Pearl Izumi Contest (and vote for ME!!!)

So, I've been annoying all my friends on FB by begging for votes in a Pearl Izumi contest to win a pair of shoes, socks, shorts and a t-shirt (why does one pair of shoes, socks and shorts have an s at the end if they are not plural?). I only have 3 followers on here. If you happen to read this before then, please repost this and tell your friends to follow me! If you do and I can get to about 25 followers, I will giveaway a $10 gift certificate to Running Warehouse and if I win the PI contest on Facebook, I will giveaway a $25 gift certificate to Running Warehouse to someone who is a follower (even if it's just you three...maybe I should follow myself- I like those odds...). Without further ado, here's the...

Pearl Izumi Link for the contest! Click this link somewhere!!

Thank you all!

Distance PR! 22.7

This was, by far, the longest run I've ever done and I'm glad I did it! I wore my Inov-8 Roclite 285's, Asics split shorts and a Champion tank (I forget the socks, but they were great!), Camelback (I forget which model) and some body glide on old blisters and areas the usually get them. Well, no blisters at all! Shoes were awesome! The only time I knew I had them on were when a rock got stuck in them during time I was running on pavement. I set out with the intention of not running the entire distance, but to finish the distance. My plan was to run every 4-5 miles, then walk and stretch for a couple minutes (even early on when I felt great). I'm glad I made myself walk because it definitely helped because I felt like crap and didn't have a whole lot left in the tank for the last 6 or so miles. I was pretty much below 13 min per mile for the first 14 miles (except mile 11 which included a steep uphill). That was also the mile I started fast walking steep hills. I wasn't below 13 minutes for the rest of the run after mile 14. I walked steep hills (and a couple moderate hills) for the rest of the run. I had a couple stretches the last few miles where I walked because I just needed to. I had about 2.5 liters of water, 4 Clif Gu gels (not so fond of strawberry, but love love love the Mocha!!), 2 Clif Mojo bars and a 1/2 peanut butter and honey sandwich. I ran out of water with about a mile left. I'll definitely need to fill it to the top (3 liters) when it gets hotter as well as possible stopping somewhere for a gatorade (or something...). Next time I do this loop, I will start earlier (I started at 7) and run it in the opposite direction. The ending part was in the sun a lot more than about the first 15 miles, so it'd be better to be in those stretches earlier in the day. Great run overall!

Short ice bath for my legs and feet, glutes and hips flexors are sore as are a couple toes (I might be losing my first toe nails- is it sad I'm excited about that?).

I ended up burning about 2,700 calories and consumed about 980.

Did I mention my hips are still sore? They are...

SYTO Race Report...

Ok, this is just a goofy virtual race sponsored by The Boring Runner who is extremely entertaining.
So, here's my race report:
It was a good run. I went slow because I am doing a long run tomorrow. There was a lot of pavement and farm fields. No skunks or snakes today. No carcasses to jump over or step on. Weather was nice, breeze kept the sweating to a minimum.
Miles:
1: 8:15 (stopped to tie my freaking shoes)
2: 7:47 (should have stopped for a beer)
3: 8:45 (stopped to stretch a really tight groin)
.1: 1:00

Total: SLOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW...25:47!

That's my report for the I Have To Get Out Of The Freaking House Because My Kids and My Nieces Are Driving Me Nuts With Their Arguing and Door Slamming So I Kicked Them Out To the Yard and Then My Wife Came Home and Bitched At and About Everyone SYTO 5k

Blah Friday and Vote for me!!

No run for today, tomorrow running about 4-5 miles and then the big run on Sunday. If I can get past 18, well then that'd be a distance PR for me! Of course that was around '93 or '94...Since I got my ass in shape again, 14 was my longest run. But, if I do 18, I have no choice but to get to 21 or so!

I am also here hoping that the three of you will pass the word: Pearl Izumi/ Running is having a contest. People have posted how they have "Respected the Run" and then the person who gets the most votes by July 1st will win shoes, socks, short, shorts and other PI stuff. Here's the link:

Linky to PI on Facebook...

Click through the pages (I'm on the second page- Erik Ammon) and vote for me!!! Please spread the word! Maybe, if I win, I'll give something away on here...hmmmm...wonder what I could find in the old double outhouse in our garage...

