Bryan's Stuff

Thanks Gustav

Over the weekend, weather forecasts were calling for lots and lots of rain over north Texas this week, as a result of the former Hurricane Gustav. Parts of northeast Texas have received lots of rain, but a little further west, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we’ve seen a few sprinkles at best. We have, however, been the beneficiary of cooler weather, due in part to increased cloud cover, and some pretty heavy winds.

Yesterday and today, my scheduled 4 mile easy runs (@ 10:08/mile pace) have turned into very easy runs, at a pace between 9:25/mile and 9:44/mile. While I did keep an eye on the Garmin, I really tried to run on feel, and it seemed to work. My average HR was 148 bpm for the 9:44/mile run, and 152 bpm for the 9:25/mile run. I think I have Gustav to thank for this, at least in part.

Certainly, a strong wind at my back helps, but it also hurts just as much, if not more, when I am running into it. The cooler temperatures help, though they’re only marginally cooler. Perhaps it is the combination of the cooler temperatures and the wind, acting as an air conditioner, and keeping me fresh? Or…maybe…I’m finally seeing some improvement in my running…

Whatever the reason, I’ll certainly take it. It wasn’t all that long ago that it took nearly everything I had to do 2 miles at a 10:00/mile pace, and now I’m cruising around 9:30/mile on easy days? Nice. I think it is about time to schedule another race. Any suggestions?

by Bryan at 11:57:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Half Marathon Training: Week 5

You’re probably wondering what happened to weeks 3 and 4 of the half marathon training, right? No? Well, I’ll tell you anyway—both weeks were just fine, but week 3 ended while we were on vacation in Colorado, and week 4 ended the day we got back from vacation, and I guess posting my training just sort of slipped my mind.

This morning, I completed day 7 of week 5—a 10 mile long run. With today’s run, I also have new all-time high mileage for one month with 111 miles. All in all, week 5 was pretty good. I threw in an extra day of running (Monday—4 miles), because I hadn’t run in the previous 3 days, including missing a long run. Other than that run, I was back on schedule with training. Week 5 also marked the first scheduled decrease in my easy pace—down from 10:14/mile to 10:08/mile. Here’s the daily rundown:

• Day 1
  • Not on schedule: 4 miles @ 9:51/mile – this was a tough run. It was mid-morning, warm, and humid. This was also my first run back from the cool mountain air of Colorado, and my first run during the day in 4 weeks (early morning runs are my bread and butter now).
  • Full body strength training.
• Day 2
  • Scheduled: 5 miles easy @ 10:08 – this run was much better than the previous day’s. Ended up running the 5 miles in 49:56, for a 10:00/mile pace.
• Day 3
  • Scheduled: 4 miles easy @ 10:08 – another easy run, and again, the pace was actually 10:00/mile.
• Day 4
  • Scheduled: 6 miles, 1 mile warm up, 4 miles tempo @ 8:40/mile, 1 mile warm down. Easy 1 mile warm up, the 4 miles in 34:38, for a 8:42/mile pace. I think this is the first time I’ve actually completed for miles at tempo pace, even if I didn’t hit my pace. I was good until the 4th mile, which came in at 8:49, but at least I didn’t stop.
• Day 5
  • Scheduled: 4 miles easy @ 10:08 – this was another run a little later in the morning, and again, I paid for it. My HR averaged 170 for this run, and it was a very pedestrian 10:07/mile pace. Warm and humid, and I was potentially not recovered fully from my tempo run the day before.
  • Upper body strength training.
• Day 6
  • My birthday, and a rest day.
• Day 7
  • Scheduled: 10 miles easy @ 10:08 – I’d missed my previous two long runs, so I was a bit apprehensive about this run. As it turns out, I had nothing to fear. The total time was 1:40:06, for a 10:01/mile pace.

Well, that’s it for week 5. The tempo run was hard, as were the runs done mid-morning. When I was running in the cooler, early morning weather, I could really feel the high-altitude training kicking in, and would often find myself running easy at 9:45/mile.

Just over two-and-a-half months until the half marathon. On to week 6.

by Bryan at 11:59:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Half Marathon Training: Week 2

You know one thing I love about my running right now? On most mornings I am done with my exercise for the day, before most people are out of bed.

This morning’s long run concluded week 2 of my half marathon training. Compared to last week, my legs felt less tired, I felt like I had more energy, I hung in there on my speed day, and I kicked some ass on on my long run! All in all, it feels like my body is adapting nicely to the increased workload. There were two notable differences this week, versus last week: I didn’t do any additional lower body strength training, and I took a complete day of rest yesterday. Last week I had two lower body strength training sessions, and on my Saturday Rest/XT day, I did a pretty intense yoga class.

All of that said, here’s my rundown from week 2:

• Day 1
  • Upper body strength training at the gym.
  • 30 minutes of easy spinning on the stationary bike – 9.66 miles.
  • Week 5, Day 1 of the One Hundred Push Ups Challenge
• Day 2
  • 5 mile easy @ 10:12 – was supposed to be 10:14/mile
• Day 3
  • 4 miles easy @ 10:12 – again, this was supposed to be 10:14/mile. HR averaged 151—10 bpm lower than the average from the day before.
  • Week 5, Day 2 of the One Hundred Push Ups Challenge.
• Day 4
  • Speedwork – 5 miles total, w/warmup, 2 x 1 mile @ 8:11/mile, .5 mile jog, cool down. Good, but hard. First interval was comfortably hard, 2nd interval just felt hard, though at the same time, it felt like I was running an easier pace. Actual times for intervals: 1-8:11, 2-8:03.
  • Upper body strength training.
• Day 5
  • 4 miles easy @ 10:14 – legs were tired after the previous day’s speedwork.
  • Week 5, Day 3 of the One Hundred Push Ups Challenge.
• Day 6
  • Complete Rest – not sure the last time this happened.
• Day 7
  • 9 Mile Long Run – I did the first 6 miles at 10:14/mile, and then ran the final 3 miles at what I hope is my half marathon race pace or faster: mile 7- 9:21, mile 8- 9:05, mile 9- 8:37. Whew!
  • One Hundred Push Up Challenge – post week 5 test to exhaustion. Did this right before heading out on my long run: 67 push ups.

So that’s it. Another week is in the books. Week 3 will be challenging, primarily because we’re heading to Colorado at the end of the week. I should be able to get in my first 4 runs no problem, but my long run, which is supposed to be 10 miles, will come sometime within 24 hours of having spent a long time in the car, and of course it will be run at altitude. Fortunately, week 4 is a scale back week.

