An Update

Since writing the Legend of the Marathon in early November, my training has been .. impressive. I have been getting fit in New Zealand.

After one week in the country, I had completed one run, a fair-paced night run in Waipu with Skeeter. Two weeks later, with the four day coastal walkway tramp looming, I threw-away my trainers in an effort to lighten my pack. My desire to carry fewer things outweighed my desire to run during my stay in Kiwiland.

So, after one month in the country, I have still completed just one run.

Fortunately, I slammed a half pack of Camels last night (oops), so month two of New Zealand training looks promising. I'll be chronicling that month of training in a new blog called "Drinking Beers and Training like Animals and Dragging on Cigs like a Goddamn Cowboy." Stay tuned.

Easing back in

Just finished updating my training log from my first official week of marathon training. Granted, only the last 4 days of the week were on the schedule (one of which i took off) -- but none the less, I finished with a grand total of 28.25 miles for the week. Now if that's not easing back in, I don't know what is. No where to go but up, I guess.

It's Officially Begun

This morning marked the official start of my training cycle for Boston in April. Two evenings ago, I finally broke down and decided to try running at night in Richmond -- something that I have avoided in my 2+ years of living here due to lack of lighting and no lack of criminals. I decided on a route that I expected to be fairly well lit and logged a solid 4 miles. This gave me the indication that I could in fact run in the dark, I would just have to get creative with my routes.

(side note: That evening run was December 6th. I ran with my shirt off, in the dark, listening to my trusty iPod shuffle. Did I feel like a bad ass? Yes. Did I look like a tool? Most likely. Did I care? Fuck no.)

So this morning I logged a solid 6 miles at 6am. Decked out in tights, and two long sleeve shirts, I proved to be slightly over dressed. Still, the run felt great. I truly do love running in the morning. Now that my body is used to rising before 6am most days of the week, transitioning into running at this time should not be very difficult. It just makes the day better -- both from the standpoint of how my body feels, and that it takes away any obligation to get it done later in the day.

Although this first clinical is coming to a close and I won't be able to take advantage of this new-found training time, I still have 8 weeks left in Richmond starting January 9th with my 2nd clinical at VCU hospital. By then I'll have my Garmin, my trusty iPod, and a ton of motivation.

Early to bed, Early to run makes Ant a sub 2:55 marathon runner.

The Fall, the Catch

My last post mentioned that my motivation gauge read low. It hasn't gotten much better, and with the onset of some minor aches and pains, it's gotten a bit worse. Last week i ran about 5 days out of the week which is pretty good, but while i should have ran saturday, my friend was in town and we did literally nothing but sit in my bed and play video games all day and late into the evening. There was a brief period where i coaxed us into doing a pushup/pull up workout with a deck of cards but otherwise i moved nary a step the entire day.

Sunday i met Sean for an easy-ish 10 on the trails. Having someone who can hold you accountable for making a trip out to run can go a long way for motivation. So at 2:00 i met him at a parking lot near difficult run and by 2:02 we were runnin’. The trail was very muddy after rain showers the previous night and while i recovered nicely from some close calls slipping and sliding, and even barely catching a sharp tree branch that would have pierced my heart, i finally took a crucial digger with 1 mile to go. Bloodied and muddied all over, i finished up the run still feeling pretty good.

Monday i awoke with stinging pain and noticeable tightness in my hip, and a sore dull feeling in the opposite ankle. After a lunch time lift i was trying to summon the will to run after work, battling the guilt that would inevitably ensue if i were to be a pansy and stay in my warm cozy bed the rest of the evening instead. Whether it was the case that I came to my senses and reached an emotionally intelligent level of perspective, or just that i found adequate enough justification for being a coward, i decided that it was unnecessary, and potentially detrimental to run with all of these aches and pains and instead spent some time stretching and massaging the trouble areas. Maybe i caught hold of my emotions and made correct steps to avoid looming injuries, or maybe i missed a day of fitness. Either way, the run tuesday went good as the hip discomfort regressed and today i am probably going to just stretch/massage and play it safe again.

The rainy, dark, chilly winter also seems to be sweeping in with a front of depression that I’m starting to fall victim to. I see naught but WoW and a constant battle to run in the many dark evenings ahead.

Will our lonesome and fearful hero let misery become of him? Will he rise to the challenges and bust out a 100 mile week not knowing the meaning of the word 'fear'? Find out next time!

-Kyle

The Return, The Beginning.

Friends.

I'm sure my absence has been painstaking and that my presence has been sorely missed. I apologize. But since this is primarily a blog dedicated to running and training, I would have be amiss to have been writing, since I have not been running. A quick recap of what I've been up to:

Despite no real motivation, and perhaps even less training, I actually performed pretty ok in the half marathon, running a 1:23 for my red-hot debut. You might have seen the countless threads on Let's Run discussing my feat -- or you may have focused in on the ones that discussed Max's Legend of the Marathon. Either thread was probably pretty entertaining. Anyway. I was satisfied with my effort, as it gave me a good indication of my starting fitness level for my marathon training-- one that I am very content with.

