Gloomy 5

I'm headed to San Jose tomorrow to see Paul. Woohoo!

Workout

October 15, Thursday
8:41 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 5.01 miles
Duration: 53:29
Pace ave: 10:40
HR ave 153, max 167
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 46/43, 93%, cloudy, N@5
@end: 47/43, 91%, cloudy, NNE@7
Shoes: Pink Pegasus

My legs aren't sore any more from Sunday's race, but they definitely aren't very perky, yet, either. All in all, a pretty good run.

Food

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6.48 Mostly in the Rain

Only a week from tomorrow until I leave for San Jose, again. I'm SO ready to be there!

Workout

October 8, Thursday
7:13 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 6.48 miles
Duration: 1:10:36
Pace ave: 10:53
HR ave ???, max ???
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 53, 88%, cloudy, ESE@7
@end: 53, 88%, cloudy, S@2
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

My HRM wasn't reading the signal from the strap properly again. I think it must be time to change the battery in the transmitter. I hope that's all it is, at least.

The rain started about 5 minutes after my run began & ended about 15 minutes before the run did. I hadn't run in three days, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this run. It felt pretty good, but I feel a little achy now. I'm not particularly tired, but I'm not sure I'm up for the full 13.1 distance of Sunday's race. Guess we'll find out soon enough. At least it won't be too warm: the forecast is calling for a low of 38 Saturday night with a high of 56 on Sunday, partly cloudy skies, winds NNE@7. Awesome running weather!

Food

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Morning Stats

I sure haven't done a very good job this time of ditching the extra pounds I put on while in D.C. Ugh.

weight: post run 146.8
bf: 29%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Really Good 6.1

As expected, it's mystery as to why my hair has been falling out, I have acne worse than when I was teenager, and I've been very fatigued. On the CBC, my MCV and MCH are high (as has been the case for at least the past 5 years now), RDW-SD is high along with MPV. Those last two are new readings on the CBC. RBC and HCT are on the low end of normal, also typical for me. None of that means there isn't something wrong, it just means it's nothing new. The only thing really different is that sodium was low, chloride was on the very low end of normal, and CO2 was on the very high end of normal. Bilirubin was also high (tends to run high normal), but all the other liver enzymes were well within normal ranges. So, I'm going to just chalk it up to this summer having been a whole lot more stressful than normal with a break-up, Granddad's death, step-mom's cancer, Gran being moved to assisted living, a ton of travel, a new relationship, and the upcoming move to San Jose (early 2010 most likely).

Workout

October 3, Saturday
7:47 p.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 6.1 miles
Duration: 1:03:30
Pace ave: 10:24
HR ave ???, max 174
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 54, 73%, mostly cloudy, calm
@end: 51, 81%, cloudy, SSE@1
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

My HRM was giving really low readings the first part of the run, especially in the second loop, so no clue what my average heart rate actually was. Also, I spaced during the second loop and couldn't swear to running the full length and not shorting it by a block (2 blocks total). I'm going to assume I shorted it, so instead of 1.56 miles, it was probably 1.42.

Lap 1: 17:21.2 123/137
Lap 2: 14:59.3 115/156
Lap 3: 15:44.1 131/167
Lap 4: 15:26.0 142/174

So, I felt really good running this evening. I took three days off to hopefully recuperate from whatever has been ailing me (low-grade fever Thursday). Need to do another sorta long run of maybe 10 miles before the half marathon on the 11th, probably Monday but maybe tomorrow evening if I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm really not very optimistic for a very good half, but I guess I could surprise myself. The 10-day forecast is calling for a low of 42 next Saturday night with scattered showers on both Saturday and Sunday. Sounds like perfect racing weather to me!! I think this will be the coolest weather I've had for the Evansville Half. Figures that my health/conditioning isn't at peak to coincide with the awesome weather, awesome meaning not too hot.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 146.2
bf: 30%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Really Slow, Achy 6.48

I have a doc appt in the morning for some blood work. Reached the "fed up" point with the fatigue, hair loss, acne, and aches. It impacts my running too much! Well, at the least the fatigue and aches do. Could be thyroid, could be a bunch of other things. I just hope it's something cut and dried that can be fixed soon versus one of those mysteries that just keeps going on and on.