One last note: I’ve run each and every run of my half marathon training in the morning—starting most of them before 6 AM. I am very happy with how easy it’s become to get up and run.

by Bryan at 10:17:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Half Marathon Training: Week 1

Yesterday marked the end of the first week of my half marathon training. Overall, it was a good week, though running 4 consecutive days might have been a little much. I was definitely looking forward to a day of rest/cross-training by Saturday. Here’s a brief rundown of the week’s activities:

• Day 1:
• Upper body strength training at the gym.
• Week 4, Day 1 of the One Hundred Push Ups Challenge
• Day 2:
  • 4 Miles Easy @ 10:14 – In reality, I did this run at a 10:06/mile pace, but I felt good.
  • Lower body strength training – I’m not ready to give this up yet.
• Day 3:
  • 4 miles Easy @ 10:14 – This run was at a 10:05/mile pace, but it felt harder than the previous day’s run. My HR was lower than it was during the previous day’s run. I am guessing that the difficulty was due to tired legs.
  • Week 4, Day 2 of the One Hundred Push ups Challenge.
• Day 4: Tempo Run – 5 miles, including warm up; 3 miles @ 8:40; cool down. Third run in as many days in the early morning. Easy to get up this morning. First two tempo miles felt good, but the 3rd mile I was just trying to hang on.
• Day 5:
  • 4 miles Easy @ 10:14 – Warm and muggy for this morning run. I was dogging it by the 4th mile. My pace was a more pedestrian 10:11/mile.
  • Full body strength training at the gym in the late afternoon.
• Day 6: Yoga class at the gym – this was the hardest yoga class I’ve attended…lots of long holds.
• Day 7:
  • 9 Mile Long Run @ 10:14 – hip/upper thigh soreness late in mile 3 and early mile 4, but then it went away. Averaged 10:06/mile. Ran the second half faster than the first half, and the final three faster than either the first 3 or middle 3 miles.
  • One Hundred Push Ups Challenge – test (58).

I think that covers it. For the week, I ran 26 miles, did 2 upper body strength workouts, and 2 lower body strength workouts, 3 pushup workouts, plus one pushup test, and one yoga class. It’s no wonder I am tired!

by Bryan at 3:14:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Mid-Year Review

This week’s Take It and Run Thursday theme over at Runners' Lounge is “Look Back, Look Ahead.” With this theme in mind, I figured now would be a good time to recap the first part of 2008, and look ahead to what’s to come.

For those of you that don’t know, I started running in September of last year, when my wife and I started the Couch-to-5K running program. At the end of that program, I raced my first 5K, the Arthritis Foundation's Jingle Bell Run. My time was 31:15. It was hard, but I had a lot of fun and couldn't wait to do another race.

My second race came in February of this year--the Cowtown 5K, that is run as part of the Cowtown Marathon. The night before the expo, we went to see Spirit of the Marathon. If it wasn't already obvious that I had caught the running bug, it became crystal clear that night.

Since finishing up my original training program, I've continued with one program or another pretty much non-stop. I've used a few Hal Higdon programs, and I've used the Smart Coach running program generator from Runner's World. I've learned that while I generally prefer the structure of being on a running program, every once in a while, a week or two of unstructured running feels great!

Since the Cowtown 5K, I've raced in 5 more 5Ks, and brought my PR down to 25:12 in my most recent race, the Run For Dad 5K. Along the way, I also received my first age group award, placing 2nd in the 35-39 age group at the Bunny Boogie 5K, and setting what was at that time a new PR of 27:45 (one month after setting a PR of 28:45 at the Cowtown 5K).

I've had my first 30 mile week, as well as my first 100 mile month. I've also had to deal with my first real running injury, which made me realize just how important running has become to me. I also signed up for my first half marathon—The Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Half Marathon on November 16th.

I am now 4 days into the first week of my half marathon training, and that will be the focus for most of the rest of the year. The plan is to do the half, and then hopefully register for my 2nd half (any suggestions), and start looking for a marathon in 2009.

Oh, and I can’t forget that with the help of running I lost 50 lbs. between mid-November 2007, and the end of April 2008. I now weigh what I did when I graduated from high school some 18 years ago, and am in the best shape of my life.

Best of all, it seems that my wife, Julie, has also caught the running bug!

by Bryan at 11:05:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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One Hundred Pushups: Week 4

I’ve not quite completed week 4 of the One Hundred Pushups Challenge, but I realized that I’ve been promising an update for a couple of weeks and haven’t followed through.

Last night, I completed day 2 of week 4. The first 4 sets were tough—not really hard or challenging, just harder than they have been. I was a little surprised at this, because for the first time in a couple of weeks I hadn’t done an upper body strength training session before doing the pushups. Oh, and I totally rocked the 5th set (max set), breaking the 50 pushup barrier for the first time on the last set of a workout (I've done 50 or more on both of my tests—50 and 57).

Here are my full results, through Week 4, Day 2:

Initial Test: 50

Week 1:

Week 2:

Test After Week 2: 57

Week 3:

Week 4:

by Bryan at 11:18:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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I Am Tired

I got up at 5:30 this morning for an easy 4 miles. I got up yesterday morning at 5:30 for an easy 4 miles. I also did a lower body strength training workout late yesterday afternoon. I am tired. More specifically, my legs are tired.

According to my training plan, these easy runs are supposed to be at a 10:14/mile pace, but in reality, I did both of them at a 10:06/mile pace. Yesterday, my average heart rate was 158, today it was 153. But today felt harder than yesterday. My legs felt heavier…slower.

I think what this says is that while my cardiovascular system can handle these back-to-back easy runs, with lower body strength training mixed in, my legs aren’t quite there. Perhaps it’s just a matter of time until they are accustomed to the additional workload—this is the first week of my half marathon training, after all. Or maybe I need to scale way back on the strength training, leaving in just enough to keep myself balanced.

For the record, while I am struggling a little bit to get out of bed for these early morning runs, once I’m out there running, I really like it.

by Bryan at 1:03:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Half Marathon Training Starts Today

I know that the day is nearly done, so the title should read “Half Marathon Training Started Today,” but I don’t give a flip, they day isn’t done.

Anyway, here’s my half marathon training.

Day one was innocent enough—cross-training or rest. Of course I chose cross-training. I did a nice upper-body strength training routine, plus Week 4, Day 1 of the One Hundred Pushup Challenge (another post for that to follow).

That’s it.

by Bryan at 11:59:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Eating Pavement

Yes, I ate pavement recently. But if you run long enough, it’s bound to happen, right? That’s what I keep telling myself.

We all went to Houston over the weekend to visit Julie’s family, and to see her mom and our nephew in a production of “The Music Man,” while her sister played in the orchestra. The show was pretty good, and their performances were great! While there, Julie decided that it was time for her to start running again (she’s been dealing with tightness in her Achilles tendon, as well as some pain in her foot), and I decided that I’d go, too.

Towards the end of the first mile, while I was running along, minding my own business, I suddenly found myself hurtling towards the ground. My hands hit first and I quickly rolled over onto my right side, which caught the brunt of the collision. More specifically, I landed on my right hip area. Yes, the same right hip area that was recently injured. My only thought after “what the hell?!?,” was “crap, that hurt!”

Fortunately, aside from Julie, there were no other witnesses to my fall. And after brushing myself off, and making sure I was still in one piece, we continued our run. My hands stung for a bit, and my hip was pretty sore, but I finished the run. I was also able to go for an 8 mile long run yesterday, marking my longest run since Father’s Day (aka 11 miles of pure hell).