Following the race, I felt a little beat up. Still, I could not resist the urge to get back to some sort of running, so I jumped on the treadmill a mere 2 days later for some light jogging. By the following Friday, I found myself (and my trusty iPod shuffle), on a fairly hard 7 miler, culminating with my new favorite uphill finish up to the top of a park near my house. Following the run, I was shot. Looming in the future, was my traditional Ashburn 10k Turkey Trot. I had to recover. Somewhere in there, I came down with a pretty bad cold and chest congestion. I rested until a day before the race.

The plan for the race was to "relax" and run a sub 40, a decent effort to offset the guilt of the gluttony I was about to indulge in later in the day. After my short warm-up, however, I knew "relaxed" might not be the right word. My breathing was labored, and I just felt crappy.

Long story short about the race, I busted my balls to run a 39:51, a pace slower than my half marathon less than 2 weeks prior. It was one of the more difficult efforts of my running career to run a sub-par time. Sickness, tired legs, I don't know. I wasn't terribly worried about it, but I knew I needed some time off.

Which brings me to the present. I took a full week(!) off, allowing my body and health to recover. I am still feeling pretty congested, and could feel it on my run this morning, but otherwise, I'm feeling good. I just checked in with my marathon training schedule and see that the official training begins this upcoming Thursday. I've talked briefly about the training plan here before, but for those who are interested, here it is:


Anyway. That starts up Thursday and I am feeling very motivated. I got back to lifting weights this morning as well, and I am feeling very excited to have a legit schedule again.

Oh. In other news, I am getting a Garmin GPS watch for Christmas. I am also very excited about that, even though I have always thought Garmins are for yuppies. At this point, I don't even care. 2:55 or bust.

Ant

A Battle Won, War's Begun

Posts have been slow the past few weeks as i've been taking a mental and physical break following the half marathon a few weeks ago. My time has been consumed by video games, some runs ranging from 5-10 miles, a few nights out, and some days that go by with me realizing i didn't do much of anything at all(especially run). But this was all done in the wake satisfaction from a successful race.

Despite a short and very interrupted nights sleep, i awoke on race day feeling pretty loose and energetic after a week's taper. All of the racers under the roof went through their normal pre-race routines of fueling, limbering up, and finding ways to deny and distract any troublesome nerves from creeping up. My body felt cold all morning, even after a warm shower and 2 mile warm up, but after a few laughs over Ant's failed nip guard, and the crowded start and rush of the first mile, i found myself warming up and concentrating only on finding and maintaining what i planned to be my race pace(and how to pass the bloody racers who were wearing headphones and thus not heeding my polite requests for them to move out of my way.) The pack slowly spread itself out and i spent the rest of the 13.1 miles trying to catch all runners i could see in sight while making sure i didn't stray off race pace and wear myself out. I finished very strong the last 1.5 miles and ran a few minutes faster than i was hoping, which made me very happy considering my low expectations after relatively limited training.

I was motivated to now crush a marathon and run a huge PR in the Spring! Bring it on world!

....2 weeks later i've since sobered up from those feelings and now find myself faced with trying to find the motvation again to run a fast race, decide on an actual schedule with increased mileage, and will myself to lonsesomely follow it in the cold, dark, winter. While Max is off parading around in New Zealand somewhere, i'm hoping to continue to share and find motivation and encouragement with Ant. Today's run was a relaxed and easy 11 with Dan and Carissa on the W&OD after a poor nights sleep hanging out with my Navy friend in town. Tomorrow is a lift and a run either at night or on a treadmill depending on how i'm feeling.

-Kyle

P.S. I need new music

The Machinist

I did a small workout yesterday in the fleeting light that remained after I'd gotten off work (half hour early, mind you) at 4:30. I decided on a 1 min on/off fartleik to get a little turn over in my legs before the race Saturday. The course rolled, so it was nice to get a little speed combined with the ups and downs of the hills -- seeing as how I've logged all of my workouts (2) on a track so far. The result was a satisfying effort that has me about 75% ready for Saturday's race. I'll take it.

As I fell into the final 1 minute fast interval, The Machinist by Conditions came on my iPod shuffle. The shot of adrenaline coursed through me like a flood. My form was perfect, my speed, the fastest of the workout. That song is definitely going to be a staple for the upcoming training block leading up to Boston. I've already shared some of the lyrics, so no need to revisit them, but they get me amped.

As I sat in the dark parking lot getting a quick stretch, I could see visions of being fit. Logging cold, lonely miles over the winter-- just me and my trusty iPod shuffle. Traveling to Boston, and laying down the best marathon of my "career." Time to make dreams become reality.

Love, Running, and Other Drugs.....

This past weekend was meant to be a time in which i did nothing more than sleep, slog a few miles, eat and sleep some more. After a tiresome past 3 weekends it was time for me to rest my weary head before i start to get back to respectable mileage after a hard 13.1 mile effort next weekend. As it turned out, i WAS able to at least make it through friday night/saturday morning according to plan, getting a solid 8.5 hours of sleep and waking up to go run an easy 30 minutes. But my plan soon derailed when a few hours later i found myself in an underground bar, hidden from the sunlight, and competing with some friends at a charity cornhole tournament serving 5$ pitchers. While my performance was respectable, I was not able to take home the prize as my rivals schwee and bj were a game away from doing.

