of the Sub-Dome). During the hike up the Mist Trail I was even in serious doubt that I was going to make it to the top of Vernal Falls, let alone up to Little Yosemite Valley and beyond. This year I am hoping to make the trek again with my friends Dave and Sean. I may will even do it solo if they are unavailable, but I seriously want to spend more time hiking in Yosemite, and more time hiking in general, throughout this year.

Weight: 
2010-12-29: (220.0) lbs.
2011-12-31: (199.2) lbs.
-I lost (20.8) lbs over the course of the year and have kept it off, plus or minus (2) lbs.

(more)

Half-Marathon Man: The Prelude

Early this week I signed up for SmartCoach on Runner's World, the free version, so I can get started on training for a half-marathon in December. Yes, the Vegas night run. I still have not officially signed up yet, but want to get training anyway. I think I will run with Team Challenge, but their organization meeting in my area (SF East Bay is the closest) isn't till August.

Today's plan was an eight (8) mile long run at a pace of (18:02)min./mi. For me, that's walking at a semi-brisk pace:

DC Bike Path: Walk/Jog, (8x). Dist: (8.41)mi. Pace-avg: (16:32)min./mi. Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (6.2)mph. Burned: (950) Calories. Half-Marathon training: Long Run.

Very hot, but at least I lathered up with sunscreen before-hand. It was about (82)F when I left the house, with about (35)% humidity. Weather data says only (27)% humidity now and (89)F outside. Running in the DC park is usually a bit cooler than elsewhere because of the synergistic cooling effects from the river and the trees along that river. And when I'm passing the golf course, it even cooler. Unless, of course, I am silly enough to run in the middle of the day like I just did. It actually was a bit cooler, and definitely more humid near the river. I had to refill my water bottle at the water fountain on my return leg, where I usually turn around during my other, shorter runs. Cool breeze was the mantra I tried to use to get myself to jog as much as possible after my first three (3) Jog iterations. It helped a wee bit. I only hit "Slow Jog" on the first two (2) Jog iterations, the rest were all in the "Fast Walk" and slower range.

I fully intended to go out earlier this morning around 0700 hrs., or so, but I was waiting too long for my colon, and just put it off too long. C'est la vie. I will of course have to make a better effort at this. Late last year, when I would go out riding in the morning I didn't usually what for the morning sit-down. I would just get up, chug some Gatorade, then hit the trail. Then again, riding my bike is faster than walking, so I try to avoid the possibility of any accidents on the running trail, no matter how frustrating the wait. Too much info? Maybe.

Less than one (1) hour to check in to see if I have Jury Duty in the morning. No jinx! *knock-on-wood*

Today's Weight: (200.8) lbs., post run. Getting closer to my goal. :-)

-Lancer!!

UPDATE: Called in and was told by the machine that I do not have to report for Jury Duty. Well, if you insist.

Another Friday Run

Got up at noon. Watched TV, ate lunch, got my hair cut, lurked around Sports Authority and bought a Chums Water Jet bottle carrier. Once I got it home and the loaded up the water bottle, I tested it by bouncing up and down. The elastic straps on this make it flex way too much. But, during actual use, where I am running/jogging forward, without bouncing up and down, there was no trouble.

DC Bike Path: Walk/Jog, 4x. Dist. (5.08) mi. Pace-avg: (15:58)min./mi. Speed-avg: (3.8)mph. Speed-max: (5.2)mph. Burned: (569) Calories.

Having the water with me, rather than having to stop at the fountains, made a big difference in my perceived comfort during this evenings run. I also tried a pack of Clif Shot Blocks (Mandarin Orange) during the walk phases of my workout; they were very good. Time to stretch, eat, shower, and maybe go out for a bit this evening.

-Lancer!!

Anxiety

Good morning! I am currently experiencing some pre-race anxiety. As previously mentioned, the Bay to Breakers total distance is 12K, about (7.46) miles. I plan to alternate walking and jogging. I even have a "workout" loaded on my Garmin GPS watch so it will ping me at the different intervals, i.e. when to walk, when to run. The workout only had room for 20 lines, so hopefully that will carry me all the way through to the finish line. If not, the last line of the workout is "Cooldown," which goes until I hit the Lap or Stop buttons.

I bought a light running jacket a couple weeks back at Sports Authority. It's polyester, and only a size "Large," but i am shrinking to fit it. I have running socks, double-layer, synthetic, i.e. the Wright Sock that I have mentioned in the past. I have covered the distance of the B2B in the park at least once on foot, and most of it was walking, but I had no blisters from that, so I should be fine. The path I use in the park when cycling is (8.86) miles, which is less than the B2B.

I am expecting rain during the Bay to Breakers tomorrow, based solely on Weather.com, and temperatures during the the day are expected to be between (48) and (55) deg.F. [Maybe I should have checked an almanac before I signed up for this.] I believe there may have been some light drizzle from time to time during the 1984 Bay to Breakers, and I do recall there was fog in the Panhandle once I got there. At the time it was a great relief, because it had warmed up since the start of the race, and I was mighty hot from all the running and walking. I have no running rain gear, so i am hoping just adding a layer (the running jacket) and wearing a ball-cap will help some. I also have my Under Armor ninja hood, and a neck gaiter to keep the breeze off my neck. [I always get a cold, or something, if my neck is exposed when it's cold out; or when I am sweating and get too much evaporative cooling.]

And, I don't have a waterproof container for my iPod. The running jacket has a small zip pocket, though, which appears to fit my iPod nano hard-case. I have a fanny-pack I may be able to use to carry my cell-phone and sport gels, but I haven't run with it yet, so I'm not sure if i should use it, or not. I would need to snug it up a bit to minimize bouncing, and probably move it around so it bounces on my fanny and not my bits; that would be mighty uncomfortable.

Bib Number: (51572)

Corral: G (brown)

-Lancer!!