Fat Kid 2012 Year in Review & 2013 Preview (Mike)

2012 has come and will soon be gone.  The fitness goals that were made at the beginning of the year proved dreamlike in hindsight given the nature of the year.  I spent the first 9 months traveling and working in Ohio.  I had a mysterious foot injury in July that crippled me for about a month.  And in December, I just lost interest.

                                     2012 Goals                 2012 Actual
                                   Run     250 miles         Ran         91 miles
                                   Bike 2,000 miles         Biked    422 miles

I started the year weight 220lbs, down 10lbs from my heaviest powerlifting weight.  During the year, I managed to get as low as 199lbs, but then got slothful to end the year and now weigh around 210lbs.  I'd like to drop another 20lbs this year, but would be satisfied just getting under 200lbs and staying there.

Part of my drastic shortfall is the result of a shift in goals spurred by my desire to add swimming to my athletic abilities.  I managed to swim 17.53 miles this year; not great, but not bad for a guy who could barely swim 50 yards at the beginning of the year.  The year also saw me set my best 10k time of 1:00.34 at The Great Race in Pittsburgh.  We had great family 10k's this year in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and were lucky enough to have some of Emily's friends join us on both.  Matt and I also completed the Great Greenbrier River Race in Marlinton, WV and I managed to complete the Capital City Challenge in Charleston, WV once again.

Given my inability to reach past goals, you'd think that I'd set a more conservative tone for 2013...not my style.  I'm sure the year will provide many priority shifting events, but predicting them is impossible so I'll set my sights high and adapt.

2013 Goals
Run        200 miles
Bike    1,500 miles
Swim       30 miles

We have not yet picked any 10k races for 2013 and the future has yet to be defined in terms of my job functions post stationing in Killbuck, Ohio.  Why not start the year with some optimism?

Fat Kid to Triathlete - Week 3 (Mike)

Weight:  199.8

Swimming
Short Swim:  .65 mile - 30.41
Long Swim:   .88 mile - 42.40
                   1.53 mile - 1:12.21
Cycling
Short Ride:   13.81 miles - 1:05.39 (Mt. Alpha (2))
Long Ride:   28.39 miles - 1:51.07
                    42.20 miles - 2:56.46
Running
Short Run:     3.34 miles - 0:33.24
Long Run:     0.00 miles - 0:00.00
                    3.34 miles - 0:33.24

Swimming:  I can do it....now I just need to figure out how to do it faster
Cycling:  I said last week that I don't sweat it...now I'm not so sure.  I've done plenty of riding, but 24 miles in a TT is a little more continuous and harder riding than I normally go at it.  Friday's ride left me tired and sore.
Running:  Yeah, it sucks.  Despite my progress, I still struggle to find motivation to get in a good long run on Sunday and my mid week run has gotten cut each of the last two weeks in favor of keeping my short bike ride.  After a week of swimming and cycling, I'm tired and just have to push to get out there.

Week 4 is a week to tapper back, but Weeks 4 and 5 are going to be cut to work obligations....it was bound to happen.

Fat Kid to Triathlete - Week 2 (Mike)

Weight: 200.0

Swimming
Short Swim:  .57 mile - 27.01
Long Swim:   .85 mile - 40.45
                   1.42 mile - 1:07.46
Cycling
Short Ride:    9.48 miles - 0:42.34 (Job Corps)
Long Ride:   23.88 miles - 1:34.55
                    33.36 miles - 2:17.29
Running
Short Run:     2.21 miles - 0:21.12
Long Run:     0.00 miles - 0:00.00
                    2.21 miles - 0:21.12

Yes, I've lost 8lbs since prior to the Capital City Challenge Tri, but do I really look that much different?  People keep telling me how good I look, but its not like losing 8lbs cured me of leprosy or anything...  The trip to Pittsburgh last weekend for the Great Race 10k pushed everything back a day and left me with the decision to either skip my short run or long run.  I decided to start moving today and make my decision on the fly.  Colder weather and foot pain helped make it an easy decision.  I try to be better at something every day in life in general, but also in training....some days that just means resting and taking care of my feet.  I've gotten better every day - its been a great start.  And I've held up pretty well the first two weeks until dealing with a little foot pain this weekend.  So, I've spent plenty of time icing and wearing my splints so hopefully next week will be fine.  I don't sweat the cycling.  I've shown a lot of progress in swimming.  Running sucks.  Do work.