Workout

September 29, Tuesday
9:14 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 6.48 miles
Duration: 1:15:22 [(ran 22:00, walked 2:00])x3, ran 3:00]
Pace ave: 11:37
HR ave 158, max 170
Cool down: nada
@start: 55, 68%, sunny, WNW@11
@end: 57, 63%, mostly cloudy, NW@10
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

About 15 minutes into this run I knew it wasn't going to go well. My heart rate was 10 bpm higher than I expected, and I felt fatigued. At about 38 minutes, my whole lower body was aching. My arms were even tired from carrying the water bottle. Pathetic. When I ran this route this weekend, the pace was a minute faster per mile (didn't walk at all) and my ave/max HR were both lower, too. Go figure.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 145.2
bf: 30%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

4 Mile Stroll on the Treadmill

Watched Monday Night Football while on the treadmill. Go Cowboys! I don't say that very often. Too many other teams I'd rather root for.

Earlier this evening, I sent my resume to a small networking products company in San Jose expressing interest in a sales engineer position. Hopefully I'll be able to get an interview scheduled with them for when I'm out there next month.

Workout

September 28, Monday
8:50 p.m. CT
Distance: 4.0 miles, treadmill @1%>>5%, mostly 3.8 mph
Duration: 1:03:58
Pace ave: 15:59
HR ave 103, max 123
Shoes: Brooks Dyads

I really don't like these shoes. Running in them is out of the question, so I thought I use them for walking. They just don't work well for me for that either. Another $90+ shot (bought them serveral months ago).

This walk didn't help my running training much, but at least it was better than nothing.

Because it was so windy here today, I pushed my long run out another day. It's supposed to be nice and cool in the morning (mid 40's), but may still be windy.

Food

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Foggy 6.48

Workout

September 26, Saturday
8:48 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 6.48 miles
Duration: 1:09:13
Pace ave: 10:40
HR ave 152, max 167
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 63, 97%, foggy, NE@2
@end: 64, 95%, cloudy, NNE@3
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

The fog forced me to run a route in town instead out McCarty Road. Visibility was less than a couple blocks at times, so running on a country road with no shoulders seemed like a bad idea. I mostly enjoyed the run. The fog helped keep me cool, so my HR stayed down a bit more than it otherwise would have.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 149.6, post run 147.6
bf: 29%, 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

4.32 in the Mist

Workout

September 25, Friday
7:55 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 4.32 miles
Duration: 43:23.8
Pace ave: 10:02
HR ave 155, max 180
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 68, 96%, cloudy, E@4
@end: 68, 95%, mist, NE@2
Shoes: Pegasus 25

First run since Monday's treadmill workout in Herndon and only second run since the crappy long run. It's not looking so good for the Evansville Half Marathon this year. No one's fault but my own. This run was pretty good, though. 3rd fastest for the route. Got caught by a train: a couple Norfolk Southern engines and 35 cars -- only had to wait about a minute and half.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 148.4, post run 147.2
bf: 29%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Train Wreck of Long Run

Workout

September 14, Monday

7:35 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: ~ 10.5 miles (?)
Duration: 2:13:06 [1st 6.48 miles, 1:10:36, 10:53 pace, 154/170]
Pace ave: ??
HR ave 149, max 174
@start: 57, 85%, sunny, NE@2
@end: 71, 69%, sunny, ENE@8
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

This run beat me into submission. I'd planned to do 12-13 miles. I made it approximately 9 or 9.5 before I surrendered. I was simply far too fatigued to go the distance. Had to walk a mile to get back home, and it was hard work. The 10K race on Saturday plus 2 hours of yard work Saturday afternoon plus erratic training plus reduced caloric intake (to compensate for the 8 days of travel and 3 pints on ice cream in Dallas) plus accumulated travel fatigue plus poor sleep all combined to make for one overly tired Jill. My hamstrings were really sore from the yard work. By the time I got home, my whole body was aching. Argh.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: post run 140.8
bf: 29%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Easy, Pokey 5K

Tomorrow, I drive to Indy to spend the night with my cousins. They are taking me to IND for an early flight Tuesday morning to Baltimore. I'm looking forward to playing tourist in D.C. since I've only been there once before on a business trip, but I'm especially looking forward to getting together with friends I haven't seen in ages for a cookout on Saturday!