By the time i got home i was fairly drunk and plopped down in bed debating whether i wanted to cook up something for dinner or give in to the shroud of drowziness enclosing the outsides of my eyes. But then Max called and once again, a few hours later, i find myself straying away from the plan, drinking some buds and wine before treking out to the bars to meet up with a few friends. After some dancing and drinking, i closed out the night crashing at my buddies place, regretfully getting wrapped up in the beautiful Anne Hathaway's 'Love, Sex, and other Drugs' before going to sleep at 5:30am.

3 hours later, Max and I awoke and upon returning to my place decided (still slighty intoxicated i might add) to go for a 10 miler. So we donned some running shorts and found a trail to glide along on for roughly 11 miles. I actually felt really good and it was probably Max's longest run so far in this Marathon "training" cycle(Just in time for the race 1 week away....)! Needless to say by the time i was entering the hangover stage, with 3 hours of sleep and 11 miles under my belt by 11:00 am, i was reduced to a hurting sack of flesh and bones.

But i did come out of the night with a dream. A dream to build up mileage the next few months, run a spring marathon, and maybe finally take some time to live like a starving artist and train with Maxuela for a while. It's still a ways away from becoming a reality, but it's good to have something to look forward to.

Vanilla Twilight

Yesterday was my final "long run" before the half. I realized that running with my iPod shuffle is the perfect companion to heartache. Vanilla Twilight became my new favorite song.

In other news, I am the most pathetic human being in existence.

Progress

I went to the track for my second (!) workout for my half marathon next weekend. The goal was to get a little bit closer to my projected "race" pace, which I am setting at around 6:45. The workout was 2x3 mile at goal pace with a 800 jog in between. I ended up falling into a comfortable yet taxing 6:30 pace, and kept it for the extent of the workout. I was satisfied, and here's why:

Although next weekend's half marathon will be far from stellar, that is not the goal. The goal is to run a PR at Boston in April. The new training plan that I am going to follow (Hansons-Brooks) is very heavy on marathon pace workouts. my marathon pace for Boston will be somewhere around 6:40-6:45. So if I am already able to comfortably run workouts at 6:30 pace, that means I'm in good enough shape to jump into this marathon training plan -- which is significantly lower in overall mileage than I've run previously. The greater focus will be on getting my body to run the pace. The volume component will still be there, just not to the same degree.

Shh. Don't tell anyone, but I'm getting motivated...

Catharsis

Eight days remain until THE Richmond Half Marathon. Which I am racing -- or at least running, to some degree. Am I ready? No. Do I care? No. The jury is still out on whether or not I will actually do a final "long run" this weekend. My life is fairly unpredictable these days, so I'm kind of just rolling with the punches (of which there are many).

In spite of all of the negativity, I had a very nice run yesterday evening. I've really been enjoying running with my new iPod shuffle, and I would like to relay a short anecdote from yesterday's 6 miler: As I was running to a mix of Circa Survive and Conditions, the acoustic version of Conditons' Keeping Pace with Planes began playing. This song is a good bit slower in tempo than the other songs on the mix, so it was nice to -- keep pace -- with. The lyrics to this song have always been very meaningful to me, since it was my go-to song as I struggled through an injury-laden lead up to my first ever Boston Marathon in 2008.

The combination of the haunting acoustic guitar, relaxed pace, and lyrical genius left me coursing with adrenaline. Never before have I understood Max's ability to run with one song on repeat for miles on end. Yesterday, I found a song that I could run a 100 mile ultra with. A precursor to Boston Marathon training 2012?

I also found a slogan for said race's training (also stemming from a Conditions song):

Instead of taking action, why don't you begin routine?
And instead of being tired, why don't you become machine?

"Workout" #2 this morning. Scheduled for 2x3 mile @ 6:45 pace. Let's rock and roll.

Ant

Night of the Running Dead

...or maybe The Virginia Liver Massacre?

Given my antics the past 3 weekends, it would be far more fitting to post on the "Drinking Beers like Animals" blog instead of this one. This past weekend marked another voyage to a college town which entailed very little sleep, and far more beers than i care to remember all at once.

I came home Sunday after a large meal and steak dinner with the family, only to take a 30 minute nap before i decided to venture out on a long run around 7:30. Weary, sore, and dreary-eyed, I ended up going for 2 hours, or roughly 16-17 miles in the cold and drizzle. It was a spooky run fit for the halloween weekend as all of the street lights on the main road i ran on were all out of order. Through the curtain of darkness and fog i was fortunate to have my newly acquired and trusty headlamp on hand(or head i guess). As expected, i felt like crap the first half and was running out of steam by the end of the second half, but am otherwise not too terribly sore and am satisfied i got my sorry ass out of my cozy warm house to do it.

I ran in these babies i picked up earlier in the day too:

You indie hipster hippes should write a song about THESE kicks.

-Kyle

The Result

2x2 mile at an average pace of 6:25. Galen Rupp, eat your heart out.

In other news, I did the entire workout while listening to my iPod shuffle.