Pittsburgh and The Great Race - Review

PTR spent last weekend travelling north to Pittsburgh for the Great Race 10k. This is the least I have prepared for a race in recent memory. Letting the leg heal had been my first priority after running the Parkersburg Half.
Mike and I got into town Saturday afternoon and picked up Mary to fetch our race packets. The traffic was fairly heavy, and navigating the South Side proved too much a task for me. After lunch, we met up with Emily at the Renaissance Hotel on 6th St. Accessing our rooms on the mysterious 12th floor proved arduous. Once that was completed a pre-dinner nap was necessary to recover from the drive. Honorary PTR members Stacey and Jess met up with us for dinner in a square not far from the hotel. We enjoyed an impromptu rap concert while dining outside at Diamond Market Bar and Grill. Perhaps foolishly, I chomped on some ribs for my pre race dinner. I care not; with full stomachs we strolled back to the hotel for a good night's rest. Or so we intended. The freaking Pirates decided to blow every last firework in the Zambelli Brothers inventory in an hour and a half long fireworks display that ended around midnight. Not the best recipe for the evening before a race.
Undaunted, we woke up and did our morning race routine. A long shuttle line led us to the starting line in Frick Park where porta-john stops were taken. We got a before race picture to remember the time we thought this would be a good idea.

Thumbs up, let's do this!

Morning-of jitters over, I jogged to loosen up the muscles a little. Then, we settled into a starting position somewhere in the middle the 8,000 odd racers. Once the race started it took us about four minutes to reach the start line. The crowds were similar to those we faced in Richmond and Atlanta at the Monument Ave 10k and the Peachtree 10k, respectively. Weaving in and out of racers was a race long issue. I used the sidewalk extensively in the first two miles, and narrowly avoided landing on someone running on the street when merging back into traffic. Within the first mile, I could tell I had re-aggravated the torn cartilage in my right leg. However, it was difficult to tell how hurt I was at the time. I continued running but tried to alter my gait so as to minimize the pain.
The course itself was nice and scenic. It rolled, but featured mainly downhill sections from start to finish. The first half proved the easiest in terms of elevation. Once we reached the Boulevard of the Allies, the heavens opened. Rain started casually at first, but it intensified as I looked down off the bridge and at the Monongahela River. Miles 5 to 6 were the toughest in terms of elevation. My pace dragged significantly, though the aching leg and side stitches might have contributed to that as well. Below is a race map and my split times.

Keep rolling, rolling, rolling.

Third Mile Lucky

Soggy, injured, and a bit delirious I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 48'32". That was 3 minutes off my Cleveland time, but I was just happy to finish this one. Mike posted an all time best at seconds over an hour. All our times are listed below.

        

After a shower and slight rest we went out (I hobbled) for brunch. We lucked out by finding an interesting and delicious spot called Nola on the Square, which specializes in New Orleans style fare. Beignets, french toast, steak and eggs, fried chicken, etc. were what I can recall of the food. It was all enough to send Mike and I into a deep slumber back at the hotel. We rested up for a dinner that felt like another good call. Meat and Potatoes didn't seem to feature much of the latter, but still didn't disappoint. Lamb, flatbreads, burgers, and pasta filled us up and perhaps more than replenished the race calories. It was a tasty end to a rainy weekend in downtown Pittsburgh and one of the largest 10k races we've participated in to date. We came, we saw, we participated.
My stupidity will likely make this the end of a busy race year. It started fast and furious for me, but has ended with a deafening whimper. To avoid permanent injury I'll put the Nike's on the shelf for 2012 and stare longingly out the window like a dog whining for a walk. Boo-hoo, pity party, etc. Oh well, at least there are fall festivities and the holiday season to come.

Fat Kid to Triathlete - Week 1 (Mike)

Weight: 206.4

Swimming
Short Swim:  1/2 mile - 23.26
Long Swim:   3/4 mile - 38.26
                   1.25 mile - 1:01.52
Cycling
Short Ride:   13.71 miles - 1:00.18 (Mt. Alpha)
Long Ride:   20.50 miles - 1:24.50
                    34.21 miles - 2:25.08
Running
Short Run:     1.81 miles - 18.05
Long Run:     6.28 miles - 1:00.34 (Great Race 10k)
                    8.09 miles - 1:18.39

Since my 400lb bench press days, I've dropped about 24lbs of body weight.  Everything was still a struggle until dropping under 210, but this week was full of new personal best results.  Yes, I am exhausted, but completing this first week is very encouraging.  At this point, I can complete each leg of a tri individually (except maybe the swim), but need to work on piecing it all together.  My swim times need to come down and that will be the greatest challenge....I also can't hardly imaging doing the 10k run I did today after a .9 mile swim and 24 mile bike.  But, time and a chip on my shoulder are all I need.  And staying injury free.