Workout

September 13, Sunday
10:09 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 3.09 miles
Duration: 34:18.8
Pace ave: 11:06
HR ave 148, max 167
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 70, 68%, sunny, ENE@7
@end: 74, 60%, sunny, NE@6
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

I elected to push my long run to tomorrow morning since I ran hard yesterday and spent a couple hours working in the yard. Today's run was just an easy run, something to get some exercise and keep the muscles loose. Felt pretty good. Still no aches or pains or other maladies. Woot!

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 143.0, post run 141.8
bf: 29%, 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Evansville YMCA 10k

Race day! Last night, I didn't want to do the race for some mysterious reason. Nevertheless, I set the alarm for 5 a.m. and got up and did it. My time was about 1:15 slower than the 10K I ran in early May, but with the sunny weather and erratic training, I'm not displeased with my time. I was 2 minutes faster than last year. I purposefully tried to start slowly and generally managed to maintain a fairly consistent pace throughout the race after the first mile. I'd love there to be a local 10K when the weather is cool, say early to mid-November or so.

Race

September 12, Saturday
7:00 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk, .5 mile jog
Distance: 6.2 miles
Duration: 1:00:16
Pace ave: 9:44
HR ave 175, max 193
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 64, 95%, sunny, calm
@end: 66, 91%, sunny, NNE@1 gusting to 8
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

Mile 1: 10:03.9 153/166
Mile 2:  9:33.4 168/178
Mile 3:  9:37.3 177/180
Mile 4:  9:36.1 181/186
Mile 5:  9:54.9 183/186
Last 1.2: 11:33.3 187/193 [9:37 pace]

overall place:	402 out of 823
division place:	15 out of 44
gender place:	156 out of 503

Online Race Results

Food

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Sunny 4.32

For the first time in a loooong time, whether on the road or at home, I slept well last night. Yes! Got about 8 hours and then went back to sleep for another 1.5. Ahhhhh.

Workout

September 10, Thursday
10:36 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 4.32 miles
Duration: 43:37.2
Pace ave: 10:05
HR ave 166, max 188
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 74, 74%, sunny, NE@4
@end: 78/80, 65%, sunny, NE@5
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

The Evansville YMCA 10K is this coming Saturday, so I didn't really want to run very long or very hard; however, I was feeling pretty good, so I picked up the pace a bit and finished strong. Didn't expext a 10:05 pace, though. Almost got caught by a train, again, so about half mile from home, I ended up running a bit harder than I would have preferred to avoid the 2-3 minute wait for it to pass which jacked my HR up.

Food

Drank too much beer in San Jose and ate way too much ice cream in Dallas. Now that I have a whole 5 days at home, I'll be able to eat sensibly. Hopefully.

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 145.8, post run 144.4
bf: 29%, 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Easy 4.32

Today is one of those run-around-like-crazy-trying-to-get-everything-done-before-going-out-of-town days. I'm starting to feel the effects of running the day after a long run: tiredness is creeping in.

Workout

August 31, Monday
7:26 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 4.32 miles
Duration: 45:05.5
Pace ave: 10:26
HR ave 149, max 163
Cool down: 1 mile walk
@start: 56, 86%, cloudy, NE@5
@end: 59, 79%, cloudy, NE@6
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

My quads were a bit fatigued, but this run still felt pretty good, surprisingly so considering I usually do not run the day after a long run.

Awesome weather, particularly for August!

