Since January

Since I posted in January about my goals, I’ve done some running.

-No races (which I thought I’d have done one by now, but there’s one on the sched for Mar).
-Despite being crazy busy at work I’ve made it a point to get in at least 2 runs a week (albeit sometimes they’re only 3-5miles), though most weeks I’ve been sticking to my 4 run schedule.

-Also, as part of trying to be committed, I've taken to spending less time on Dailymile (which I know sounds backwards, but...). The way I see it, if I have time to dick around on the internet, then I have time to go out for another run, and I've been trying to use all my down time more wisely.-I’ve latched onto a small running group which is formed out of a locally owned running store, Tri State Running. I really like running with them, I’m not much of a talker while running, but I do like the “being around others” and I really like the water stops (I hate planting water, and hate carrying it even more). Though on longer runs I’m usually by myself, either no one likes me, or no one is my pace (not that I’m fast or anything, it’s usually 9:30-10:00 min/mile).
-Got me some sweet tights.
-Got me some Merrell Trail Gloves, love them, but when running the other morning in the rain I was being incredibly cautious down hill and it affected my stride. I was landing hard on my heel with my knee locked out?! and now my left knee feels a little...not right. So I’ve taken the past few days off of working out. I’m going to go at it tomorrow for a light run, then some bike work.

Preparing for this half marathon is confirming my concerns that there is no way I can train for a full marathon during the school year. I’m glad I decided to go with the half this Spring, and can then use the summer to prep for my Fall marathon, and the first few weeks of school will be taper anyway.

End of Year Review

So 2011 has just ended and it’s time to review the year. Overall, my year has been a good one (running wise).

• I’ve drastically improved my form.
• I’ve improved my 5k race time.
• I’ve ran in a race longer than 10k (Hudy 14k).
• I’ve made several double digit runs (pre-PF my longest run was 3.6mi).
• I’m more efficient in my trackwork.
• I remained (kinda) diligent in my runs, with the exception of when hurt myself, and then when I fell off the wagon after my daughter was born (good reason).
• I’ve amassed a decent amount of running gear.
• I’ve put in good ground work to reach my goal of racing a total of 50 kilometers by the time I’m 30 (six months from today).
• I’ve picked up on some of the nuances of running:
• --Know when to show up for a race
• --Know where to line up in the chute
• --Know to stash water on long runs
• --Know what to wear in what weather
• --Know to stretch and warm up
• --And so on
• I’ve run a total of 356 miles.
• And on top of it, I’ve had a lot of fun.

Outside of running my year has been good as well.

• I’ve graduated a class of excellent students.
• I’ve helped direct the school’s musical.
• I’ve had a great time with my wife and son (he and I had a blast this summer).
• I’ve potty-trained my son (for those parents out there, you know how big a deal that can be).
• I’ve made some new friends.
• And most importantly, I got to welcome my daughter into the world.

As big of a year that 2011 was for my running growth, I suspect 2012 will be even bigger. Despite the leaps and bounds of the past year, I still see it as ground work for a much larger plan. I have many goals for this year, some are carryovers from years past (as denoted by an *), and some are completely new.

• I will run the Flying Pig Half Marathon on May 6th.
• I will run the U.S. Air Force Marathon on Sept 15th.
• I will finish my goal of 50k of races run (I’m at 49k) before my 30th birthday.
• I will get my weight down to 215.*
• But an important part of the weight-loss is to do so while maintaining my muscle mass (I really don’t want to shrink).
• I will do more of my running in the morning (which means waking up when the alarm goes off).
• I will eat more healthily.
• I will help my wife get into running.
• I will improve my swimming technique.

I have a lot of big goals, but none of them are too lofty (except the waking up when my alarm goes off). But that’s common; I’ve always had high expectations, of myself and those around me. To help me track all of this work, I wrote an extensive training log on an excel-like Google doc (it's got a 5 star rating from 74 users...just saying). Any of you are welcome to use it, and if you have trouble with it, or need it modified, just contact me.

Those of you who take the time to follow this blog, thank you. And those of you who have sent comments and suggestions via e-mail thank you very much. And to you who has allowed me the time and money to focus on running (particularly those multi-hour long runs on Saturdays when you’d rather I stay home and do housework), thank you, and I love you.

Long Time Gone II - Mid-October to Thanksgiving

Then it got bad. I found out that one of my students is has a mass in his brain; so deep and so large it is impossibly inoperable. He’s handling it well, and has recently started aggressive chemo. But it is very scary.

When I found out that news, I hadn’t run in weeks since the Hudy 14k. But after hearing it I needed a release, and my stress eating was starting to show (several nights my dinner consisted of a pint of Greaters and 2 cans of Diet Dew). So I laced up my shoes and went for a run. And I have got to say, I’ve never outright cried on a run before. I’ve had my eyes tear up from wind or cold, but never had I bawled whilst running.

I don’t know what to do, I wonder if I’m more frightened then the student or his classmates. I’ve been beating myself up over this too much, and the worst part is that fact that there’s nothing I can do. The sense of helplessness that cancer brings, is something ‘younger me’ didn’t comprehend when my grandmother went through it all those years ago. We’ve met with him, he’s visited school, and I’ve even had the class Skype with him during class after his first day of chemo. Even without the knowledge from being briefed by his mom and the hospital staff; I know this kid, this 13 year old kid has a very long, very hard road ahead of himself.

That being said, I haven’t been on my blog lately, and have spent just as little time on Dailymile. I hope to get back into things, just as I’ve gotten back into the running. It’s odd, the things that serve as catalysts in our lives.

Tomorrow I run in a 5k fundraiser for my own school. I'd like to run a fast time, but I'm happy just getting back into it. Hopefully, I post a race result sometime sooner than 4 months.