Injury and Healing

Well it's been a long time since running the Parkersburg Half. I have not filled that time with running. Why, you might ask? The diagnose came about three weeks ago from a family physician that I tore some cartilage between the tibia and fibula of my right leg. That's what inadequate training prior to a long run, like a half marathon, gets you. I've spent most of September on the couch or out walking the neighborhood, wishing I was one of a handful of people I see running the sidewalks. I even had to sit out the 2012 Capital City Challenge that I help promote with a great race committee.
But no more! With the Pittsburgh Great Race on the horizon I felt it was time to test the leg. It held up reasonably well to a three miler last night (9/24). This lends hope to completing the 10k come Sunday. Mike has been triathlon training and will incorporate the race into his regiment. Here's hoping the rest of the Harmon clan and company are ready for the weekend. With injuries overcome/averted it should be a blessed weekend of exercise, entertainment, and food.
Andiamo!

Parkersburg Half Marathon - Review

As improbable as it may have been, I managed to finish the Parkersburg Half last Saturday without walking. A consistent, steady pace helped me overcome a lack of preparation, and I was able to trump my only other half marathon experience from two years ago in the Marshall University Half Marathon. Back in November 2010, I was confident in my training and let out of the gate at my normal 10k pace. This proved disastrous late in the race when I pulled up and walked the entirety of mile 12. That was a mistake I wisely avoided this time around.
Though I missed out on crucial training, I made sure that the day before race day went by the book. This consisted of filling up at the pasta dinner and getting a solid nine hours of shut eye. I booked a hotel just north of town to avoid driving an hour and half from Charleston the morning of the race. That was the best decision I could have made. For breakfast I downed a Powerbar two hours before the start. Then, I jogged around the hotel room to loosen up a bit (weird, I know). I packed up and drove down to the start where I was greeted by the Parkersburg High band (I'm assuming).
Then, it was race time. The weather was a beautiful mid-60s with overcast skies. I began at a trot and only slowly passed those in my vicinity. I used the Nike+ GPS app on my phone to track the run, which started fairly accurately, but wound up overestimating my distance by a mile at the end of the race. The first three miles felt great. I kept my pace steady and enjoyed the views, crossing a bridge to leave downtown and hit more rural scenery. I was warned by locals the night before that there wasn't much to see along the course. While true, at least it wasn't an ugly looking route.
After two miles right at an 8'40" pace, I dropped to 9'17" on mile three due to some inclines. I polished off the first 10k around 55 minutes. My mantra during this section was "save it for the back half". I felt like I could easily pick up the pace, but again, I didn't want to commit the error of overestimating my endurance. By the time I entered the 7-10 mile range my mantra changed to "save it for the home stretch."
After mile 10, I hit the proverbially wall. The feeling is almost indescribable, but I'll give it a go. No single muscle, bone, or joint aches, but the body itself hurts. Your brain thumps away. Your mouth is dry and stomach empty, but you don't want food. All you want is to stop. That's where the kind organizers of this race decided to stick a steep incline. On mile 12 you run for less than 0.2 miles up a hill that stopped at least half of the people I was running with. It reduced much of the field to walking. Somehow I managed to summit it. After doing so, I knew I had to drag my limp corpse all the way to the finish.
Even after that, I did want to walk, but made it to a straight-away where I could see the finish line. It's common sense that you can't pull up in sight of the finish line. But neither could I gas it up for a dramatic finish. A couple hot shots behind me decided to do that and sprinted past me at the line. Whatever guys. Enjoy the added soreness from taking 299th place instead of 300th. Groggily, I walked forward and was donned with my finishers medal.
Then came the best part of the day. I shuffled to a small leafy area with stone seating and chugged a water and some Powerbar gel. Sitting there reflecting on what I just did and knowing that somewhere people were rolling over in their beds sleeping the morning away felt pretty sweet. Without serious training I had ran thirteen miles nonstop.
Here's how ugly I looked after 13 sweaty miles:

Get the stretcher ready

My final stats for the run were as follows:

Distance - 13.1 miles. Net time - 1:54:30. Avg. pace - 8:44/mile.

Parkersburg Half, Hope or Delusion?