In the end, I covered 4 miles in 41:22 of running time, though we stopped a couple of times for Julie to stretch (and for me to nurse my bruised pride). And in case you’re wondering, I say “I” because Julie stopped at around 3 miles, since she was easing back into running. (Her Achilles tendon and foot felt great, by the way.)

by Bryan at 7:58:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Cross-Training, Running, and Shoes

Just a quick update to let you know I’m still here, and that I haven’t suffered any injury related setbacks. In fact, overall, my training has been going very, very good—except that it’s cross-training. I’ve been hitting the gym 3-4 times per week for the last few weeks, getting in 1-2 sessions each of upper body strength training and lower body strength training. That’s definitely long enough to notice a difference in my physique. Fortunately, I’ve been able to hold my weight steady, so this has been good for my body composition, as I seem to have dropped a little more fat, while gaining the muscle.

As for my running, I am doing as the doctor ordered, and easing back into it. As noted last week, I’ve worked back up to a five mile run, with no issues. On Sunday I put in 4 miles in 100°F weather, with no problems, aside from being hot, hot, hot! The run was not pretty, but I got through it. I really would’ve liked to have put in 6 miles, but with the heat, it took all I had to get through the 4. Since starting back with the running, I’ve been running 3 days a week, and will bump that to 4 days this week. Next week I am supposed to officially begin my half marathon training, and just in time for that, I should have a new pair of New Balance 858s arriving tomorrow (black, 12 EE). Of course, over on 5Ks and Cabernets, I see this:

Hi again Kevin!
Thanks again for participating in our running shoe blog advertisement campaign and passing our info on! If you know anyone else who is a runner and has a blog, please do not hesitate to send them our contact info so they can receive a free pair of shoes as well!

Tamera

Tamera VanDyke
Marketing Director, NewBalanceHarrisburg.com
newbalancegirl@gmail.com

I am going to send Tamera an email and see if I can get a different style to try. After all, I am about to start on my 3rd pair of 858s, and perhaps I don’t need as much stability now as when I was last fitted for shoes. You never know what dropping 50 lbs. will do in that regard. I do recall being told back in March, when I bought my last pair, that I overpronate just ever so slightly—perhaps a more neutral shoe might be worth trying?

In other news, I finished week two of the One Hundred Pushup Challenge, took the test for week 3 (57), and did Day 1 of Week 3 this evening. I’ll have a more complete update in a post tomorrow or Thursday. Now if I can just find a way to squeeze in 5-6 miles tonight!

by Bryan at 10:39:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Bringing Sexy Back

Ok, so I’m not so sexy, but I think that maybe I am back (knocking on wood). I put in another 4 mile run last night, and everything felt great! I also went back to one of our standard routes, which includes a little uphill and a little downhill, rather than sticking to the flats, which is what I’d been doing for the previous couple of weeks. I even had a little light rain falling to help cool things off.

I’ve been apprehensive with each run, always wondering if the pain/discomfort is going to come back, and worrying that it might be chronic. Well, I am still a little apprehensive about all of that, and probably will be for a little while. However, I feel that this run was a mental turning of the corner—a much needed good result. Surprisingly, my legs felt very fresh, even after my run on Sunday and then lower body strength training on Monday.

I’ll never really know what the impact of adding the glute and abductor/adductor machines to my workouts, or the additional stretching, and the use foam roller has had on my recovery, but they all sure seem to have helped. Of course, it could just be that I needed some time off. Either way, I am grateful. My official half marathon training starts in less than two weeks, and I was starting to worry.

Here are my mile splits. This run was supposed to be an easy 4 miles @ 10:14/mile. As you can see, I didn’t hit my pace until the 3rd mile, and I must not have liked it much, as I turned around and finished up with an 8:00 minute 4th mile.

1. 10:05
2. 10:03
3. 10:14 (this is the pace I was supposed to run)
4. 8:00

by Bryan at 8:39:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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One Hundred Pushup Challenge – Week 2, Day 1

Last Friday I finished up Week 1 of the One Hundred Pushup Challenge, and last night I completed Day 1 of Week 2. So far, so good—I am getting all of my reps in, and my max sets are all above 40, including 47 last night. I don’t know why, but I am still surprised by the “pump” that my entire upper body gets from doing the pushup workouts, specifically the max set.

Speaking of a pumped up upper body—I’ve decided that the pushup workouts will formally take the place of my chest strength training exercises. Doing the pushups and continuing my regular upper body strength training routine was just not allowing enough time for recovery.

Here are my full results from Week 1:

And Day 1 of Week 2:

by Bryan at 1:41:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Injury Update

This is just a quick injury update… After easing back into things with a couple of 2 and 3 miles runs in the past week, I ventured out for 4 miles today—pain, discomfort, and tightness free! While it felt good to up my distance another mile, and without pain, I have to admit that the 4th mile was kind of tough. I was tired… It was hot… I felt like I’ve lost a lot of running fitness in the last couple of weeks. But my hip/upper thigh didn’t hurt!!!

I’ve continued with extra stretching for my iliotibial band, along with glute and abductor/adductor strength training, and use of the foam roller. The combination of these things seems to be working.

One benefit of the reduced running over the last few weeks has been some of the most consistent strength training that I’ve had in quite some time. Looking at my training log, I’ve 3 or more strength training workouts each of the last 5 weeks, including both upper and lower body training. Hopefully this stronger foundation will benefit me as I increase my miles again.

by Bryan at 1:22:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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The One Hundred Pushup Challenge Begins

As mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I am taking up the One Hundred Pushup Challenge. And not only am I taking up the challenge, but I’ve also recruited Julie and 9 others, mostly coworkers to take up the challenge as well. So that each person only needs to focus on performing their exercises, rather than worry about how many sets and how many reps, I even put together a nice spreadsheet for each person to use in tracking their weekly progress.

Over the last week or so everyone performed their initial test, and on Monday of this week, most started the 6 week training program. It’s early, but the initial feedback is very positive. Most people are a little sore. Everyone has completed all of their scheduled sets and repetitions. A few have even exceeded their initial test result on their very first max set. It will be interesting to see how motivated everyone stays as the reps start ramping up.

As for me, you’ll recall that my initial test resulted in 50 pushups. This evening I completed Week 1, Day 2 of the workout, and here are the results from the first two days:

Not bad, especially considering that I did upper body strength training late last night (as in between 11 PM – 12 AM).

by Bryan at 11:27:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Channeling My Inner Pre?

I've been unintentionally growing my beard in since about the time of my injury. At some point I decided it was going to grow until I was running consistently again. I am not ready to claim the battle won over the injury, but I was ready to shave it off when I got home this evening. But before I could shave it all off, I decided to channel my inner Pre…

So do I keep it or shave it all off? Of course Julie says that it needs to be shaved off before I go to work—that I’ll never live it down, but that doesn’t really bother me.

