Da Angony of De Feet

Daily Quote: "You either have to be first, best, or different." --Loretta Lynn

Today is a Recovery Run
6 miles. Time, :57 minutes. Pace, 9:20 minute miles. Out and back on Lanning Route. Cloudy, 49 degrees, Winds S @ 5 mph. Average heart rate: 143 bpm. Cardiac drift: 152 bpm.

I did favor my left foot during today's run as my right foot's arch is still raw from yesterday's blister. I'm concerned that the blister may cause problems with my planned interval workout tomorrow, nevertheless, I'll give it the old college try!

Large Blister

Quote: "The fixity of a habit is generally in direct proportion to its absurdity." --Marcel Proust

Today is a "General Aerobic Run."
10 miles. Time, 1:34. Pace, 9:24 minute miles. Out & back on Lindell Road Route. Cloudy, 49 degree, Winds S @ 7 mph. Average heart rate: 141 bpm. Cardiac drift: 150 bpm. Felt tired before, during, and after run. I have so little energy, work is going to be torture tonight.

I very rarely get blisters, my last blister was in the 2005 Las Vegas Marathon when a fellow marathoner had spilled Gatorade on my shoes during a water pit stop, but today developed a huge blister on right foot's arch during my run...felt the burning sensation around the 7 mile mark. The shoes have 110 miles on them and are broken-in well, couldn't find any stones nor pebbles in the shoes, the socks are a little worn, but were not bunched up. It's a puzzle! I'll throw away the socks as a precaution, but I don't really understand what would have caused this blister. I have a shoe box full of junk from previous races goodies bags and found a sample of "Spenco 2nd Skin Blister Pads" that I've stuck on the arch. Hopefully the pad will help me continue running this week.

Lazy Day

Daily Quote: "I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises." --Neil Armstrong.

I was very lazy this morning and didn't start my running until late...about three hours later than normal! I just kept procrastinating. I'm probably still exhausted from yesterday's long run, therefore I ran today's recovery run very slowly, but did increase my mileage to six miles, normally I would run 5 miles the day after a long run.

Today is a Recovery Run.

6 miles. Time, 1:59. Pace, 9:59 per minute miles. Out and back on Lanning Route. Hazy, 52 degrees, Wind S @ 5 mph. Average heart rate: 141 bpm. Cardiac drift: 150 bpm. Felt refreshed and energized after today's run, will continue with a 6 mile recovery run after the previous day's long run.

Marathon Certificate

Daily Quote: "If you chase money, you never catch it. But if you chase performance, money catches up with you." --Coach Dick Brown

Today is a "Long Run."

13 miles. Time, 1:56. Pace, 8:55 minutes per mile. Out and back on Torrey Pines Route that partly encompasses the "New Las Vegas Marathon" Route. Sunny, 56 degrees, Wind NW @ 7 mph. Average heart rate: 155 bpm. Cardiac drift: 162 bpm. I ran the last two miles at half-marathon pace of 8:00 minute miles. Ate too much, too soon, before my training run as I took my wife and Brenda to the "Hash House" for a huge breakfast, I was having stomach cramps and belching all through the run, which was unpleasant to say the least.

Received a notification where I can download my 2006 New Las Vegas Marathon Certificate. It's rather cool, the 2005 Certificate was mailed and was a cheap looking black & white that was a faded XEROX copy. This one was colorful and added my name with interesting stats.

Summary: Week 4

Daily Quote: "There was a void in my life. I had to come back." --Tyree Washington, on winning the 400-meter World Indoor Championsip after a two-year absence from running

Today is a General Aerobic Run.
8 Miles. Time, 1:17. Pace, 9:37. Out and back on Brettney Mews Route. Sunny, 50 degrees, no wind! Average heart rate: 145 bpm. Cardiac drift: 152 bpm. Today's run was at an easy conversational pace and I really enjoyed the weather, hard to believe Vegas was freezing last week! My left ankle was complaining a little when I awoke, but was fine during the run, nevertheless, will ice and baby the ankle this weekend.

Summary for week of January 21-27, 2007

I had increased my weekly mileage to 56 miles (last week's mileage was 53 miles.) I also maintained running seven days a week.

A new, faster pace, for my Lactate Threshold run, which is now 7.6 mph (7:54 per mile pace).

Sadly, I had a gain of one pound in body weight, I'm now 173 pounds on a six foot frame. Determined not to have late night snacks when I'm on the computer at 2:00 a.m.!