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 143.0, post run 142.0
bf: 29%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Pokey 11.56 Miles

Workout

August 30, Sunday
7:55 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 11.56 miles
Duration: 2:11:11
Pace ave: 11:20
HR ave 151, max 172
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 56, 87%, sunny, N@3
@end: 66, 64%, sunny, N@6
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

Was a pretty good run, but was achy in my hips and very low back. Had to really work on my mind ... it kept wanting to just stop, but the second lap was easier in that regard that the first.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 144.8 , post run 141.6
bf: 29%, 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Kinda Tired 4.32

Workout

August 29, Saturday

8:55 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 5.66 miles
Duration: 44:46.2

Pace ave: 10:21
HR ave 155, max 172
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 67, 87%, sunny, WNW@2
@end: 70, 77%, sunny, WNW@4
Shoes: Green Pegasus 24

My warm up walk felt a bit awkward and slow, and the first several minutes of my run felt the same way. I never did feel really good and was glad when it ended.

As the day wore on, I never did feel all that great. Dozed part of the afternoon while golf was on TV. Still feel tired at 8 p.m.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: post run 142.6
bf: 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

One Lone Mile

My step-mom, who is 63, is having surgery this afternoon to remove part of her colon. She has colon cancer. A couple weeks ago, she finally went in to have a colonoscopy. Had she done it years ago, the chances of her needing this surgery today would have been very low. At this time, we do not yet know whether the cancer has spread beyond the bowel or not. We'll know more after the surgery.

SO, if you're 50+ and have not have a screening colonoscopy, schedule one and get it done sooner versus later. Just do it.

Workout

August 27, Thursday

10:23 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 1 mile, treadmill 1%, 5.5 mph
Duration: 10:54
Pace ave: 10:54
HR ave 138, max 148
Cool down: .5 mile walk
Shoes: Pegasus 25

My original intent was to run over to the Keystone hill and do some hill sprints. Then I decided I'd just do some hill intervals on the treadmill since I wasn't feeling up to snuff. A mile on the treadmill and my legs were just tired. Changed my mind to do three miles at 1%, but about 20 steps later decided to just call it a day. I'll get a little extra walking in by taking Lucy, my neighbor's dog, for walks.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 145.8
bf: 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Easy 6 ... Sorta

Workout

August 26, Wednesday

7:14 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 5.98 miles
Duration: 1:04:35 [out 32:22, back 32:13]
Pace ave: 10:47
HR ave 155, max 180
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 60, 95%, sunny, calm
@end: 68, 91%, sunny, SE@1
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

This was supposed to be an easy run, but my legs were feeling yesterday's late afternoon workout so it felt harder than I'd have liked. Could've used a bit of a breeze, too.

Another morning without an achy back! Mowed my yard and my neighbor's this evening: no achy back!

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 145.4, post run 143.4
bf: 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Treadmill Speed Intervals

I took my neighbor's dog for a walk a couple times today. This evening, a local band, Common Ground, was playing in the park, so Lucy & I sat down and listened for while. They performed mostly country covers and were pretty good. The weather was once again very pleasant, so it was a nice evening out, at least for me.

Workout

August 25, Tuesday
4:44 p.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 6.04 miles, treadmill P4L9
Duration: 1:01:53
Pace ave: 10:14 [9:54 for the middle 4.04 miles]
HR ave 157, max 179
Cool down: .5 mile walk
Shoes: Pegasus 25

1 mile@5.5 (1%), 4.04 miles ([1 minute@5.6, 6.0, 5.6, 6.6, 7.0] x 8) (0%), 1 mile @5.5 (1%)

Felt really good during and after this workout and nothing hurts. Third straight morning without a back ache, too. Woot!

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 146.4, post run 145.4
bf: 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Leisurely 11 Mile Run/Walk

I wish I could say it feels great to be home after being gone for two weeks, but it doesn't. I'm glad to see my cats & dogs, family, and neighbors, but I'd just as soon be elsewhere. I'm going to be home only until Sept 1 when I go to San Jose and then Dallas, back on the 9th. After that, I have a trip to DC Sept 15-23.