It’s no better or worse than my attempt at growing in a full beard in the first place. And I once wore a goatee for a few years straight, so it’s not like they’ve not seen me with facial hair. I know, it is silly, but that just might be why I keep it for a couple of days.

Running Notes

As I’ve already mentioned, I’ve begun easing back into running. In addition to my first run on the 4th, I also ran 2 quick miles on the 5th, after an upper-body strength training session, and I went out for 3 miles last night.

Since I’m not putting in anything close to the volume that I was running prior to the injury, these sessions have been run at a little faster pace than my typical easy run pace. Saturday’s 2-mile run averaged 8:38/mile, and last night’s 3-mile run averaged 9:03/mile.

Overall, I felt  good during both runs, though I experienced some tightness around mid-thigh. I am continuing to do IT Band stretches after my runs, and I’m using a foam roller daily. I also added the glute machine, and the abductor/adductor machine to my lower-body strength training.

by Bryan at 1:43:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Easing Back Into It

Well, the doc said to take 3 days off, and then if it was possible for me to “ease back into it,” I could start running again. Over the past 3 days, I’ve followed his orders as closely as possible—going so far as to work from home the rest of Tuesday, and all of Wednesday and Thursday, to make sure I was able to properly ice my hip/upper thigh every hour or so. (I didn’t think HR would appreciate me doing this at work, even if I closed and locked my office door.) I’ve also been taking Aleve or Ibuprofen regularly, and most important of all, aside from mowing the yard yesterday, I’ve been resting.

Earlier this afternoon, approximately 72 hours after leaving the doctor’s office, I set out for my first run since last Saturday—a nice easy couple of miles with a good warm up and warm down, plus plenty of stretching afterwards. It went well. Early on, there were a couple of times when I thought I felt some tightness across the top of my outer thigh, but then it would go away. Perhaps it was just some phantom soreness/tightness. Towards the end, I did feel some tightness a little further down my thigh towards my knee, which leads me to believe that this is all due to a tight iliotibial band.

When I got back to the house, I looked up some iliotibial band stretches, and incorporated those into my typical post-run stretching. After stretching, I took some Aleve, and iced for about 15 minutes. Everything feels good, but of course I stopped just short of where the real discomfort and pain typically had been coming on. I’ll continue to ease back into it for the next several days to couple of weeks and take it from there. Fingers crossed.

Run Details:

• 1/2 mile walking warm up
• 2 mile run
  • Mile 1: 10:58/mile pace
  • Mile 2: 10:15/mile pace (10:55/mile for first .75 and then eased down to 8:30/mile, 8:00/mile, and then finally 7:30/mile for the final .25 mile)
• 1/2 mile walking warm down
• Stretching
• Ice

Useful Articles:

• Beating the Band
• Stretching and Strengthening Exercises for Iliotibial Band Syndrome

by Bryan at 3:30:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Trochanteric Bursitis

After filling the doctor in with all of the specifics of the injury, and having him contort my right leg in all sorts of ways, he decided that it is likely trochanteric bursitis. With the way he was moving my leg around and pressing on the area that hurts during my runs, if it was a tear or fracture, it would like have hurt, and it didn’t hurt at all.

Trochanteric bursitis is the inflammation of the bursa sac that sits between the greater trochanter (bony point at the outside top of the femur bone) and the muscles and tendons that run along the outside of the upper thigh. In runners, it is typically seen in conjunction with ITB syndrome, but not always. However, if it is related, then downhill running and slower running can lead to greater aggravation and inflammation of the trochanteric bursa.

Before leaving the doctor’s office, I got an cortisone injection, and the following instructions:

• Ice the area for 15-20 minutes every hour.
• Take an NSAID, such as Ibuprofen or Aleve regularly.
• Complete rest for at least 3 days. (This is the tough one.):
  • No running (obviously).
  • No cycling.
  • No elliptical machine.
  • No swimming (unless I can do it without using my lower body).
  • No lower body strength training.
• After 3 days, I can ease back into running, and other activities.
• If it’s still not feeling better, then he wants me back for an MRI.

Here are some additional links:

• What Is Trochanteric Bursitis? (University of Buffalo Sports Medicine)
• Trochanteric Bursitis of the Hip (eOrthopod.com)
• Hip Bursitis (Trochanteric Bursitis) in Depth (PhysioRoom.com)
• Hip Stretches (Sports Injury Info)

If any of you have experience with this injury, please feel free to leave a comment with advice, links, etc. Thanks!

by Bryan at 12:54:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Going To The Doctor

I’ve finally decided to go to the doctor and get my hip checked out. As you know, I ran on it when I shouldn’t have. I rested it. I tried again. It still bothers me—from discomfort at first, and eventually to pain.

It feels great for the first couple of miles, but like clockwork, when the 3rd mile rolls around, so does the pain. Once the pain is there, it hurts more to run downhill, but it hurts less if I pick up the pace. In fact, some of my best “kick” training has come since the hip injury.

In the two plus weeks since it first started bothering me, I went from not being able to stay on the elliptical for more than 5 minutes, before my hip started hurting, to being able to do a hard 20-30 minutes with no pain or discomfort. That gave me hope for my most recent test run, which was Saturday—after 3 days of no running. But it wasn’t meant to be.

As usual, in the third mile, the discomfort set in, eventually turning to pain, and forcing me to walk mile 4. The funny thing is, by the end of mile 4, the pain had subsided enough for me to try running easy again for a quarter mile, and then eventually running at a sub-8:00/mile pace for the next 3/4 mile. While there was discomfort after my run, I was shooting hoops later that afternoon. I am sure I should've just stopped in mile 3. So frustrating.

The appointment with the doctor is at noon today. Hopefully I’ll know something. At this point, anything is better than continued not knowing. I’ve got my training log ready for him, and I am prepared to stop running now, if that means I’ll be able to resume training in time for the half marathon in November.

by Bryan at 10:11:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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I Am A Runner

This week’s Take It And Run Thursday theme over at the Runners’ Lounge is… 13 words or less: “You are a runner…” Finish the thought in 13 words or less. Here goes:

When I started thinking about food as a fuel for my next run.

This realization hit me like a ton of bricks one day while I was at a lunch with my team. And I realized I had been thinking this way for a while.

I love to eat good food. I am not a food snob—I don’t require fancy food, just good, honest food. I am a foodie. But all of a sudden my world was turned upside down. While I still longed for my next great food fix, the pull wasn’t quite as strong, the need not so urgent. Instead of “we’ve got to eat at this place tonight,” it became “yeah, we should try that place sometime.”

I was running. I was losing weight. I needed better fuel to run better, stronger, faster. I was enjoying myself, and for the first time in my life I started eating to live, rather than living to eat.

Okay, I’ve got one more: I’m a runner because when I can’t run, I can’t wait to run.