A quick recap of last week's daily mileage:

Sunday: Long Run, 13 miles.
Monday: Recovery Run, 5 miles.
Tuesday: General Aerobic Run, 10 miles.
Wednesday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Thursday: Lactate Threshold Run, 8 miles.
Friday: Recovery Run, 6 miles.
Saturday: General Aerobic Run, 8 miles.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 56 Miles.

January is almost over, a quick recap on weekly mileage:

January 1-6: 45 miles.
January 7-13: 50 miles.
January 14-20: 53 miles.
January 21-27: 56 miles.

I'll eventually have a cut-back/recovery week, which will be during the taper week for my upcoming 5k race on February 17th.

Pefect Day

Daily Quote: "When you're young, deferring gratification is not a honed skill. As you get older, you get better at the marathon mentality." --Jeff Bezos

A perfect day! Today's high will be 64 degrees, sunny, and with no winds!! This weather will last throughout the weekend, which will make my runs a pure joy.

Today is a Recovery Run.
6 miles. Time, :57 minutes. Pace, 9:20 minute miles. Out & back on Lanning Route. Sunny, 55 degrees, no wind. Average heart rate: 147 bpm. Cardiac drift: 154 bpm.

I had to constantly check my speed and slow down. You would think that after yesterday's hard run my body would be tired. Tomorrow, mostly due to the beautiful weather, I'm considering on running an 8 mile General Aerobic Run. Will listen to my body tomorrow morning and see what it advises.

Speedwork

Daily Quote: "Our nature lies in movement; complete calm is death." --Blaise Pascal

I've decided today to increase my pace today as to get closer to my lactate threshold. Last week's tempo was 7.5 mph, today's experiment I'll slightly increasing speed to 7.6 mph.

Today is a Lacate Threshold workout
8 miles. Time, 1:09. Pace, 8:37. Life Fitness Treadmill set at 1% Grade. Warmup: 2 miles @ 6.4 mph. Tempo: 4 miles @ 7.6 mph (7:54 minute mile). Cooldown: 2 miles @ 6.4 mph. Average heart rate: 159 bpm. Cardiac drift: 174 bpm. Very close to Lacate Threshold, could probably even increase speed to 7.7 mph.

Next week's speedwork I won't be running a Lacate Threshold workout, but will do 5k intervals workout as I have a 5k race on February 17th. Haven't decided yet what my intervals will be, probably an extension from last year's 5k speedwork.

Almost too EASY!

Daily Quote: "It isn't necessary to be rich and famous to be happy. It's necessary to be rich." --Alan Alda

Today Recovery Run was too easy as I was still tired from working the "Concrete World" convention AND doing yard work for two hours this morning. Nevertheless, running very easy was a good idea as tomorrow I'll be attempting to increase my Lactate Threshold pace to 7.6 mph.

Today's run is a Recovery Run.
6 miles. Time, :59 minutes. Pace, 9:50. Out & Back on Lanning Route. Clear, 54 degrees, Wind N @ 5 mph. Average heart rate: 141 bpm. Cardiac drift, 150 bpm. I can't recall how long ago that recovery run was so slow, nor my average heart rate being this low. No doubt I'll be stronger for tomorrow's hard workout!

Today I had troubles with the blogger site as it wouldn't let me post, therefore I was very close to missing a posting.

Beautiful Running Weather!

Daily Quote: "A competitive world has two possibilities for you. You can lose. Or, if you want to win, you can change." --Lester C. Thurow

Today was beautiful running weather, Sunny, 51 degrees, Wind NW @ 5 mph! Who could ask for anything more!?

Today's run is a "General Aerobic Run."
10 miles. Time, 1:35. Pace, 9:30 minute miles. Average heart rate: 145 bpm. Cardiac Drift 151 bpm. Ran too slowly, will pick up the pace next week. No aches, nor pains, my body is very tired as this week's large convention is, "Concrete World," which will take its toll on my energy. I'll be taking a hour nap before work today.

Easy Does It

Daily Quote: "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." --Voltaire

I have been roughly following the schedules in the book, "Advanced Marathoning," which calls for today being a Rest Day. Nevertheless, I ran a short and easy five miler instead of a complete rest as I find that easy runs helps flush my legs and I could always burn a few more calories. I wouldn't recommend running seven days a week for everyone, as a rest day for beginners is very important, and for those who just can't run EASY should take a complete rest day too. Sometimes I'm too competitive for my own good and found it very difficult adjusting to easy recovery runs as I wanted to improve by pushing myself in every run, not realizing I was jeopardizing my hard workouts as I wouldn't be fully recovered. Now I look forward to these short easy runs, especially after a long run like yesterday.