The Return

Dear Friends,

As I have so many times before, I must begin this post with an apology for my absence over the past couple of weeks. I have been stuck in an emotional and mental fog that has kept me from doing anything meaningful with my life. As I slowly pull myself from this abyss, I will begin by commenting on my recent running and future race plans.

My recent running has been terrible. I have been unmotivated. I now find myself approximately 2 weeks away from my "race," and have put in no substantial training at all. The only upside to this is that I don't really care. My plan for this race is to just get through it. To be perfectly honest, as long as I run under 1:30 I will be happy. To be perfectly honest again, I don't know if I can do that. As sad as that is, it is true.

Today will be a bit of a test to see if it will be possible. I plan to go to the track for the first time to do a tempo style workout (2x2 mile at "race pace" which I will set at 6:45 for the time being, 800 jog between). If I am unable to accomplish this workout with relative ease, I don't even know. Bottom line is that this race was to be used as a "return to running" springboard into training for the Boston marathon in the spring. If that is legitimately my goal, then I will say that I'm content with where I'm at right now. Which is approximately... 50% of my maximum talent.

I'll report back post workout. Kyle and Max will be shocked to know that I'm going into it expecting to tank.

Ant.

Specificity 2

Changed my training plan. Still adhering to specificity's rule -

marathon week - race one day
weeks leading up to marathon - run one day

Shedding Some Light on the Subject

Today was my third and maybe last workout in preparation for this half marathon coming up. I decided to run up to the track during lunch and do 6 x800 with 1:30 rest followed by a hard 400 afterwards. I ended up running 2:40s and a 66. While it isn't anything stellar it felt good to run some quicker intervals and get my legs moving faster than they have been so far. Even though it was raining, I felt a lot more comfortable on the track this week than last.

Last week i decided that i'm going to purchase something that i once considered 'yuppie' and scoffed at.

A headlamp.

When i was training at my parents house in suburbia I had a few standard 8-10 mile loops that i would run nightly. Gliding through the darkness like a unseen phantom in the middle of the road. It was lit enough by the moon, street lights, and house lights that i had no use for any bright, flashing, excessive gear that would advertise my existence. I wanted to be the quiet dark figure sifting through the shadows outside as others sat unknowingly in their warm and quaint houses.

However, i've since moved to a much older and busier metropolitan area in which streets are constantly busy with traffic and the only places to run lack any kind useful light. This is also considering the fact that i don't get home from work til about 6:45-7:00 when the sun is already well beyond the horizon and darkness is engulfing the area quicker than i can toss on some kicks and be out the door. While i like the feeling of being an invisible shade clipping along in the night, i also am sure i would not like the feeling of running headfirst into a cyclist, nor tripping on a root or piece of uneven ground that would send my face barreling into a trunk or rock.

So i will purchase this headlight and wear it proud as i confidently run through the trails, residential paths, and streets of my town, blinding oncoming runners with my headlight as they have done so many times to me before.

-Kyle

Rude Awakening

Today I came to a realization... I may not be able to run as quickly as I had initially planned for this half marathon. I admittedly(and foolishly) figured that I could run 30 miles a week and enter race day and run sub 1:20 no problem. I mean, i've ran a full marathon at that pace before so why shouldn't i be able to get a few miles under my belt and do half the distance at the same pace?

Well that race was 3 years ago when i was training 60-70 miles a week, actually doing 3 structured workouts a week, and weighing 15 lbs less.

Looking at my calendar, stunned with realization that race day was only 3 weeks away, i found myself so far having done 1 actual workout, and no long runs above the race distance. So today i decided to run up to the local high school and do a track workout. It was extremely windy and i only managed to do a 4xmile in ~5:34 pace before i had to get back to work(not that i was in any state to grind out another interval anyway). The pace felt nothing short of very uncomfortable in both my legs, and lungs. Going to Harrisonburg this weekend, and potentially Charlottesville next weekend, after being in Richmond last weekend(all with the intention of drinking beers and partying), probably won't do much to help my training cause either.

Oh well, I will fit in long runs, try to get at least 2 more workouts in, and give the race an honest and hard effort and let the chips fall where they may. This will just be a stepping stone in my fitness as I will have made it through a race(*knock on wood*) without some kind of injury for the first time in a long time. Maybe if i can summon the motivation i'll try to run a faster half or even attempt another full marathon in the Spring while following a structured training plan that incorporates more mileage.

Running with Music

For many years, I have trained while listening to music. Many people have criticized me for doing so, and, at one point in my "career," they convinced me that I should stop doing it because "real runners don't train with music." I have become wiser since then.

I started listening to music while I ran during winter break of ninth grade. I had received a "running walkman" (a walkman with a handstrap that made it more portable than a walkman without a handstrap) and Taking Back Sunday's first album for Christmas. I happily used both gifts. After listening to "Cute Without the E," I selected it as my running song and listened to it exclusively while training.

I grew in tenth grade, crossing the 5'4"/105lb mark. I also stopped cutting runs. My new body and training ethic allowed me to train with real runners (who NEVER listened to music while they trained). Reluctantly, I abandoned my walkman.