This has become so clear over the last 2 weeks as I’ve been dealing with an injured hip. The days off are absolutely killing me. All I want to do is run. I hated running. What happened?

by Bryan at 12:18:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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One Hundred Push Ups And My Hip

Ok, so I’m finally going to do the challenge—the One Hundred Push Ups challenge that it seems like everyone else is already doing. I’ll admit, in addition to running, I also do at least two strength training sessions per week, and have been doing strength training more or less consistently for 17 years. While I’m not as strong as I have been, especially since taking up running, I figured that I’d do ok in the initial test, which I just took. The result: 50 push ups.

I actually felt very good until I hit about 45, and then I started fading pretty quickly. Since doing the test, I’ve done another 40 push ups (5 x 20), so that’s probably good enough for Day 1, right? Ok, maybe I should follow the program as prescribed.

The other reason that I am going to do this is because I’ve got to do anything and everything I can to fill the void of running right now. I alluded to an injury a couple of posts ago, and it’s still not right. The outside of my right hip has been very sore when running (to the point of painful) since I finished the Run For Dad 5K 10 days ago.

I first noticed it on the 1.5 mile walk back to the car after the race. The next morning I was an idiot and went out for a run (6 miles by myself, and then 5 with Julie) in which it hurt pretty much all the time. I took an ice bath afterward, and it felt pretty good the rest of the evening. I took Monday off, but ran 5 on Tuesday (pain), and 4 on Wednesday (pain). Finally, I took Thursday off, but ran again on Friday, though I scaled back my 6 mile tempo run to 4 miles (pain in the 3rd mile). Saturday and Sunday were forced days off, and on this past Monday, after riding the bike for about 10 miles at the gym, I hopped on the treadmill and did 1 mile in just under 7 minutes (whew, that felt good!).

Yesterday I decided to go test it out on a short run. The first 2 miles felt good, but in the 3rd mile I started feeling discomfort—not pain, just discomfort, so I called it a run after 3 miles. I think I’ve finally come to grips with the fact that I’ll need to take more than just a couple of days off. In the meantime, there will be lots of cycling, swimming, and strength training, plus I’ll start the One Hundred Push Ups challenge.

All I want to do is run!

by Bryan at 10:35:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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My Own Little Triathlon

This morning I did my own little impromptu triathlon—backwards. I was scheduled to do a 6 mile run yesterday, with 4 miles of tempo running, but due to my hip soreness, I postponed it until today (hip willing). Well, this morning, the hip felt pretty good, so I decided to take it a mile at a time, and just see how it did. I could feel it the tiniest little bit during my first mile warm up, and into my first mile at tempo pace, but in the second mile, it was much more noticeable, but not nearly as bad as Sunday, Tuesday, or Wednesday—yeah, I know I shouldn’t have run on at least two of those days… Needless to say, I called of the tempo run after 2 miles, and finished up with a 1 mile cool down.

Since I wasn’t able to get in the full run, and was already in workout mode, I decided to head to the gym and hit the stationary bike for 30 minutes. I used a random hill program at level 8, and hammered out 13.5 miles in the 30 minutes. It was hard, but felt good. I was able to stick pretty close to 100 RPM, and even pushed up to 110-120 on some sections. After finishing up the bike, I headed home.

Of course, I couldn’t just stop and call it a day. Since I was already so sweaty, I figured I should go to the pool and swim some laps. I ended up swimming 650 meters (or yards—there’s a difference of opinion on this) in roughly 25 minutes. I rested approximately 20-30 seconds between each 25 meter length. I also tried breathing on my weak side (right side), in addition to breathing on my left side—every 3rd stroke. Breathing every other stroke seemed too frequent, and every fourth stroke was not quite enough. Every third stroke felt pretty good, though it was a little awkward breathing on my right side every other breath.

In the end, I ran 4 miles in around 37 minutes, biked 13.5 miles in 31:30 minutes, and swam 650 meters in 25 minutes. Not too shabby.

by Bryan at 2:21:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Lunch Time Swim

I am working from home the rest of this week, and one of the apparent benefits is being able to go for a swim on my lunch break. That's right, I went for a 4-mile run this morning, and then I went for a swim on my lunch break. Crazy, huh?

The swim wasn't much, just 500 meters (20 lengths of a 25 meter pool) with about 30-35 seconds of rest in between each length. My total time was about 20 minutes, including the rest time.

This is the third time that I've swam laps since the end of May, and the second time actually swimming a known distance, in a lane. I still do not feel like I am that strong of a swimmer, but I feel like I am getting stronger. I focus on efficiency—keeping my head down...my gaze at the bottom of the pool, not splashing about with each stroke, making sure I exhale in the water, before I come up for a breath, etc. I am getting there, slowly, but surely.

I am actually thinking of taking some lessons. Does anyone have experience with adult swim lessons? I'd be looking for something that might be an intro into swimming for triathlons, or something.

by Bryan at 2:17:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Snakes On The Run

Okay, snakes can't run, and there weren't snakes, just a single snake. But boy, did it have me moving quick to the other side of the trail!

Running Notes

6/17/2008:

• 5 miles @ 10:01/mile.
• Average HR 156 bpm.
• Ran this on a local greenbelt.
• The snake incident happened at the beginning of mile 5—it was coiled up on the trail as I can around a blind curve. It jumped. I jumped.
• Ran the final .25 mile at 7:27/mile pace.
• Experiencing some hip pain still on the outside of my right hip.

6/18/2008:

• 4 miles @ 10:04/mile.
• Average HR 152 bpm.
• Still have the hip pain, though not until some downhill sections.
• Added in a couple of striders during mile 4 @ 5K pace.
• Worked on finishing kick for the final .2 mile, first up to 1 mile pace, then beyond.
• Running fast feels good. Running slow doesn't.

The temperature is only 79°F this morning, but with the humidity it feels like 92°F.

In addition to my run yesterday, I also went to the gym in the late afternoon. I got on the bike for 20 minutes, doing the Alpine Pass program on level 7. I tried to maintain 100 rpm throughout (came pretty close). I then did some lower body strength training for the first time in weeks. My plan is to cross-train a little more between now and the end of July, which is when I officially start my half marathon training. If the plan holds, there will be a lot of the bike and strength training between now and then.

by Bryan at 11:24:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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2nd Annual Run For Dad Results

Julie and I ran the 2nd Annual Run For Dad 5K this morning in Fort Worth. For some reason, we were both very nervous about today's race. For Julie, I think it was due to some recent tough runs. For me, it was the memory of the Buffalo Boogie, where I blew up about half a mile from the finish and had to walk for a couple of short stretches. Either way, it had our stomachs knotted, and our heart rates elevated.

My goals for today's race were simple:

1. A new PR (sub 26:25)
2. Sub 27:30

I really felt like goal #1 should've been my 2nd goal, but I didn't want to get too greedy, and I didn't have a good sense of what goal #1 would've been in that case. I did look at a pacing chart last night, and again this morning, and I had somewhere between 8:05/mile and 8:15/mile pace in my head.

After getting up at 5:30 AM, taking a quick shower (who else showers before a race?), and taking care of other business, I had half an English muffin with peanut butter, some water, some Gatorade, and then we were off to the race.