Today is a Recovery Run:
5 miles. Time, :46 minutes. Pace, 9:12 minute miles. Out & back on Lindell Route. Sunny, 45 degrees, Wind N @ 8 mph. Average heart rate: 146 bpm. Cardiac drift: 151 bpm. Finally ran up the Spring Mountain Road at a even effort...normally my cardiac drift would be in the 160's as I would challenge that hill. I should eventually be doing hill repeats as Allen had warned me several weeks ago that the Salt Lake City Half Marathon has hills at the end of the race. I wonder what grade or elevation the hills are in Salt Lake City's race?

Happy trails, Bruce

13 Miler!

Daily Quote: "Actions are a kind of words." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today was my long run, which was 13 miles, my longest run since the "New Las Vegas Marathon!"

13 miles. Time, 1:58. Pace, 9:04. Out & back on Torrey Pines Road that partly traverses the "New Las Vegas Marathon" route. Partly cloudy, cold, 40 degrees, Winds SW @ 11 mph. Average heart rate: 151 bpm. Cardiac drift: 158 bpm.

Had a pleasant and rare experience during the eight mile mark where I felt like I was literally floating effortlessly above the ground, the floating lasted about 10 minutes, unfortunately the feeling left when I stopped at the traffic light on Washington Ave. This long run is faster than my usual long runs only because I'm in training for a half-marathon and not the full marathon distance. I may gradually increase my long run to 16 miles before I race the Salt Lake City Half Marathon.

Pizza is my favorite food and last night I ate FOUR slices of loaded pizza. I really need to control my food intake during the weekends. I'm good with my diet during the weekdays, but I go hog wild on Saturdays! Today I'm keeping a very close eye on my portions. I may need to start a food journal again, which proved helpful when I first started eating healthier five years ago. This year I would like to reach and maintain a 160 pound body weight.

Third Week Summary

Daily Quote: "Let us run with patience that race that is set before us." --Saint Paul

Today's run was a General Aerobic Run.
7 miles. Time, 1:04. Pace, 9:08. Out & Back on Lindell Route. Cloudy, 44 degrees, Wind NW @ 7 mph. Average heart rate: 153 bpm, Cardiac Drift: 162 bpm (drift was due to Spring Mountain Road's hill, I shouldn't be attacking that hill, but maintain steady heart rate and effort). No aches, nor pains, morning heart rate was 142 bpm and I feel fully recovered from Thursday's lactate threshold run. Tomorrow I'll attempt to increase my long run to 13 miles, which will be my longest run since last year's marathon.

SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 14-20, 2007

Increased my week's mileage to 53 miles (last week's mileage was 52 miles). I was also able to maintain running seven days a week.

Added my first "Lactate Threshold" run for the year, discovered I'm stronger this year and will need to increase my pace. Nat commented that 7:50 Pace would not be a stretch for me, she may very well be correct! I need to mentally wrap my mind around that pace, practice it, and own it.

Lost one pound! I'm now 172 pounds on a six foot frame. No worries, I have plenty of time to get my weight down before the Salt Lake City Half Marathon.

I also have been able to maintain this blog DAILY since January 2nd! Most days has been a crunch to record my runs on this blog, especially now being convention season. I'll continue to do the best I can.

The following is a quick recap of last week:
Sunday: Long Run. 12 miles.
Monday: Recovery Run. 5 miles.
Tuesday: General Aerobic Run. 9 miles.
Wednesday: Easy Run. 6 miles.
Thursday: Lactate Threshold Run. 8 miles.
Friday: Recovery Run. 6 miles.
Saturday: General Aerobic Run. 7 miles.

Cold Weather has FINALLY Broke!

Daily Quote: "Every luxury must be paid for, and everything is a luxury, starting with being in the world." --Cesare Pavese

The artic cold weather Las Vegas has been suffering through is now over, as I ran my recovery run in 47 degrees with a 3 mph wind! Should be in the mid-50's this afternoon. Joy to the World!!

Today's run is a Recovery Run.
6 miles. Time, :58 minutes. Pace, 9:40 miles. Out & back on Torrey Pines, which partly traverses the "New Las Vegas Marathon" route. Average heart rate: 153 bpm, Cardiac Drift: 162 bpm. I had a tough time keeping my pulse rate within my recovery zone, I'm obviously not fully recovered from yesterday's "lactate threshold" run. I did have a scare when I stopped at the traffic light at Alta...became very lightheaded and went to my knees, almost passed out! I MUST jog in place at traffic stops and not come to a complete halt. I did take a baby aspirin when I came home, just in case.