It's interesting being at a crossroads in one's life and having nearly limitless options (or choices or alternatives or opportunities or whatever word works best). It's a great position to be in, but it does come with a good dose of anxiety, indecision, and sense of being overwhelmed by the possibilities. I prefer a menu with a smaller set of entrées than one with 100 choices. Wouldn't want to choose the wrong thing (as if everything is permanent ... not!).

I suppose it comes down to just picking something, giving it a go, and if it works, great. If it doesn't work, move on to Plan B or C or D ... would that it were so simple.

Workout

August 23, Sunday
6:56 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 11.02 miles
Duration: 2:06:55
Pace ave: 11:31
HR ave 149, max 167
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 60, 94%, cloudy turning sunny, NE@1
@end: 66, 71%, partly cloudy, NNE@8
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

A couple miles into this run, I decided to take it easier than usual, do a run/walk, and not take in any Gu along the way. My legs started feeling a smidgen of fatigue from yesterday's run, and the latest issue of Runners World had an interesting article about the common wisdom of running and how to switch it up (thus the run without any energy intake a long the way).

              HR
   Time   ave/max/end
01: 25:21.6 140/157/144
02:  1:00.4 144/131/118

03: 12:25.0 146/151/150
04:  2:00.0 133/151/115

05: 13:52.9 148/157/155
06:  2:01.3 138/155/127

07: 12:25.7 149/157/157
08:  2:01.7 139/157/122

09: 12:37.6 155/164/158
10:  2:00.6 139/158/130

11: 13:35.6 155/164/159
12:  2:00.1 141/159/124

13: 13:24.3 159/165/165
14:  2:00.2 153/166/139

15: 10:08.2 161/167/165

The best bit about the run: my back didn't hurt at all!! Actually, NOTHING hurt. My quads were tired and little achey by the time I got home, but there were no lingering pains from prior injuries. Woohoo!

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 148.0, post run 144.4
bf: 29%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Evansville YMCA 5K

Race

August 8, Saturday
7:00 a.m. CT
Warm up: ~1.1 miles
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 28:41
Pace ave: 9:16
HR ave 180, max 192
Cool down: walked around ... maybe .25-.3 mile
@start: 72, 96%, sunny, calm
@end: 74, 95%, sunny, E@1
Shoes: Pegasus 25

I did the warm-up run with Becky K. Felt really good, back and all, but when the race started, my back was aching a bit. It wasn't near as bad as it has been, but it was a distraction I could have lived without. My breathing sucked today. Just couldn't seem to find a very good rhythm, and it just got worse as the run progressed. Weather was warm and very humid, which I'm assuming doesn't help matters any.

Anyway, I did the race roughly 1:21 faster than last year, which is progress. I hesitate to call this a PR because I don't really know how much too short the race in Oakland City was, but this was my fastest known-to-actually-be-a-full-5K 5K race! I was happy to keep a fairly consistent pace the first two miles, but need to figure out how to keep the pace up for the third. Being able to breathe would help! Really want to get in under 28:00 this year.

Time Pace HR Ave/Max
Mile 1: 9:06.0 9:06.0 171/182
Mile 2: 9:02.5 9:02.5 182/186
Mile 3.1: 10:31.7 9:34.0 185/192

378/836 overall place
15/47 division place F4549
153/521 sex place

Online Race Results

Harold Carey is still running strong at 85, or something like that, and finished in 30:42 with a 9:54 pace. Woot!

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 143.2
bf: 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Another Drippy Run, 5.32

Workout

August 5, Wednesday
8:32 p.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 4.32 + 1.03 = 5.35 miles
Duration: 47:02 + 11:24 = 58:26
Pace ave: 10:55 (10:53, 11:03)
HR: ave 157, max 172 (154/171, 170/172)
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 74, 83%, fair, W@1
@end: 70, 93%, fair, calm
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

The goal was to just take it easy and get in 5+ miles. Back was fine, although it was pretty achy this morning. Another very humid evening.

The Evansville YMCA 5k is this coming Saturday morning at 7. Afterward, it's back home to clean up and then head back to EVV for my flight to Orlando. Sunday is Alaska -- woot!

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: post run 141.8
bf: 27%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a