This race was a point-to-point race, so our plan was to park somewhere in the middle, and jog/walk to the starting line. We arrived and parked with plenty of time to spare, and took a nice leisurely jog to the start. Once there, we picked up our timing chips, took a GU and some water, and I did some strides while Julie stood in line for the port-a-potty (this is usually my place right before a race). With just a couple of minutes to spare, we headed to the starting line.

Now, the race was being put on by a company that provides timing services for other races, so you'd think they'd pull out all the stops and at least have a timing mat for the start of the race, right? Wrong! Fortunately there were only 160 people entered, and while we weren't in the front few lines, we only lost a couple of seconds at the start. Anyway, back to the race...

The air horn sounded, and we were off! Initially, the course kicked uphill slightly, but not enough to be of any concern, and then we took a nice slight downhill towards the first mile marker. Within the first quarter of a mile I had separated from the crowd a bit, and settled into a nice rhythm—comfortably hard.

After the first mile marker, the road kicked back up a bit, but I was able to maintain my pace, and then cruised a nice downhill stretch. At around 1.25-1.5, I started hearing someone coming up behind me—nice and loud. It was a woman I remember seeing at the starting line who had commented that that this was going to be a fast race. She pulled ahead of me just a bit, and settled into the same pace. Had she not pulled just in front of me and then eased right into my pace, would I have gone faster through mile 2 and early in mile 3? It's hard to say. In the end she probably helped me as much as she slowed me down.

After a little uphill to the mile 2 marker, the course continued its nice downhill trend, and I was able to maintain a little faster pace, but still comfortably hard. Through a couple of flat stretches and a little uphill, we were finally coming into the last half mile. At this point I picked up the pace slightly, and pulled even with the lady who had previously passed me. I'll be honest, at the point, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to pass her or not. I couldn't tell how much she had left, and I didn't want to pass her too early, only to get "chicked" at the end.

As we rounded the turn into the final straight away, there were three of us running together, and another guy slightly up ahead. With just over a quarter of a mile to go I picked up the pace again, and surged ahead of the other two. This time I could tell that they were hurting, but they tried to hang on. Just ahead of the 3 mile mark, we caught the guy ahead of us, as he slowed to a walk. With a couple of words of encouragement for him, I kicked it to the finish.

My official time for the 2nd Annual Run For Dad 5K is 25:12. My splits were:

• Mile 1: 8:19
• Mile 2: 8:16
• Mile 3: 7:55
• Final .1: 0:41

I finished 4th in my age group, nearly 4 minutes out of 3rd place.

Julie had an awesome run, too, finishing with a new PR by a 1:16. Her time was 27:24! She also finished 4th in her age group, 34 seconds out of 3rd place. Way to go!

Official Run For Dad 5K Results

My Motionbased Stats

by Bryan at 12:22:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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A Day Of Rest

Wednesday ended up being an unscheduled complete rest day for me. The first such day in the previous 11 days, and only the second in the previous 24. Granted, I hadn't been running every day—I only run 4/5 times per week, mixing in strength training, yoga, swimming, or biking on the other days (mostly strength training)—but I was starting to feel a little sluggish.

Now, I am not the biggest fan of complete rest, but with the race coming up, and having had so little rest over the past 3 plus weeks, I figured it would be good for me. In addition to the rest, I suggested to Julie that we go out for some Tex-Mex and margaritas for dinner. (That is the one sure-fire way to ensure that I rest.) Of course I didn't have to twist Julie's arm for this!

So of we get home from work, change into some comfortable clothes, and head out to a local Tex-Mex joint for some good food and margaritas. Less than two hours later, I am completely miserable, stuffed, and wishing I'd had another margarita, instead of eating all of the refried beans and rice on my plate (for the record, I got grilled fish tacos on corn tortillas). After we got home, I stretched out on the couch and didn't move until it was time for bed.

The next morning, I knew I should stay off of the scale. There was simply no need to go anywhere near it, as it could only be bad news. But I couldn't resist. In a span of 24 hours, I went from 179 to 182. Mind you, I ate healthy the rest of Wednesday. Obviously there was some fluid retention, and I really try not to pay attention to the day to day fluctuations, but sometimes that's easier said than done. In the end, I think I've learned a valuable lesson: complete rest days are good, and so is Tex-Mex and margaritas, just don't do both on the same day. Next time, we'll save the Tex-Mex and margaritas for my long run day.

by Bryan at 10:55:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Where's My Speed?

Okay, I've got to know—how long were you guys running before you started getting some decent speed? Or were you already fast? I realize we're all built differently, but come on, I've got to have more speed in me by now, right?

Sure, I am getting faster. After all, I've set a new 5K PR every time I've attempted to set a new PR. And in the one race I didn't attempt it for myself, I paced Julie to a new PR, beating her week old PR by 8 seconds, on a hellacious course. And honestly, that meant more to me than any PR of my own. But I want to be faster!

On December 1st, 2007, I ran my first timed 5K in 31:15. On February 23rd, 2008, I ran my 2nd, with a PR of 28:45. On March 22nd, 2008, I ran my 3rd, with a PR  of 27:45. On April 19th, I ran my 4th 5K, setting another PR of 26:31. And finally, on May 10th, I set my current PR of 26:25. As you can see, I am faster, but I've also dropped 45 pounds since that first race on December 1st. I should be faster!

This Saturday Julie and I are racing the 2nd Annual Run For Dad 5K and Pancake Feed (for the exercise, of course), and I want another PR. But I am nervous. I am anxious. My last 5K hurt so bad. And I've had some tough runs over the last month. But my training has been consistent. I think I am prepared. I know I can't get a PR every time out, but I am not ready to not get one.

As a little test, I went out for an easy 5 this evening with Julie. With the route we chose, the first 3 miles were mostly uphill, and mile 4 was mostly downhill, after an initial uphill start. This would be a perfect test for this weekend's race, which starts off flat, with perhaps a little uphill, and is downhill to the finish. So the plan was to go out easy for the first 3 miles, getting nice and warmed up, and then do the 4th mile as a 1 mile time trial, finishing up with the 5th mile as a cool down. Here are my mile splits:

1. 10:52
2. 10:45
3. 10:35
4. 7:15
5. 11:11

I am happy with that 7:15, especially after already running 3 miles. I wonder how that will translate to 5K on Saturday morning? According to the McMillan Running Calculator I could be looking at 25:07, if all of the stars are aligned.

by Bryan at 11:01:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Another 11 Miles...On My Bike

Yesterday evening I was in need of some cross training, but I couldn't decide between a yoga class or a bike ride. A cool front had come through during the day, so instead of the typical mid-90s temperature, it was 70°F—perfect for a nice, leisurely bike ride. Of course, with this front came rain, or so the weathermen predicted. However, the radar told a different story, and it was decided—I was going for a bike ride.