I remarked a couple weeks ago that I signed up to run the Parkersburg Half Marathon on August 18, 2012. Back then, I probably figured there was enough time to run a few 10ks and maybe a longer 8-10 miler. Alas, sickness laid me on the couch for the entirety of last week. Not a single mile was logged. When training for the Charleston Distance Run in previous years I went to great efforts to prepare. I ran the Corridor G hill numerous times, slowed my pace, adjusted to the late summer heat. This race will enjoy no such preparation. My only hope is that rest has refreshed my legs and they will be able to endure the physical strain. It is likely that this hope is unjustified. I trotted out a comfortable 5 miler yesterday and felt well enough. Then, I remembered just how daunting it would be to trek an extra 8 miles, with uphill sections. Apparently the toughest hill at the Parkersburg Half is at mile 11. Why anyone would subject runners to such misery late in a race is beyond reason. This may very well turn into a dual event for me: a 10k run and a 10k walk. At least then I'll be able to enjoy lovely Parkersburg, WV on a mild summer morning.
Race week preparation always stumps me. It's difficult to know how much I should push for a little more training and what is merely opening me up to injury. For this race though more preparation seems little better than folly. I've already gotten this deep without doing the necessary work. I'll likely take the pain come Saturday and then rest up for the remainder of August.

Running in the Morning

The Stats 7/29/12 - 8/4/12
7/31/12: 2.12 mi; 15'50"; 7'27" avg. pace
8/2/12: 2.55 mi; 19'24"; 7'35" avg. pace
8/4/12: 3.17 mi; 27'47"; 8'45" avg. pace

I think I spent this entire week planning on running in the morning. Going to sleep with that on my mind did not prove helpful. It took until Tuesday evening to hit the pavement when I managed a short 2 miler. The heat probably played a role in stopping me before I could complete a 5k circuit, but also my conditioning is noticeably off. The second mile was nearly a full minute slower than the first on this run.
Thursday, my resolve to wake up and run finally won out. Although this run was also shy of 3 miles I improved my pace as the run progressed. That may be due to the nature of a morning run; you tend to wake up as you break a sweat. Feeling good about making it out Thursday morning had me wanting to repeat the effort Friday. Unfortunately, the snooze button proved irresistible and I left the training to the weekend.
The morning run on Saturday was atop lovely Snowshoe Mountain. Challenging inclines slowed me down as I just tried to make sure to dodge injury. I switched from the Newton's earlier in the week to my Nike Structure shoes on Saturday. I fear that they have all but lost their tread and cushioning though. Running in my Newton's has put stress on my left foot, mainly in the arch. I suspect that I'm actively stretching the foot with each strike instead of keeping the foot more or less straight during impact. The game plan going forward is to strike the ground evenly and not push off with the toes. We'll see how that goes.

Chillin' among the wild animals of the mountain

In event news, I've signed up for the Parkersburg Half Marathon on August 18th. Why? I'm not really sure other than because a friend asked me to do it and I had nothing on the calendar. I'm certainly not in shape for it, but if I wreck my body I'll have a month to prepare rest up for the Capital City Challenge. Oh boy.

Project Rebuild Mike (Mike)

After 6 weeks of inactivity, I mowed grass today.  This is what followed:

Not really any pain, but regular icing will likely become part of my lifelong preventative maintenance.

Assuming I work my way out of the flu bug that's plagued me all week, I hope to get back in action next week.  I'll probably focus on cycling and swimming to regain some strength before easing my way back into pounding any pavement.

I've also been considering getting back in the gym to lift maybe a day a week; nothing major or too heavy.  Then I learned that Corey now has a bench press in excess of 365lbs.  (sigh)  This is the 3rd time I've taken a 2 year break from heavy weightlifting and I don't know if I have any desire to put that stress back on my body again.  But....I'm not sure how I'll react if my 390lbs bench press record and title of Triana's Strongest Man goes down. .... "huh? Oh, Corey benched 385 today....hey Henry, I think I can absorb his work responsibilities...what do you say we eliminate that position?"  Ha ha ha, joking ...  probably

Third Time Lucky

The Stats 7/22/12 - 7/28/12
7/24/12: 4.79 mi; 38'01"; 7'56" avg. pace
7/26/12: 3.00 mi; 27'40"; 9'12" avg. pace
7/28/12: 2.87 mi; 20'40"; 7'11" avg. pace