Lactate Threshold.

Daily Quote: "When I despair, I hear a voice that says, 'You don't know what's going on'" --Marla Runyan, On Running a Marathon as a Blind Woman.

Learned the term "lactate Threshold" two years ago by reading the excellent book, "Advanced Marathoning" by Pfitzinger and Douglas, the definition is:
"Lactate threshold--The exercise intensity above which your rate of lactate production is substantially greater than your rate of lactate clearance. At effort levels above your lactate threshold, the lactate concentration rises in your muscles and blood. The hydrogen ions associated with lactate production inactivate the enzymes for energy production and may interfere with the uptake of calcium, thereby reducing the muscles' ability to contract. You can't, therefore, maintain a pace faster than your lactate threshold pace for more than a few miles. For well-trained runners, lactate threshold usually occurs at 15k to half marathon pace." END OF QUOTE.

Today's run is a "Lactate Threshold" workout. I was nervous before starting today's run as I haven't done a threshold workout since last year's marathon training, nevertheless, my morning wakeup pulse was 42 bpm, no aches nor pains, and I've completed my postmarthon recovery training... all systems are GO!

8 miles. Time, 1:09. Overall Pace, 8:37. Life Fitness Treadmill set at 1% grade. Warmup: 2 miles @ 6.4 mph. Tempo: 4 miles @ 7.5 mph (8:00 minute miles, which is my half marathon pace) Cooldown: 2 miles @ 6.4 mph. Average heart rate: 158 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 172 bpm. Tough workout, but not as hard as I thought it would be as cardiac drift during last year's threshold run was 176 bpm...appears I'm stronger now and may wish to consider my half-marathon goal pace. I did run in my racing shoes today, ASICS Gel DS Trainers that undoubtedly helped with the easier threshold pace. My next threshold run I'll strive to run at 7.6 bpm, which should be closer to lactate threshold.

URL Where ARE You?

Daily Quote: "The race takes more than you think you have, but then you find you have it after all. You come back different--better, I think." --Ilana Lobet, of the FIJI Eco-Challenge.

Finally remembered I had some pictures posted at runbud.com, which have a URL...hopefully this photo will remain on my blog without having to sign-in to runbud.com. The old photo will be temporary until I post more pictures at runbud.com. The internet is so addictive, I have to be careful not to spend so much time online rather than exercising or even eating!

I'll be 55 on February 7, and decided to take a little peek at the age group results from LAST year's Annual President's Day Run as to see what my competition might be like:
Age Group 55-59
1 Ed Hoffman. 21:48 7:01
2 Gregorio Bravo. 22:09 7:07
3 Gary Hilts. 22:12 7:08
4 Richard Grossi. 26:41 8:35
5 Bob Thompson. 29:51 9:36
6 Gary Krausman. 31:32 10:08
7 Fred Kraus. 32:45 10:32
If I run my last year's personal record of 22:49 (Pace: 7:21 minute miles), would only have me in 4th Place. Who said moving into a new age group would make getting an award easier???

Today was an Easy Run.
6 miles. Time, 57 minutes. Pace, 9:27. Out & Back on Lanning Route. Cold, Sunny, 27 degrees, Wind SW @ 10 mph. Average heart rate: 148 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 155 bpm. My morning wakeup pulse was a little high at 47 bpm, therefore this recovery run is timely. Hoping I'm fully recovered before tomorrow's speedwork.

Remembering To Have Fun

Daily Quote: "It is a happy talent to know how to play." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today was another General Aerobic Run, but with an important twist, I did several "fartleks" (word meaning "speed play" in Swedish) where I added several quick sprints between telephone posts, made a daily grind run more fun.

9 miles. Run's Time, 1:25. Pace, 9:20 minute miles. Out & Back on Lindell Route. Cold, Sunny, 28 degrees, Wind NE @ 6 mph. Average Heart Rate: 145 bpm, Cardiac Drift: 153 bpm. I'm adjusting well to the cold weather, but I'm looking forward to the upcoming weekend's 50 degree weather.

I felt some time pressure today as I had several chores and a visit to the U.S. Post Office to mail a large package for my wife...the waiting lines are ridiculous! Not enough hours in the day!!

