The BoormanBlog

Well, to be fair, I only ran 16.27 miles of it After only running 13 miles last week (and only 12 of them consecutive), I was really hoping to bounce back this week. I took a mini bagel with me in addition to my Runner’s GU, so that gave me a little extra fuel on my run. Definitely seemed to help. The weather seemed a bit cooler than last week, but also more humid since the remnants of Hanna had passed by the previous evening.

Overall, I’m satisfied, if not happy with running 16.27 consecutive miles, and walking the last .73. That would leave 9.96 miles left in a marathon. I wanted to run at least 16 miles this week to get my “remainder” down to the single digits

Naturally, my legs felt like lead weight at the end. Having a Bud Light before even showering probably didn’t help my recover too much. Still, I made sure to stretch my quads and my hips immediately after running.

Next week? I hope to go about 19 miles. I’m using a different training schedule this year, that actually doesn’t call for any long runs over 22 miles! So my goal is for 19 miles next week, 22 miles the week after, then I start a 3 week taper.

Time will tell though, keep me in your heart!

Holy cow! It is really coming down out there right now. Had a small scare with the power going out this morning. Thankfully, it was only out for an hour. I stocked up on batteries today just in case.

Well, for the first time in a month, I went on a long run. I won’t say it was an unmitigated disaster, but finding anything to call “successful” is going to be a challenge.

First of all, I was tired. So tired, in fact, that I woke up at 5:30 and reset the alarm for 6:30.

Second, I didn’t have much in the house to eat before a long run. I should have stocked up on bananas and bagels. The best I could do was a whole grain english muffin with peanut butter, and a GU before setting out.

Third, I ate almost immediately before starting my run. Not a good idea as my “breakfast” kept repeating on my throughout my run.

Fourth, I started out too late (again). About 7:20. After a few miles, the sun was high in the sky and things were getting warm on that blacktop.

Fifth, I was still sore from Friday’s 8.5 mile run. Probably should have used the 3 day weekend and delayed the long run to tomorrow.

So here’s the breakdown:

Run 12 miles
Walk 1 mile
Run 1 mile
Walk 3 miles

I made the decision to walk the last 3 miles because I started to feel some pain in my groin area, same area that sidelined me last year.

So I traversed 17 mile, but I only ran 13 of them, and not concurrently. That’s not even a HALF Marathon

Well, like I said, this is my first long run in a month. If I had to come up with some positives, it’s that I implemented the changes I needed to make from my last long run a month ago. This time I had a GU every 4 miles instead of 5 miles. I also made sure to stay good and hydrated (I actually ran out of water walking the last 3 miles).

I’m hoping that my long runs over the next 2 or 3 weeks will go much better than this one, and that I snap back into shape quick. I don’t want to increase my long run mileage up to the marathon. I tried that last year, and you all know how wonderful that went This year, I’m going to taper off the last 2 - 3 weeks so I can avoid injury.

Stay tuned…

As of today, there are exactly 6 weeks to go until the Hartford Marathon on October 18. I officially registered today. No turning back now, AND NO REFUNDS EITHER. Now I’m committed!

So say a prayer for me, will you. I’m not looking to win the thing, just to finish strong and to do my best.

Not bad for my first week back! That’s less than a 10 minute mile! Woo hoo! Looks like I haven’t lost that much in the 3 weeks I was absent from running. I am a little concerned about my long run. This will be my first long run in a month, which is going to be a challenge.

But for today, I will enjoy my one little victory.

Well, as I feared, I’m in a little pain today, mostly in my abs of all places. I figure I don’t want to injure myself by jumping back into training too hard after a 3 week absence, so I’ll rest today and try for 6 miles Thursday.

For my first time running in 3 weeks, this is pretty darn good! I’m not feel too terrible afterwards either. I was a little out of breath towards the end, but overall, this was a good solid run for me. I made sure to stretch well, and the weather is (sadly) turning cooler, so I had good running weather.

Hopefully I’m not racked with pain tomorrow though. Usually I’m OK the first few hours after a run. It’s the NEXT day that the pain really sets in!

It’s now been two weeks since I’ve run. The rest of this week isn’t looking good either since I have practice with Singer Bill for a possible future Red Embers gig, plus rehearsing for my mini set this Friday. Say a prayer for me to be a good steward of the time God gives me!

Every moment is a gift folks!

Not bad!! I was thinking that after the speed work yesterday that I would be dog tired and slow today, assuming I got out and ran at all.

Today I changed my route a little bit and avoided one traffic light. I got lucky on two others and hardly had to wait at all. Looks like that really affected my time well!

6 miles in 57 minutes is about a 9:30 pace! I don’t think I’ve ever sustained a pace like that over 6 miles! Then again, maybe my Garmin GPS burped or something. Either way, I’ll take it. It’s an encouraging sign that my training is going somewhat well. Looks like the speed work is working!

Of course, I’m paying for it now. I have more discomfort in my ankles, and my legs are sore. Tomorrow calls for an 8.5 mile tempo run. I’m not looking for a 9:30 pace for that one!

Stay tuned…

This morning was interval training, and boy did it kick me in the butt. For all of those following my training, here’s what I did:

Run 1/4 mile at a 5K pace
Walk for 30 seconds

Run 1/2 mile at a 10K pace
Walk for 90 seconds

Run 3/4 mile at a 10K pace
Walk for 2 minutes

Run 1 mile at a 10K pace
Walk for 3 minutes

Run 3/4 miles at a 10K pace
Walk for 2 minutes

Run 1/2 mile at a 10K pace
Walk for 90 seconds

Run 1/4 mile at a 5K pace
Cool down and stretch.

Now for the first 5 or so training segments, I was wheezing again, dog tired, and my legs were hurting. The last 2 running segments, however, I began to feel that “runner’s high” I keep hearing about. Then again, I may have just been dizzy and was about to pass out!

All in all, about 4 miles worth of running in 44:07.10. Not too bad when you consider all those walking breaks!

Tomorrow calls for an “easy” 6 mile run. With the way my legs are feeling right now, it will be anything but easy. My legs are still sore, and I have minor pain in my ankles. We’ll see.

Stay tuned…