I've been meaning to get out and ride my bike for quite some time, but for whatever reason, it keeps getting put off. I know riding the bike is great for cross training. I know it's perfect for running errands closer to the house. And we've been talking about getting our bikes tuned up forever, yet they continue to just sit there. Well, no more. I aired up the tires, found my helmet and gloves (definitely need some new gloves), strapped on my Garmin Forerunner 305, grabbed my camera (just in case), and headed out.

My first thought was to go ride all of the various hike and bike trails that run through our neighborhood. After all, I promised some folks in the neighborhood that I'd do that, and then provide maps of them all, so that they'd have accurate distance information. Then, at the last minute, I decided to ride my 11 mile running route from Sunday.

The ride itself was mostly easy, though there were a few hills, but those hills were much easier on the bike than on foot. I was simply enjoying being outside in the cooler weather, moving at a higher rate of speed than I was used to, and getting used to being on the bike again after such a long time away from it.

Traffic wasn't too bad, either. Sure, there were the cars that insisted on passing me half in my lane and half in the other lane, when they could've just taken all of the other lane (same direction). And there was the one car that came back into my lane a little too soon. I even made sure to follow the rules of the road, as if I was a car, and just like cyclists are supposed to do, which must've surprised one lady who was already stopped at a stop sign as I approached it. She just sat there, as if she expected me to fly right on through. I stopped, but had to wave her on before she moved. It's pretty sad that that is what motorists expect from cyclists.

All in all, the ride was 11 miles in 50:53. You can bet that I'll be getting out on the bike again, and soon.

by Bryan at 4:22:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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New Running Gear

On Saturday afternoon I ventured out to our local Luke's Locker for some new gear. I'm really not sure what I went there for, but I ended up with a pair of shorts, socks, hydration belt, and a bra—for Julie. I also picked up some Hammer Gels, which I'd never tried before.

The picture to the left is of my new pair of socks, Balega Hidden Comfort socks—they are awesome. I was a little nervous about using a new brand of socks on a long run, but I didn't even notice my feet on this run, which is a very good thing. I will definitely be picking up a few more pairs of these socks!

The next picture is of my new shorts, Nike Dri-FIT Distance 2-in-1. They're actually a light gray color, but the picture was taken after my run, and they are absolutely soaking wet (as in "just got out of the pool" wet). These shorts have a built-in boxer brief, which worked flawlessly in preventing chafing. And I've got to say, it was nice just running in shorts...no compressions shorts, no other garments.

The final picture shows the new hydration belt, Elite 1 Plus from Nathan Human Propulsion Laboratories. Unlike the handheld bottle that we have, this bottle does not leak, and it also comes with a small 5 oz. bottle that can hold gels. It also features an insulated holster, zippered pocket, and a shock cord with one-pull tension lock for securing a jacket or gloves.

by Bryan at 11:58:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Yes, I Sweat That Much

My alarm went off at 5:15 AM this morning, and by 6:15, I was out on my 11 mile run. It was only 81.2°F, 64.3% humidity, with a 14.2 mph wind. The run was pretty good—it certainly felt better than my first attempt at 11 miles, and even better than last week's 11 mile run, which wasn't too bad.

I didn't eat prior to my run, except for 1 Hammer Gel, right as I was heading out the door. I carried 20 oz. of Gatorade G2 with me, along with 2 Hammer Gel packets. I started sipping the G2 after 4 miles, consumed the first Hammer Gel at 5 miles, continued sipping G2 every couple of miles, as needed, and had the final Hammer Gel at 9 miles.

My run took 1:57:03, with an average heart rate of 158 bpm, with an average pace of 10:39/mile. For comparison, last week's 11 mile run took 1:56:53, with an average heart rate of 163 bpm, and an average pace of 10:38/mile. I also lost 5.5 lbs. of sweat.

by Bryan at 6:44:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Running Intervals In The Wind

First, let me clarify—it sucks. Big time. Last night, while doing my interval workout, I had the pleasure of 26-28 MPH winds, gusting to 40 MPH. 40 MPH! And of course the only time the wind let up even a little was when it was at back, never when it was in my face. So I did what any runner would do and I HTFU, and did my intervals. There was one saving grace—the temperature was only 90°F, with 48% humidity.

We've had this crazy wind for the last couple of days, and I knew ahead of time that it was going to be a challenge, so I googled for "running against the wind" and found a pretty recent blog post by Coach Jenny Hadfield, titled appropriately Running Against The Wind. In this post she addresses the challenges and benefits of running in the wind.

Back to my run...it was 3 x 800m with 400m recovery  jogs in between, plus a warm up and cool down for a grand total of 5 miles. After a 1.5 mile warm up, I proceeded to run my intervals in 3:51, 3:55, and 3:58, and then finished with another 1.5 mile cool down. I'll take it.

Oh, and before I forget...Julie and I registered for the 2nd Annual Run For Dad 5K, the Saturday before Father's Day. Unfortunately for us, the boys won't be able to do this with us (watch us, that is), because their mom is getting remarried on that day. That just means more pancakes for us! That's right, the race ends at a restaurant, where they will be serving pancakes to all of the runners. Sweet! We'll both be looking for one last PR at the 5K distance before taking the summer off from racing (that's the plan anyway).

by Bryan at 4:56:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Catching Up On Running

I was looking through my training log, and realized that I hadn't discussed much of it, other than to say it sucked, or that I did x number of miles. So I thought I'd run through the week:

• Tuesday, May 27: 5 miles in 50:08 (10:01/mile) - Avg HR 149 (relatively cool).
• Thursday, May 29: 5 miles total, including 1 mile warm up, 1 mile cool down, 3 miles Tempo (8:51, 8:45, 8:27).
• Friday, May 30: 4 miles in 40:20 (10:05/mile) - Avg HR 157 (hot, humid, and windy).
• Sunday, June 1: 11 miles in 1:56:53 (10:37/mile) - Avg HR 163 (warm, humid, and windy).

As you can see, my heart rate is not only dependent on effort, but also highly dependent on the weather, especially if I don't slow myself down in hot, humid, windy conditions.

You'll also notice that I attempted another 11 mile run. Unlike last week, I consider this one a success. I was able to run the entire distance, without any walking. I carried 20 oz. of water with me, and it lasted until the end (barely). I should mention that I was out the door and warming up by 6:40 AM Sunday morning. However, before I was even a few miles into the run, I was wishing that I had gotten started even earlier.

One last item to note: some of you may have noticed that I now have Twitter Updates listed on the front page of the web site, and that I've posted some of my running data there. I think that I am going to continue doing this with my runs, as it is a super easy and convenient way to quickly summarize my runs. I might even do a running only twitter feed.

by Bryan at 10:36:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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100 Mile Month

May has turned out to be quite the month for running. Last week I completed my first 30 mile week, and yesterday I put the finishing touches on my first 100 mile month (101.27 to be exact). I also had my first double-digit runs, with two 10-milers, and one 11-miler. Last, but not least, I ran the Buffalo Boogie on May 10th—my 3rd 5K race in 4 weeks. I set a new PR of 26:25 at the Buffalo Boogie, even though I had to walk 3 times between 2.6 and 2.8 miles.