Las Vegas Marathon date change

Daily Quote: "Running with all you've got for a finishing post, then savoring the exhaustion--sometimes that's all the reason I need." --Harry Cummins

Today was a Recovery Run from yesterday's Long Run.
5 miles. Time: 47 minutes. Pace, 9:20 minute miles. Out & Back on Alta Road Route that encompasses the bike route to Red Rock Canyon. Cold, 26 degrees, Wind NE @ 11 mph. Average Heart Rate: 144 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 150 bpm. Feels good to go short and easy after yesterday's long run. Allen was right, after awhile I'm enjoying these cold crisp runs! Nevertheless, I should strive to run at least one run per week on the treadmill so the transition to running on the treadmill in the Summer months won't be so difficult. I'll probably continue my speedwork and hill drills on the treadmill as I can easily control all variables.

LAS VEGAS MARATHON HAS MOVED UP ONE WEEK!!! The Las Vegas Review Journal today has printed the following:
"As one of the New Las Vegas Marathon's key partners, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino has seen enough in the event's first two years to learn one thing.
It needs to make more room for the runners, who numbered 12,000 in 2005 and 16,000 a month ago for the 2006 running.
As such, the resort sought a change in the date of this year's race, from Dec. 9 to Dec. 2. Marathon organizers were happy to oblige, getting the race moved away from direct competition with the National Finals Rodeo locally and a popular event two time zones away -- the Honolulu Marathon.
"Several factors went into that decision," said Scott Voeller, vice president of marketing for Mandalay Bay. "(Primarily), it allowed us to offer more blocks of rooms. When we really looked at the opportunities to help them and ourselves, that's how we made the decision to move it. And they were amenable to that."
The past two years, Mandalay Bay has hosted the Cowboy Marketplace and a runners expo at its convention center, with the NFR and the marathon taking place the same week. So along with limiting room allotments for both parties, it also led to crowding in the convention center.
"This helps everybody, frankly," Voeller said. "They just felt overall it was a fine move for them." END OF QUOTE

DRATS! I now have one less week to train!!

Red Rock Canyon Run

Daily Quote: "Character consists of what you do on the third or fourth tries." --James Michener

My regular route for my long run is getting boring, today decided to drive to Red Rock Canyon's loop, which is a 25 minute drive away, as to add a little variety to my training.

12 miles. Time, 1:50. Pace, 9:10 minute miles. Red Rock Canyon Loop. Cold, 30 degrees, Wind ENE @ 8 mph. Average Heart Rate: 153 bpm, Cardiac Drift: 163 bpm. I felt good after this run and could easily have ran farther and faster. I'll increase my long run to 13 miles next week, but maintain speed around 9 minute miles.

Now that I'm fully recovered from my marathon decided to check the Las Vegas Running Team's race calendar for the next 5k race. It's on February 17th, the "3rd Annual President's Day 5k," which is a month away. I'll continue my current half-marathon training but will taper a day before the 5k race, should be interesting to see how I'll do 5k racing with my current base mileage.

SECOND WEEK SUMMARY

Daily Quote: "Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me." --Robert Frost

Today's run was an Easy Run.
6 miles. Time, :47 minutes. Pace, 9:30 minute miles. Out & back, Torrey Pines Route. Cloudy, 28 degrees, Wind SW @ 8 mph. Average heart rate: 144 bpm, Cardiac Drift: 157 bpm (drift due from climb over 95HWY overpass). Run was more comfortable today as I wasn't overdressed for the cold; wore tights, ProTec long sleeve top and cap.

SUMMARY FOR January 7-13, 2007

My postmarathon recovery schedule is now FINISHED! Next week I'll start training for the Salt Lake City Half-Marathon.

I increased my mileage last week to 52 miles and added a 7th day of running (not an easy feat due to the busy work week as the Consumer Electronic Show was in town).

I increased my speedwork by adding another interval, 4 X 1 mile @ 7.5 mph (half marathon pace)

No weight loss last week, but no weight gain either...my weight has stayed stable at 173 pounds. I'm not too concerned about my weight as next week I'll be in training mode and pounds tend to melt off.

My Morning Pulse Rate has maintained steady throughout the week, 40-44 bpm. I feel fit and strong and ready to conquer the world...well, maybe my city block.