Thanks in advance and RUN HARD!!

5 mile hard effort

I thought I'd go for a moderately paced run, but decided to nix that once I got going. I thought I'd try for a 5 mile PR (including the warm-up since I didn't hit the Lap button on my Garmin). I turned off the beep on the button that tells me my splits. I did this because I thought I'd be relying on looking at the watch rather than by feel and I need to get back to feel. It seemed to work for this run. I looked at my pace a lot less this time out. I pushed harder if I felt I had slowed up and kept pushing the whole way through. Mile one included about a 1/4 to 1/4 mile warm-up 8:11. Mile two started partway up a small hill and then went down a bit and a sharp left and basically flat to slightly up (7:33). Mile three was a slight up then gradual down along with 2 sharp rights (7:09). Mile 4 was back up and flat (7:31) and mile 5 was flat, up with a sharp right, gradual down, then back up a very short hill with a sprint at the end around a sharp left (7:13). This brought my total 5 mile time to 37:38 and a new 5 mile PR on that run by 51 seconds! Not bad for including the warm-up. And here I was worried I had lost some distance speed...5k run (not a race) tomorrow night (possibly helping a neighbor get under 30 minutes!!), easy couple for Friday (or off) a hard 5k Saturday for a virtual 5k and then 21 for Sunday morning at Blue Marsh!!

I need a challenge...

And I need it now. My foot feels great today after yesterday's run. There's not nearly as much pain as there was yesterday. This is something that I noticed as my foot was getting better late in the winter. I might feel pain during the day and while running, but the day after the pain would be a lot less. I also noticed that if I ran hard there wasn't as much pain either.

So, if my foot feels good on Saturday, I am going to "run" 20 miles on Sunday. I say "run" because I plan on walking when I need to. Even if I don't feel like it, I am going to walk for about 1/4 to 1/2 mile for every 4-5 miles I run (depending on how I feel) and also avoid running up steeper hills (this aggravates my foot). I know this won't be as hard as running the full 20 but I really want to do this. So, I guess I'm going for a hiking run or a running hike. I figure in terms of cardio and muscle endurance I can do it. Before I started my diet almost 3 years ago, I did a 15 mile hike with a full pack of food, water and a lot of camera gear. With my gear and my weight I probably hauled about 240 pounds through the 90+ degree heat and humidity. Dean Karnazes called these "runabouts" in his 50/50 book (yeah, I just read that part of his book).

To see where I was and where I am, here are a couple before and after shots...
The photo on the left was taken in August of 2008 and the one on the right was taken last month at the end of a grueling half marathon.


Sorry about the Moby Dick whiteness of the first, but it feels good to see how far I have come in three years.

First run in a week...

Despite my blog name, I am not the size of a moose. I might way 160 dressed and soaking wet. So, it must have been poor form, overuse, and anything else that may have caused the swelling in my foot that sidelined me from Mid December to Mid February. Those two months of not being able to run helped me realize how much I love running. Since then I've logged some decent miles and had some great races along with several PR's (I use training runs and races for PR's). All of that was relatively pain free. Once in a while I could feel it start up, but nothing major. I'd still run, but just ice my foot regularly and everything would be ok.

Then, I had the plug incident (see past posts). I took the past week off, iced my foot regularly and took Motrin to help with any possible swelling in my foot. Now to today...

Today was my first run in a week (exactly a week). I decided to do a 2+ mile loop on the road. I kept my strides short and my foot strikes light (which I really need to do and maintain anyway). Things were fine, pain was nothing major at all...until around mile 1.68 (yeah, I looked at my Garmin). The pain did get worse, but I kept going. It did subside to a dull throb and I pushed it the last couple tenths up a slight hill to our house. Overall? I'm not sure how much a week off really helped. I am going to run a couple more times this week. I'm also going to help my son's coach's wife to PR a 5k distance. She did a race yesterday at the Philadelphia Zoo that was supposed to be 5k. She really busted hard to get in under 30 minutes and she was on pace to do so, with room to spare. Then, the race helpers directed all the runners the wrong way on a last loop (they were supposed to go clockwise, but they were all sent counter clockwise) to the finish...the race ended up being right around 2 miles. So, I told her that I'd get out on the road with her this week to break 30 and she's going to do it! She also wanted some help on her form (she slouches and hunches her shoulders forward). I gave her some ideas (waiter run, and also when she feels them hunching forward to do a tight shrug and relax to help loosen the muscles).