Eleventh-Grade-Me policed headphone usage on the PFXC/T&F teams. Big Ant policed it, too. Never again would I run with music.

2 real 4 headphonz

As a college sophomore on winter break, I decided to re-try running-with-music. I was unmotivated to run alone. So, in typical winter fashion, I waited to run until the latest possible hour, went to the gym, and hit the treadmill. Fourteen miles and eighty minutes of Bloc Party's "Flux" later, I realized that running with music was The Way.

Since then, I have trained while listening to music, podcasts, and the TV. Occasionally, I have run without headphones.

"Running-with-music," for me, has always meant repeating one song for many consecutive runs. Each time that it has been time for a new song, I have tried a few songs and then settled on one. "Kissing Families" by the Silversun Pickups was my running soundtrack for many, many runs (perhaps three seasons worth). It was the perfect song for the speed at which I ran. Today, I am sorry to write, Elliot Smith's "Angeles" keeps me at the right pace.

By listening to the links, you ought to be able to gauge my fitness levels from different times in my life. Surely, doing so will alert you to the degenerate state of today's fitness.

Specificity

I have run a few times since my last post, the one in which I "registered" for the Richmond Marathon. Obviously, fitness has fallen to the wayside.

It has been difficult to train because I have been unmotivated to a) suffer, b) pursue a short-term running goal, c) feel tired at work, and d) train without a (quasi-)legitimate schedule. To combat these lacks of motivation, I decided to address issue (d) and hope that my commitment to a schedule will help me address the other issues as they occur.

When writing my new training schedule, I decided to ignore all of the training advice that I had ever received from (excellent) coaches and embrace the wisdom imparted to me and my teammates by the (not-so-excellent) W&M trainers. That advice was most seriously (and memorably) shared with my friend, Sean, (a formerly outstanding mid-distance runner for the Tribe), when he was accosted by the training staff for running farther than half-of-a-mile each day when he never raced farther than that distance. Specificity is key, after all.

I have applied that advice in my new training plan by scheduling myself for 26.2 miles per week for the next four weeks (the four weeks prior to the marathon) and then finishing the five week training cycle with the marathon on the sixth day of the fifth week. That means that I will be resting for the first five days of the marathon week, race the marathon on Saturday, and then rest on Sunday.

Recovery and "the details" will include a shower beer after each run (for specificity's sake. I plan to implement similar recovery measures on race day.)

Check back for training updates as the saga unfolds. And hit me with a high-five as I finish the Richmond Marathon in sub-three (on a road that parallels the race's finishing stretch).

Hiccups

This past week has been odd for my training. I had a lively paced hour run friday night before venturing out to DC, sleeping(horribley) on a friends couch and rendering myself incapable of doing much besides lay in bed on saturday. Sunday however was my longest run this time around at 1hour52minutes. As Ant described earlier, fall is coming. I wasn't sure what to expect leaving my house with a stiff and groggy feeling but once i realized it was October, then the crisp cool air hit my face as i slowly picked up speed atop fallen orange, maroon, and brown leaves, and a little piece of heaven came blaring through my headphones, i was completely slapped across the face by autumn. And i loved it! I felt good the entire way and although i had no gu was able to still finish without feeling entirely depleted. Just mostly depleted.

I was, however, very stupid and lacked of all samurai discipline as i only got 5 hours of sleep that night and had to work til midnight the next day. Working a 14 hour workday isn't very conducive to training FYI and i was not able to get any sort of workout in that day. Those factors, coupled with the weather changing, caused me to fall victim to illness the rest of the week. I still managed to get in 2 lifts, a 45 minutes run tuesday and thursday, and workout today, albeit still feeling groggy and sick.

Today was the first workout i've done in a LONG time. Although it was nothing to write home about, i was satified. 15min warmup, 4x1 mile with 2:00mins rest, 20 min cooldown. My splits were 6:00, 5:30, 5:38, 5:30. They had to be done on the W&OD since most tracks are closed due to friday night lights football. It hurt. But it will help my fitness and i hope to get a few more workouts in before the race.

The plan this weekend is an easy run with some upper body work tomorrow followed by 15 or so on monday.

-Kyle

Enter Fall?

Good morning readers,

This morning I had my first run in approximately 9 days. As previously noted in an early post, I was forced to take the time off due to a flared up bout of Achilles tendonitis. After a purchase of a new pair of slick black, yellow and white Wave Riders and a couple more days off, I was ready to give running a shot this morning.

I was particularly bitter about missing my runs this weekend since the temperature sat in the cool mid 50's range. Fall weather is my favorite. Luckily, this morning matched the weekend's temperature, so I got my shot.

About 3 minutes into my run, I noticed a familiar, heavy feeling in my chest as I struggled to breathe. It couldn't be that I'd decreased my fitness level that significantly in just a little over a week, could it? No. The feeling was unmistakeable, even in the (actually) very chilly weather: humidity. I had noticed on my weather.com that the humidity was 87% when i was checking the temperature, but it didn't really matter since it was so cool. Well, with the combination of the first run in a while, plus some residual stiffness in my ankle, the humidity pushed it over the edge. My breathing was quite labored for the entire run. Granted, I probably was running a bit quicker than I have been lately -- but none the less, it was not enjoyable.