Cold Cruel World

Daily Quote: "As a nation we are dedicated to keeping fit and parking as close to the stadium as possible." -Joe Moore

Today was a Recovery Run.
5 miles. Time, 46 minutes. Pace, 9:12 minute miles. Out & Back, Alta Route (bike path towards Red Rock Canyon). COLD, Cloudy, 30 degrees, with 16 MPH WINDS! Average Heart Rate: 146 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 153 bpm. I've NEVER ran in such cold, windy dismal conditions, naturally dressed too warmly with tights & long basketball shorts, base layer is a long sleeve ProTec thermal top,
top layer is a hooded sweatshirt, topped off with a stocking cap, and wore heavy wool gloves. Luckily this was just a 5 mile Recovery Run as I was too toasty! Tomorrow will experiment with just the ProTec thermal top, tights, lighter gloves, and CoolMax Cap. I do have a warm feeling of accomplishment even though my fear of the cold was highly overrated.

Today was the last day I could use my 30% off coupon from Borders Books. Purchased the "National Geographic Traveler: Boston & Environs with the Cape, Providence & Newport." Although my Boston Marathon isn't until April 2008 it's constantly in the back of my mind...I'm going to implode with excitement before I even arrive in Boston! Wonder WHEN I can officially register for the Boston Marathon? Where will my wife and I stay? How long? (My wife thinks we should stay for five days, but how much will that COST?)

Shiver State

Daily Quote: "Probably nothing in the world arouses more false hopes than the first four hours of a diet." --Dan Bennett

Today is SPEEDWORK!
8 miles. Time, 1:09. Pace, 8:37. Life Fitness treadmill set at 1% Grade. Warmup: 1.5 miles @ 6.4 mph. Intervals: 4 X 1 mile @ 7.5 mph (7.5 mph = 8.0 minute per mile pace, which is my half-marathon pace). Recovery Intervals: 1/2 mile @ 6.4 mph. Cooldown: 1 mile @ 6.4 mph. Average Heart Rate: 155 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 169 bpm. I'm improving as the previous week's speedwork my cardiac drift was 179 bpm with only THREE intervals! I felt so strong I felt like I could do another interval, but refrained, must remember my oft repeated advice: baby steps, baby steps.

Scary article in the local "Las Vegas Review Journal" titled, "Shiver State" (Nevada plates call us the "Silver State.") The following is frightening, don't allow small children, fragile winged fairies, or hairless animals to read:

It's about to get cold. Really, really cold.
An arctic air mass from the north will move into Southern Nevada in the coming days, bringing bone-chilling temperatures and probably even a bit of snow.
"No records are going to be approached, but it's still going to be cold," said John Feerick, a forecaster for accuweather.com.
The cold air was expected to hit tonight and linger through the weekend. Highs will hover around 40 degrees, and overnight lows will plunge into the 20s, dropping to the low 20s on Saturday night.
The temperatures will be among the lowest since December 1990, when lows at McCarran International Airport hit 18 degrees.
Weekend lows could hit the teens under the right conditions, said Jim Harrison of the National Weather Service.
The cold weather is expected to bring snow on Friday. Forecasters predicted 1 to 3 inches falling across the valley.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some snow showers, even on the Strip," Feerick said." End of Quote

I just may visit my gym's treadmill this weekend as I really have a hard time tolerating the cold, OR I'll try and get a thicker skin and venture outside, it all depends on my mood.

HUMP DAY

Daily Quote: "God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars." --Elbert Hubbard

Today is hump day, I'm half way through my work week and I'm already totally exhausted due to the huge Consumer Electronic Show convention. Although I'm working longer and harder, I'm actually making less money as these conventioners are horrible tippers, if they tip at all! I wonder if the conventioners know how much the service workers (bartenders, doormen, valets, waitresses AND cab drivers) HATE them?

This morning I slept two hours longer than normal, I usually sleep for seven hours, but last night I slept much later, nine hours of sleep! I didn't awake refreshed, but exhausted, surprisingly, my morning resting heart rate was only 40 bpm?!?

Thankfully today was an Easy Run:
6 miles. Time, :57 minutes. Out & Back on Torrey Pines Road that partly traverses the "New Las Vegas Marathon" route. Cloudy, 47 degrees, Wind NE @ 5 mph. My pace was dead-on-even, 9:30 minute miles.

Tomorrow I'm planning on doing interval work on my local gym's treadmills, I hope I have ample energy!