May also saw some difficult times on the road, as I dealt with my first "injury" for the first couple of weeks—strained hip flexors. First it was my left hip flexor, and then it was my right.  The right hip flexor strain lingered on for what seemed like forever, and then one day the discomfort was gone. Of course, I tried to train through it, which I am sure just prolonged the discomfort.

I am not sure what the next two months hold for me, until I start my half marathon training, but over the next several months I am sure that I'll be looking back on May saying "remember when I only ran 100 miles in a month?"

by Bryan at 10:49:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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When The Sun Goes Down

This week's Take It and Run Thursday theme over at Runners' Lounge is Running In The Heat, and  here in Texas, we know a little bit about the heat (and humidity, and wind). Heck, some people like to say that we only have two seasons here: summer, and the rest of the year (which seems to amount to less and less time each year). Growing up, the heat never bothered me much, in fact it was something I was proud of...in a sick and twisted way, but whatever, that's a Texan for you...then I moved to Colorado.

While I was only in Colorado for just under two years, that was enough time to totally throw my body out of whack when it came to dealing with the heat (it might also have had something to do with gaining 50+ lbs). When I moved back to Texas, the heat that first summer was unbearable, and has continued to be unbearable ever since. I don't even venture out around downtown Fort Worth for lunch once we get into June!

Between 2002 and 2003, I dropped most of the 50+ lbs. that I gained after moving to Colorado, and it made little difference. I've now dropped another 50 lbs., and all of a sudden, I no longer have a permanent "winter coat." I actually get chilled sometimes, to my wife's amusement. So I've actually been looking forward to this summer, just to see how well I can handle the heat.

But that all came crashing down this past Sunday when I attempted my long run much later than I should have (10:30 AM instead of 6-7 AM), in the trio of heat, humidity, and wind. While I did complete the 11 miles, I had to walk quite a bit during the final 3 miles, including alternating running a walking every .1 mile for the last 1 mile. I also consumed about 60 oz. of fluids during the run, which is a lot more than I consumed on previous long runs (9 or 10 miles, but in much cooler and less humid weather).

It's obvious that I need to do something different if I am going to survive a summer of running. The obvious answer, as many people have pointed out, is to simply get out there and run in the heat, but slower, and for shorter distances. Within a couple of weeks I'll be acclimated. But what about my weekly long run, or my tempo run or intervals? I don't really want to shorten my long run, and I've got to do my speedwork--what do I do about those?

The answer so far has been to wait for the sun to go down and the temperatures to at least fall back to the low 80s, if not the 70s. Of course that might mean running at 10 or 11 PM, which isn't all that fun, and makes for a very late night--and not a happy wife. If only I could get myself out of bed and out the door between 5 and 6 AM!

Until I get acclimated, I'll be slowing down, wearing the lightest colored, most breathable clothing I own, slathering on the sunscreen (should always do this), and putting on the shades (helps keep those squint wrinkles from showing up so soon). I'll also be carrying water, or running in areas with reliable water fountains, and praying for a cooler than normal summer.

by Bryan at 7:09:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Runners' Hell

85.3, 62.5, 17.7. Can you guess what those numbers represent? Runners' hell, that's what. Actually, those numbers are the average temperature, humidity, and wind speed during my 11-mile run yesterday. You don't want to see the highs. It was hot, humid, windy, and it sucked! Runners' Hell.

I've decided that I can easily take one of the three, and on a good day, I can deal with two of the three, but three of the three? Forget it. I can honestly say that I haven't been so miserable on a run and looked so forward to it being over as I was and did yesterday. But I finished it. It required a fair amount of run/walks in the final 3 miles, but I did it.

Since I'm all about the numbers today, here are some more: 181.5 lbs. and 175.5 lbs. The first number is my weight when I got up yesterday. The second is my weight when I got home from my run. In between the two weigh-ins I ate half an english muffin with peanut butter, 1 banana, and consumed 60 oz. of fluids--and I was still down 6 lbs!

In the end, I covered the 11 miles along the Trinity Trails in a very pedestrian 2:11.03 (an average pace of 11:53). On the bright side, even on a miserable day it looks like I'll be able to cover my first half marathon in 2.5 hours or less.

by Bryan at 10:26:00 AM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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A Man Without A Plan

Here it is Thursday, and I am 4 days without a running plan. I finished up my 8-week Smart Coach program from Runner's World this past Sunday, and in a couple of months I'll be starting my official half marathon training program, but I've been at a loss for what to do until then. I've been running with a plan for as long as I've been running—nearly 8 months now! I admit, I feel a little lost.

All of this is not to say that I haven't been running, because I have—9 miles so far this week, with another 5 or 6 tonight, a few more tomorrow, and then I think an 11-mile long run on Sunday. But I need a plan. I need something to tell me what type of run I am doing, the pace of each run, when to run and when to rest... I just need something.

Over on Runners' Lounge, they have a feature called Ask Coach Kelly—so I did. I asked her what I should be doing between now and the end of July/first of August, based on my current level of fitness. I got a great (and fast) response, with all kinds of good information. In her response, she talks about periodization, and functional strength training (already working on this one with my strength training), targeting the potential muscular imbalances of runners and endurance athletes. She goes on to suggest 3 to 4 runs per week, and two strength training sessions per week, adding in cross-training as desired. All great information, with suggestions on some articles to read, but still no specific plan to follow.

Should I try designing my own plan for the rest of May, June, and July, or should I go back to what has worked so far? I could try the intermediate 10K program from Hal Higdon, or his advanced 5K program. Or I could generate another program from Runner's World's Smart Coach. Hmm...

by Bryan at 5:13:00 PM | Health and Fitness | Permalink
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Running Intervals

Last night I ran intervals, and that basically concluded my 8-week Runner's World Smart Coach Training Program. Sure, I am supposed to take today and tomorrow off, and then race on Sunday, but I raced this past Saturday, and 2 of the previous 3 weekends, too. Plus we'll be visiting with lots of family this weekend--hey maybe I'll organize a little family 5K fun run!

Anyway, I was saying...oh, yeah...yesterday was interval training day. Overall, it wasn't a really tough training day, just 3x800m @ 4:05, 400m recovery jogs, and a total mileage of 5 miles, including warm up and cool down. The only catch was that J had a baseball game at 6 PM, so I either had to get it in before the game, or later in the night, which really just meant that I might opt not to do it. So I headed up early to the ball fields, which are at one end of a really nice trail, and set out for my run.

I started off with a nice easy 1.5 mile warm up at a 10:46/mile pace, and the proceeded to run half mile intervals in 3:55, 3:54, and 3:46, with quarter mile recovery jogs in between (since I was on a trail, I set my Garmin to .5 mile/.25 intervals, rather than 800m/400m). I wrapped it all up with another 1.5 miles for cool down.

In total, I covered 5.25 miles in 54:41, with an average pace of 10:25/mile, and an average heart rate of 156. Not bad, huh?

by Bryan at 2:58:00 PM | Health and Fitness