All in all, I'll take the run as a positive step. My Achilles itself felt fine. My posterior tib, on the other hand, was definitely tight and uncomfortable. I'm hoping it's just something that will work itself out. I'll take it as a good first run back.

In other news, I still haven't had my first PSL of the fall since they've been "out" of them the past two times I've gone. And Maxwell, with the entrance of fall and the annual season of failed romances for Big Ant, you'd be happy to know that I have a girlfriend.

Ant.

Coke Machine

So i walk by the coke machine in the office today and notice that there is a sticky note on the machine that reads in scratchy handwriting:

"Coke man - Can we get more Coke Zero and Diet Coke slots? Get rid of one of the water slots and the cherry coke."

It's taking every ounce of my self control to resist posting a sticky of my own saying:

"Sticky note man - How about you drink a healthier beverage such as water or orange juice instead of relying on a reduced calorie soft drink in a pathetic attempt to meet your health needs."

-Kyle

Carry On

I've had pretty decent running since last week. Thursday i went on my staple 47 minute hill run during lunch after taking Wednesday off. Legs were tired but i held a strong pace throughout. Friday i went for an easy hour around my house trying to find avenues to explore so that i could turn my run into a complete loop as opposed to many mini out-and-backs. It wasn't very successful.

That night marked an epic get-together for my friend in the Army who goes back to Iraq this week. Filled with merry laughs from all of our high school and college friends of old, plenty of beer, and plenty of competitive drinking games, we celebrated in the true fashion that is called for when all of these people are together. While i didn't quite train like an animal on Saturday and instead just epically napped, i most certainly did drink beers.

Sunday i went back to my parents and did almost the same loop i did last week for my long run, running a total of 1hr and 35 mins. Apparently the weather isn't changing quite as quickly as i imagined last post because it was bloody humid out! While i didn't feel quite as ecstatic and inspired after the run as i did last week, I still kept a solid pace throughout the run and finished strong. So although i felt more tired and run down, i believe it was a better effort than the previous long run and that i'm getting stronger. Monday was a follow up chest and back lifting day for lunch plus an easy 3 miles after work on very tired legs. I was initially planning for 30 minutes but i was running by my house feeling very run down and figured that any more would do more harm than help for recovery and today's run.

-Kyle

Set back

Hello friends,

My apologies for my lack of presence over the last week. I've been dealing with many life issues that have stripped from me the motivation to blog with any substance -- so I didn't. Now that those life issues are seemingly resolving, I feel that I can return to report what has been happening in my running life. Shall we start with the past 3 days?

Friday was long run day this week, and I logged an easy 12 miles. And when I say easy, I mean (another) one of the hardest "long" runs of my life. The humidity continues to be unbearable in Richmond, and actually took a turn for the worse last week. I can't remember ever sweating so much so many days in a row due purely to humidity (the temperature hangs around 75-80, nothing terrible).

I was more or less forced to run my long run in my Precisions, since I had neglected to dry my shoes from the previous day's effort, leaving them soaking wet and heavy (from sweat, mind you) -- unappealing for a 12 mile run. With my new attitude towards experimenting with minimalism, I was not terribly upset by the idea that I would put in a substantial amount of miles in a less substantial shoe. As I said before, the run was quite difficult, but I didn't experience any discomfort from the shoes themselves. Until later.

I now find myself staring at my third consecutive day off, which I have determined as of this morning will be happening today. My left Achilles remains flared up right at the heel, a product of running in more "minimal" shoes that are admittedly too old (I bought those shoes for the race that I qualified for Boston in, Richmond 2007). Having just written that sentence, I now realize what a complete moron I am for still having those shoes in circulation. I work at a running store for God's sake, where I preach daily the importance of not letting a shoe go past it's lifespan (3-6 MONTHS). Now that they are over 4 years old, I think it's safe to retire them.

All of this being said, I am now experiencing a minor setback. I am not, however, depressed. Last Friday I registered and was accepted into the Boston Marathon in 2012. This is my main long term goal at this point. Since the race is in April, I have a very long time to build up properly and regain my fitness. A small bit of inflammation in my Achilles is no need for alarm before October has even started. Better to be smart now, treat the injury, fix the problems that lead to the injury, and pick right back up where I left off. Gosh, I've gotten so much smarter and more mature with old age...

GO SKINS!

The Weather is a-Changing

The past 5 days brought forth a rollercoaster of runs. Friday was an hour run at a healthy pace in the cool and crisp September evening. Unfortunately, Vienna wasn't quite built with runners in mind, but i found my way in the darkness on a decent path through woods, the W&OD, and suburbia. The next day was another evening run, this time only 30 minutes with about 6 strider/sprints to get my legs used to some turnover again and to make sure i wasn't too tired for my long run on sunday(plust some pushups and pullups inspired by watching the movie Warrior(AWESOME movie)).