General Aerobic Run

Daily Quote: "The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones." --W. Somerset Maugham

Definition: General Aerobic Run. I learned the term "General Aerobic Run" from the excellent book by Pfitzinger and Douglass' "Advanced Marathoning," pg 134: "General aerobic runs include any run of 10 miles or less that's done at a steady pace. Faster runs of this length fall into the lactate threshold category, whereas slower runs are specifically for recovery. In other words, these are your standard, moderate-effort, putting-in-the-miles runs. The intention of your general aerobic runs is to enhance your overall aerobic conditioning through boosting your training volume; these runs improve your marathon readiness because many of the beneficial adaptations that improve endurance are related to the total volume of your training." End of Quote.

This morning run was a General Aerobic Run.

9 miles. Time, 1:25. Out & Back on the Lindell Route. Clear, 46 degrees, Winds ENE 7mph. Average heart rate: 143 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 159 bpm (drift was due to climbing hill at Spring Mountain Road). Felt very tired before starting my run, but was invigorated afterwards! I'll feel more exhausted throughout the week due to working the Consumer Electronic Show...my taxi will be burning rubber non-stop!

Easy Recovery Run

Daily Quote: "Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps." --Tiger Woods

Today was a planned rest day to recover from yesterday's long run, until I read the extended weather forcast for the end of this week...temperatures could fall to 28 degrees with strong winds and a chance of SNOW!! I decided I would do an easy recover run today and maybe do a rest day later in the week...or, I could just add another day to my training week by running on the treadmill, which would have me running seven days this week.

Recovery Run. 6 miles. Time :57 minutes. Pace, 9:35 miles. Out & back, Torrey Pines Route (partially traverses the New Las Vegas Marathon Route) Cold, 43 degrees, Wind: ENE 12 mph. Average Heart Rate: 148 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 155 bpm. I ran well within my recover perimeters of 70% of MHR. Run was so easy I was daydreaming during the second half and almost didn't stop for a traffic signal.

Last night I played with posting my profile picture on this blog. Copied off the marathon photo with me and a showgirl from the about.com forum site which promptly displayed my photo here!! Went to bed, awoke this morning to discover the photo didn't take...foiled again! Now that I click on the place where my photo should be it brings up about.com sign-in page...appears if anyone wants to see my blog's profile picture they need to login to about.com! Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Slow 12-miler

Daily Quote: "A man's legs must be long enough to reach the ground." --Abraham Lincoln

Today was my longest run since the marathon, a slow 12-miler, BUT I did it in the cold, cruel world! Yup, I actually ventured off the security of my gym's warm environs and cushioned treadmills.

Long Run. 12 Miles. Time, 1:57. Pace, 9:57. Out & Back, Lindell Route. Cold, 38 degrees, Wind, SW @ 10mph. Ran very slow and easy as I was a little concerned about not getting enough rest since my interval workout on Friday. Next week's long run I'll attempt to run the same route and distance, but at a faster pace.

Feels good to have my long run as the first run of the week, a strong running start!

FIRST Week Summary

Daily Quote: "Play is exultation of the possible." --Martin Buber

Today's run was done on the treadmill as to avoid the 38 degree cold and 12 mph winds. I really need to get a tougher skin and run outside no matter how cold and windy.

Recovery Run. 6 miles. Time, :56 minutes. Pace, 9:20 minute miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% Grade. All miles were at 6.4 mph. Average Heart Rate: 152 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 161 bpm. Yesterday was a hard interval workout and tomorrow is a 12 mile long run, hopefully today's recovery run that's sandwiched between two tough days is enough rest for my old body.

My last year's running logbook had the end of the week's training on Sunday, my new running logbook has the week's training ending on Saturday, hence I'll be making a summary of my weekly runs every Saturday.

Summary: Total miles: 45. Longest Run: 10 miles. Shortest Run: 6 miles. A good strong postmarathon recovery week (Pfitz's "Advanced Marathoning" postmarathon schedule is five weeks long), I've added a sixth day of running, increased my weekly mileage to 45 mpw, and lost three pounds last week! My morning pulse rate last week has been fairly steady averaging between 43-46 bpm. Body feels good, no major aches or pains and will increase my mileage next week. Although with some trepedation, next week I'm concerned about the extra work stress as Monday is the beginning of the huge Consumer Electronic Show that'll last through Friday and my energy may be low due to driving a cab non-stop for 12-hours in crazy traffic around the three convention centers. I'll do the best I can.

Speedwork

Daily Quote: "I think as we've moved on, women are training harder and pushing themselves harder. We're pushing each other further." --Paula Radcliffe on breaking the world record for women's marathon.

Today was my planned speedwork, which I have thankfully set to do on the 24hr Fitness Treadmill as today we're having high winds advisory warnings of 50-55 mph gusts. Yup, when I first awoke we had no electrical power, came on for an hour, than blacked out again. The electricity is back on, but don't know for how long. Luckily, the gym's power was on through the duration of my workout.