For me? We'll see! I'd like to get another run in like today for tomorrow, then a day of 1/4 mile intervals and then the 5kPR help. Maybe even a short lug run of 8-10 on the trails next Sunday. Come on foot! Stop being a pain in the ass!

Couple days off...

I'm taking a couple days off from running. I REALLY want the pain in the bottom of my foot to go away, so I figure I need to rest it and ice it (and drink more Woodchuck, Mike's and Sam Adams- I hear those three things are great for resting...). I had wanted to to a 5k race on Thursday bcause it's a fast, flat course and I was hoping to get under 19 minutes, but that's not gonna happen. Oh well, sh*t happens.

I love running (have I ever mentioned that?)! I also love to help people out with their running. I've helped a few friends and coworkers and am now going to help a runner get faster for an under 2 hour half marathon try in October. I'm excited about it! I'm not sure what I could do in a flat half marathon. I've done 2 of them. I did the Hershey Half in October (2:07) on a relatively flat course and then the Charlie Horse Half a few weeks ago (2:10) and that was Hilly As Hell!!! We're talking 600 and 800 feet of elevation gain in less than a mile plus other steep up hills (and yes, down hills- Mile 9 was all down hill and I did it in 7:10) as well as being really hot and humid! I'm toying with the idea of a 1/2 in August or very early in September to try out a flat 1/2 course to see what I can do. I just hope it wouldn't interfere with my training for a 50k in October.

What do I recommend for getting faster? INTERVALS! I hate them, but when I was training for my 5k's this past spring, I did them regularly. Not on the track either. I figure I don't race on the track, so I did them on the road. If ti was time for a hard effort and I was going uphill? So be it! Hard up hill! Down hill? Then hard down hill! If you want to be fast and you race on the road, then train like you will be racing! Want to do trail races? Get out on the trails!

Want to become a runner? Then get out and run! That will make you a runner.

Run hard!

Out of the funk...

I'm out of the funk! But, the foot pain limited my run. Well, I tried to HTFU it the responsible way. Someone once mentioned to me, when I was thinking about doing a 1/2 Mary even if I ended up with stress fractures (which, thankfully, I did not have) and ended up in a boot (which I also did not), that sometimes HTFU means to be able to rest when your told and when your body is telling you to and you need to recover. So, that's what I did today. My plan was for 14-15 and I thought I'd even get in at least 8 even if I had some foot pain. Well, I had pain on about 75-80% of my foot strikes and decided that I should just cut it short and listen to my body (foot, again). I had stepped on a plug when putting a fan away in favor of an AC and it hit the same area where I had the foot pain/ bone swelling over the winter. I ended up doing 2.7.

On the PLUS side, I LOVED my INOV-8 Roclite 285's!! They have short lugs on the bottom, weigh about 10oz for my size (11.5), 12mm heel, 6mm forefoot for a nice 6mm heel-toe drop and the upper is a nice, cool mesh. Now, I've only worn the for running in the store, a 1/2 mile running in the yard (and a mini slalom course) and 2.7 on the trail. However, I have worn them through mud, puddles, wet and dry grass, and hard packed dirt. The traction is awesome and I really couldn't feel them on my feet! I was also able to feel the ground, which is a must for me :) Needless to say, I plan on running many miles on these while training for the Blues Cruise Ultra in October!

Also, I started a RunningMoose page on Facebook...feel free to like it and mention this blog to others! I am going to use the two as a (possible) coaching forum- especially after completing the RRCA Long Distance Coaching program in July!!

Funk-a-licious

And not the good kind of funk. The kind of funk that makes you not want to do shit. I've only run once in the last 4 days. I feel bad that I've been slacking. I also haven't been sleeping and I'm fighting the beginnings of a cold AND, after stepping on that plug in my barefoot, in which I nailed the spot that was sore for so long over the winter, my foot is hurting again. So, I sit on my ass, feeling crappy, tired, wanting to run, but having no motivation to run at all. I really do want to go for a long run tomorrow, but I don't think doing 12-14 in a brand new, never run in pair of shoes (inov-8 Roclite 285's) is a good idea. I think, if I get my ass out there, I'll wear them to start and after a few miles put on my road shoes (Brooks Green Silence). Of course if they feel good, they won't be coming off :) I need to get to bed early tonight so I can get up in a good mood, an inspired mood, a mood that will last through out the day.