I'm going to straight up say it, Sunday was possibly the best run i've had in a year or so. I started out slowly just getting the legs loosened up, working through a bit of tightness and soreness from the past 2 days. About 45 minutes in i found myself unconsciously picking up the pace. The sun was below the horizon, the air was once again cool and crisp and it seemed like i was one of the few souls outside that evening running around my old highschool stomping grounds as families sat inside and made their preparations for the upcoming week. By the time i was 2-3 miles from home i started really throwing down the hammer. I felt indestructible. I pushed harder and my breathing stayed steady while my legs stayed fluid. Figuring i shouldn't get ahead of myself and risk any injury, i ended my run at 1hr37m. A few laps walking around the culdesac while my heartrate eased up a bit capped an amazing training run in preparation for the race. The weather is getting cooler. We are entering that transitional season where it is neither too hot and humid, nor to bone chillingly cold. And i love it!

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and i found myself Monday and Today struggling like i never have before on the residual effects of Sunday's long run(40 mins and 50 mins). After clawing my way to the end of today's run i decided i'm due for a day off and tomorrow will be just that.

As for Max's post about 'scabbing,' or 'banditing' as i've heard it, I've found myself going back and forth. I can certainly see from a semi- to serious runner's viewpoint, while out of shape and not actually planning to go all-out in a race fashion, why they feel they shouldn't have to pay when they could essentially do the workout or hard effort they'd be doing elsewhere just as easily. The race just provides a convenient course devoid of all stop light and traffic interruptions with other people around, right? Well, while i have almost entered a race as a bandit to pace my friend, something still felt dishonest and dishonorable deep down(I'm completely fine with jumping in for a period of time to truly help pace a friend, but i view going from start to finish and focusing solely on your own performance a little different.) If we allow scabbing to become widely accepted, then what's preventing everyone from doing the same thing. It will lead to worse prizes and less money for the true competitors, poor or no services such as drinks and gu along the way, and less efficient and poorly constructed courses. Dare i say ultimately the end of the race altogether?! Maybe i'm getting a bit ahead of myself...

Sure races these days cost seemingly entirely too much, and a large portion of that price may be going to a cause that your cold and vicious hearth otherwise would not want to donate to if given the option.....But one must realize that halting traffic, creating and planning detours, hiring cops to conduct and organize the flow of cars and people for the sake of you being able to have that experience does cost something. And if one is to be taking advantage of these services being provided to those who helped support it, is it not so wrong to feel a little guilty about jumping in? I am not meaning to scorn anyone who does it, i'm just offering my personal feelings on the matter after much thought. I actually look forward to seeing you down there that weekend and having a gay ol' runner bros time with me and Big Ant! Good luck with the training and naturally make sure to post how it's all going.

-Kyle

Scabbing

Marcus, a family friend, is notorious among those who have attended Thanksgiving at the Werner Household for scabbing the Boston Marathon. Every Boston Marathon morning, Marcus pins an old Boston Marathon bib to his favorite race t-shirt, heads to the start line, and works his way into the middle of the mass of Boston Marathoners (who, presumably, paid and qualified to compete). He argues that competing in the Boston Marathon for free is his birthright since he was born in Boston. He also argues that he is the only Bostonian who deserves that privilege.

After speaking with my friend and former teammate, Sean, I've decided that I will compete in the Richmond Marathon as a race scab. That way, I won't feel like I've wasted money to compete in a race for which I am unprepared. That also means that I will begin seven weeks of haphazard Richmond Marathon training this afternoon.

Lining up at the start line of the Richmond Marathon does not make one a Richmond Marathoner. BUT, wearing a Richmond Marathon bib (from any year) at the start line of the Richmond Marathon does. ..Kyle? ..Ant?

Slight Dichotomy

I must confess, I did not run yesterday. The plan was to do my standard lunch time lift and run after work. However, now that i'm in the real world i am constantly finding that time becomes an issue when social obligations present themselves. While i ordinarily have no problem skipping out on happy hours and post-work get-togethers(in fact most of the time i prefer it), one of my best buds is taking some R&R in the states from his tour in Iraq, and thus i would consider myself an official asshole if i decided to put off seeing him.

Now why is it that since i'm training and preparing for a half marathon did i decide to still lift during lunch instead of getting a run in?

Well, since my bout with constant injuries in previous training cycles, i've decided to take a more general fitness approach to my health and well being. Lifting and distance running are generally regarded as mutually exclusive pursuits. There's a reason you don't see top marathoner's with excess upper body mass. You run with your legs, and any extra muscle mass that doesn't help to put one foot in front of the other more efficiently is just excess baggage slowing you down. Not to mention how distance running is also catabolic by nature. However.... i love the feeling of lifting. While there's nothing like effortlessly cruising through the woods feeling light as a feather, I still enjoy feeling 'the pump' and the different kind of aggression, exertion, and satisfaction that lifting brings. Admittedly there are slight superficial reasons as well.

I weigh roughly 15 lbs worth of muscle more than when i did when i was at my marathon racing weight a few years ago(160 vs 145). And while that extra muscle isn't quite conducive to half marathon training, i don't feel like it has become a hindrance yet either. So i will continue to lift while increasing mileage and let the cards fall where they may.