Speedwork. 8 miles. Time, 1:10. Life Fitness Treadmill set on a 1% Grade. Warmup: 2.5 miles @ 6.4 mph. Intervals 3 X 1 Mile @ 7.5 mph (7.5 mph = 8.0 minute mile pace, which is my half-marathon pace). Rest Intervals, 1/2 mile @ 6.4 mph. Cooldown: 2.5 miles @ 6.4 mph. Average Heart Rate: 166 bpm, Cardiac Drift 180 bpm (set at the end of the third interval.

My intentions this morning was to run 4 X 1 mile @ 7.5 mph, but my heart rate was too high during the third interval and was going beyond my threshold. My body may still be adapting to the sixth running day, or I'm still under stress from the busy workdays lately. I'll try to run the additional interval next week, IF my body says it's o.k. to do so.

Should be a busy night driving a cab as nobody wants to be carried away with the strong winds. TGIF, I'm really looking forward to a relaxing weekend...opps, I remember I STILL have to take the XMAS decorations down...DANG!!

Added 6th Running Day

Daily Quote: "Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty." --John Ruskin

Decided to add a sixth day to my weekly training, even though Pfitz's (Advanced Marathoning) calls for today being a Rest Day. Will keep this sixth day an easy run, keeping in mind that tomorrow will be a hard interval workout. Today I have ample energy, and my morning resting heart rate was 43 bpm.

Easy Run. 6 Miles, Time, :57 minutes. Pace: 9:30. Out & Back on Torrey Pines Route. Clear, 46 degrees, Wind: NNE @ 5mph. Average Heart Rate: 142 bpm, Cardiac Drift: 151 bpm.

Next week is a huge convention week, the "Consumer Electronic Show" is coming to town with more than 140,000 conventioners. My supervisors at Checker Cab Company are asking drivers to work their days off next week to accomodate the extra cabs needed...I'm hoping to avoid the supervisors and keep my phone on the answering machine as to screen the work calls. I added a sixth day to my training schedule, doesn't mean I want to add a sixth day to my work schedule next week!!

Keeping on Truckin'

Daily Quote: "I never feel that I am inspired unless my body is also. It too spurns a tame and commonplace life." --Henry David Thoreau

9 Miles. Time, 1:23. General Aerobic Run. Out & Back, Lindell Route. Sunny, 44 degrees, Wind: ENE & 8 mph. Average Heart Rate: 149 bpm, Cardiac Drift: 160 bpm (Drift due from climbing the steep hill at Spring Mountain Road & Lindell Road). I had a strong effort with the bonus of no aches or pain.

This week Pfitz's postmarathon recovery schedule (from the book, "Advanced Marathoning") calls for two Rest Days this week with tomorrow being my next Rest Day; but I feel so strong and fit I'm considering on running an easy six miler tomorrow. Eventually I'll be returning to running seven days a week. I'll continue to listen to my body and adjust my workout schedule accordingly.

My new running log book has a feature where I input my resting heart rate DAILY, normally I just observe my morning resting heart rate a couple times a week (only because I forget to check my heart as I'm in my typical waking dizzy state) I've placed my Polar Heart Rate Monitor literally on top of the alarm clock as to remind me to check my resting heart rate. This morning my resting heart rate is 44 bpm, which is higher than when I'm in heavy marathon training.

First Run of the Year!

Daily Quote: "If you want to know how flabby your brain is, feel your leg muscles." --Paul Dudley White

I'm now back in Las Vegas and ready to start with my new goals. I'm always thrilled to start a new running journal as it represents new beginnings and dreams.

6 miles. Time, :57 Minutes. Easy Run. Out & Back on Torrey Pines Route (partly traverses the New Las Vegas Marathon's route). Partly Cloudy, 58 degrees, Wind: ENE @ 6 mph. Average Heart Rate: 147 bpm, Cardiac Drift 163 bpm (Drift from beating the traffic signal). First run wearing my new "Nike Air Kantara II" motion control shoes that are a bit heavy but offer plenty of support and cushioning on the asphalt and concrete...AND when I do races and speedwork with my lightweight ASICS trainers I'll feel like I'm flying!

Ate way too much during my New Year's Eve celebration in Laughlin, Nevada. Now is the time to get serious eating a healthy diet with sensible portions! I'm now 176 pounds on a six foot frame.