Run hard!

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”- Jim Rohn

New shoes and long runs planned

This past Saturday I noticed that, before I left for my race, that my beloved New Balance MT101's (7.2 oz each!!) were ripped and I was not going to be able to race in them (waaaah!). I ended up doing great in my Brooks Green Silence (new PR!!)! So, I ordered a new pair last night and hopefully they'll be in by Wednesday! I had black for my last pair and went with green this time, just because. I almost ordered two pairs since I know I'll be putting a lot of miles on them this summer. The other pair lasted about 172 miles, but that included 11 at the Tough Mudder and the rough 13.1 at the Charlie Horse Half- both of which included stuff not in normal runs or races (although some of my trail runs end up getting very muddy and wet).

I have my next 4 long runs planned in both distance and date! This is something I NEVER do! I'm not even sure why I did it- well, ok, it's because our weekends get busy quick and I saw 4 Sundays in a row with nothing on them (or nothing that will interfere with a long run) in our google calendar, so I hopped in and TOOK THEM! They are MINE!!!! Mwah hah haaaaaah!!!

June 12: 14-15; June 19: 14-17; June 26: 13-15 (or more if the previous 2 are not up to snuff); July 3: 15-18. Then, on July 10th, I have an 18.6 mile Trail race that I am doing to complete, not really compete (though I said that about the Charlie Horse 1/2 and ended up running to compete).

This will keep me on track for my first Ultra on October 2nd! I am, secretly, hoping to complete an unofficial Ultra before I head back to teaching in August. If I want to do that, I'll need to hit 22 on the 17th; 26.2 on the 24th, cool off for the 31st (maybe just 20) and then back to 25 the 7th and then 31 on the 14th!!...we'll see :)

2 5K's this past week...2 5K PR's!!

So, I ended up having three races this week- the Charlie Horse Half (Sunday) and 2 5K's (Wednesday and this morning). The first 5k I had major stomach issues. My own fault for stupidly eating dinner (albeit a light one) 1.5 hours before the race. I'm not sure if my legs were fully recovered from the 1/2 a few days before. They felt like jelly for a while, too- until the stomach pain kicked in. I kept thinking "Don't throw-up" quite often. I started to taste the garlic form the garlic bread around 1.5 miles. Near the finish, i kicked into high gear hoping to get to a trash can before heaving. Thankfully, I never did hurl, but it was a close one! The heat killed me, too. I couldn't make any saliva after about a 1/2 mile. But I kept pushing and pushing...A song in my head kept me going- My Body by Young the Giant- My body tells me know, but I won't quit because I want more! I ended up finishing in 20:38- a new PR by 4 seconds!! I finished 13th overall and 2nd in my age group!! I was happy I kept pushing myself. It was a tough race for me physically and mentally. I also kept thinking "It's only 3.1 miles, it'll be over soon.

Next race! Frank's Run in Royersford, PA (the school district where I work). The course was the course for the S-F High School X-Country team. I was told last night that the course is a tough one. I actually thought it was fairly easy. None of the ups were anything really difficult. I pushed hard from the start and kept up a fast pace the entire time. When I looked at my Garmin for mile 2, I got pissed and kicked it to a higher gear. There was a guy who passed me at about 2.5 and slowly pulled away. I tried to kick it in to pass him back, but wasn't able to. I did, however, break 20 minutes! I finished in 19:16!! Another 5K PR by 1:22! I finished 14th overall and 2nd in my age group! The guy I tried to catch won our age group :( but I thought he was in my age group which is why I tried to catch him. If there was another 1/4 I may have passed him back...but you never know!!

So, 2 PR's and 2 2nd places in my age group in 2 5k's this week! Happy Happy, Joy Joy!

I also need to go shoe shopping. I wanted to wear my New Balance MT101's, but had to retire them- both had rips in the from the Charlie Horse Half. They were great shoes for 162 miles- including some very nasty, tough, muddy, wet trail runs!