Today was a hilly lunch time run at medium/hard effort for 45 minutes. The air was cool, breezy and overcast and i felt smooth and rested. Tomorrow will be an easy hour/8 miler. I feel like i could still use another 3-4 weeks of easy, go-by-feel base and strength training before i begin to incorporate any sort of structured interval and threshold workouts. While some runs feel fluid and easy, a majority still feel heavy, sore, and difficult. My legs still need some adapting to the day by day training scene, but i'm confident.

-Kyle

September 14 - 8 miles

Yesterday I ran 8 miles despite my incredible total body soreness. As I suspected, once I began my run I began to loosen up significantly. Although it was approximately 80 degrees, the humidity was lower, allowing me to breathe "effortlessly" in comparison to recent weeks. Still, by the end of the run I was drenched in sweat that had failed to evaporate due to the heavy water content in the air. It is technically still summer, you know.

I am beginning to feel encouraged with my increasing fitness level. I am no where near being fit, but I am starting to get back in shape. This will be my 3rd week at a row hitting around 40 miles, with an (attempt at a) ~12 mile long run. The last couple have not quite gone to plan, so I'm hoping for a change in trends this weekend. The long run for this weekend is tentatively scheduled for Sunday morning, a more traditional long run day, versus the Friday mid-morning or Saturday afternoon/evening that I've been deciding on thus far in my "training." We will see how it goes.

And since I know you are all eagerly awaiting the results of our first flag football game last night, I will tell you. We got smoked. Slaughtered, in fact -- literally. I cannot even begin to express my disappointment, or offer an explanation without screaming at the top of my lungs like you've seen me do in the past. All I can say is, "we have some stuff to figure out."

--Ant

p.s. in light of Maxwell's first post, I've realized that I need to make an attempt to polish my writing a bit more. Maxwell has always served as a literary role model for me in that respect, so I will follow suit and make an effort to make more thought out, well written posts in the future. Thank you, Maxwell.

A Few Things

Dear Reader,

A few days ago, I accepted Anthony's evitation to coauthor this group blog (greblog? grlog?). Since then, I've been brainstorming about my first post. I have yet to receive instructions about post length or post topics, so I will do my best to write in the manner that seems appropriate after reading the first few posts.

The blog's title seems to express the things about which we are supposed to write - beer drinking, training, and the ways in which those activities significantly influence our respective schedules. I assumed, upon receiving my coauthor invitation from Anthony, who, I thought was interested in writing about beer and distance running, that those were the specific things about which we were to write. Evidently, we are supposed to write about any training. Or at least that seems to be the case after reading Anthony's first two posts, which suggest that he is training for a squat thrust competition rather than a distance race.

Kyle, thank you for capturing the e-ssence of the blog to which I thought that I would be contributing.

Unfortunately, my recent training time has been solely directed toward cashier and book shelving training. Like running, such training has been physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. My last two weeks of running have been compromised as a result. Perhaps I will (boot and) rally before November's Richmond Distance Festival. If so, I'll begin chronicling my running with this blog. If not, I'll encourage my coauthors during their respective pursuits of athletic glory.

In the event that you, the reader, are neither Anthony nor Kyle, please follow us, leave us comments, or email us. Please DO NOT encourage Anthony to share our work with Letsrun.

Until next time,
Max

September 13 - Train Wreck

Today I was supposed to wake up at 7:30 to run 8 miles with Carissa. At 7 am, she texted me and said she wasn't going to be able to make it -- so I promptly turned off my alarm to allow my body increased time sleeping to recover from the beating that it's been put through over the last few days. That beating, friends, came in the form of football practice. I am so sore from football practice, it's not even funny. My hip flexors and adductors are tight. My back and shoulders are sore. I feel as if I've been in a train wreck.

Amusingly enough, my 6 mile run yesterday evening was one of the most fluid feeling runs I've had since I started running again 5 weeks go. Go figure. Too bad I still have to run 8 miles today, followed by a football game tonight..

--Ant

Check yoself

I've had a pretty successful build up so far considering it's been a year since i've had any semblance of a training mentality, or weekly mileage greater than 15 miles for that matter. Did my longest run to date since then at 12 miles last sunday with big ant in the enchanted trails. i felt pretty good apart from a slight strain in my knee which i believed to have been caused by very tight hamstrings. I stretched pretty good this past week while only running a handful of times and the knee is significantly better.

A shadow of my former and not-so-distant undisciplined self emerged saturday night when i went to visit my sister at college and ended up with 3-4 hours of very interrupted sleep while consuming a liberal amount of shitty college keg beer thus causing me to abandon my plans for a nostalgic harrisonburg long run lest i be stupid and hurt myself.

Now that all systems appear go again after a week down i'm prepared to keep getting strong and healthy having started with a lift during lunch yesterday and a crisp 40 minute run last evening followed by a standard lunch time 6 today.

-Kyle

September 12 - Newtons

I have run the past two days in a row in my Newton Gravities, a total of 10 miles. This morning, i am sore -- most likely from a combination of running in the Newtons, but also due to intermural flag football practice, in which my performance both as quarterback and receiver was uninspiring. As the weather slowly moves towards cool and less humid, I am less concerned about my running fitness. I am, however, worried about my future as a hall of fame intermural quarterback.

--Ant