Well it felt extremely good to get out three times in a week again. I feel like that has been my baseline activity for running since 2009. That trend was interrupted for basically the entire month of June and most of July. Furthermore, all the runs were all pain free, though not free from the scorching heat. Tuesday's run was an attempt at hitting up a 10k. That distance proved elusive and I settled for a bit short of five miles. Energized by a lack of pain, I started at a pace in the low 7 minutes per mile. That turned into 8 minute miles on the third and fourth mile. I became sluggish, even on my flat neighborhood course, and figured walking out a cool down would leave open the rest of the week to training.
The recovery from Tuesday's run went well and left me ready to head out again Thursday evening. I met up with a friend, and her boyfriend's dog, for a run along the Kanawha. It was in the mid-to-upper 90s, temperature wise, so this run could was only going to last so long. I got in a little stair work, running up the steps between the two levels on the boulevard. Sometimes you have to make sure you can still climb. 10k organizers love to through hill sections into their routes. The dog needed periodic breaks in the river (and multiple pee stops), but easily outpaced us when running. Even at a more comfortable 9 minute mile pace, I was ready to shut it down after hitting 3 miles.
Coming back out Saturday morning was what capped this off as a good week in running. I needed some energy to get ready for a good friend's wedding later that evening. Although a touch shy of 3 miles, I kept a good pace around the 'hood in my new Newton's. The first mile clocked in at 6'55". I fell off slightly to 7'10" in the second mile, and the third would have been in the low to mid 7 minute range had I finished it. I attribute this boost in pace to significantly cooler weather. Still, it makes me feel like I can handle the Capital City Challenge and Pittsburgh Great Race, which are lurking around the corner in September. One month of training, a few more 10ks, a handful of rides, and perhaps a kayak outing in August will set the stage. Bring it!

Returning to Form

The Stats 7/16/12 - 7/21/12
7/17/12: 5.0 mi.; 45'00"; 9'00" avg. pace
7/21/12: 3.17 mi; 22'55"; 7'13" avg. pace

I made it out the door twice last week as the healing period continues. A reversion to the padded Nike Triax Structure shoes made it easier to trust my form. I kept my strides short and avoided pounding the pavement to keep the stress off of the knee joints. It paid off in the form of little to no pain following each run. Tuesday I managed to wake up early and run the boulevard with help from a friend who agreed to brave the early morning hour. Some talking and striding can help the miles go by without constant contemplation on form, breathing, etc. It's a reminder that if you're not having fun running, you're doing something wrong. Also, if you're willing to sacrifice an hour or so of sleep, the morning temperatures will reward you during the summer. Were it not for a bum knee, my summer might have been filled with morning runs. Beating the sun kept me relatively cool and it's always a great way to wake up. You get the feeling that if you can drag yourself out of bed and sweat out some miles, there is no challenge that can get you down the rest of the day. So that's my endorsement for morning running.
Saturday, which is usually a longer running day, I took it easy with a 5k around the neighborhood. I hadn't ran my full "go-to" route in a while without stopping due to pain. Thus, this standard run felt empowering. Wounds do heal if you stick around, have patience, and use good sense.

Tour des Chaussures

The Stats 7/8/12 - 7/15/12
7/10/12 (Cycle): 15.25 mi; 57'35"; avg. pace -15.9 mph
7/11/12: 1.5 mi; 11'17"; 7'07" avg. pace

To mix up the cardio, and because it's Tour de France month, I took the road bike for a spin on Tuesday. I kept to the flats and left the hills for a day when I'm feeling a bit more like Tommy Voeckler. The change up was a welcome relief to my knee. I can foresee sticking with cycling years after my joints cry out for mercy from all the road running. But while I still have the motivation and ability to run, I"m going to try to lessen the impact on those joints. That is part of the reasoning behind experimenting with a variety of shoe styles. In my desire to get the  most minimal feel, without looking weird, I picked up a pair of Merrell Barefoot Shoes (pictured below):

Calf killers

These are the puppies I took for a test drive on Wednesday. They have a soft mesh upper and some rubber tread. There is no padding in the back or the heel, which is meant to encourage that more even foot fall that everyone is raving about. I intentionally tried to keep from heel striking for the first mile of the run. Unlike on most runs, I could feel my calves getting sore as I progressed. Near the end of the run, I resorted to heel striking to take the pressure off those muscles. Yes, it was pain free peace for the joints, but these shoes will tear your calf muscles to shreds if you run full force in them the first time out. Six days later I could still feel the residual soreness. Lesson learned: ease into minimalist running shoes. Not taking that advice basically had me couch bound for the rest of the week. That's not a bad place to be during Tour month though. The tv coverage has plenty of chateaux, countryside, and cows. Oh yeah, and cycling.

This Year Sucks (Mike)

Assuming you read the title to this post, you're aware it's not going to be full of a lot of ra-ra aint training grand and all my goals are in sight kind of talk.  It's not and all my year-long goals are now well out of reach.  Ah, but you knew that.  So, maybe, you're here to read about my misfortunes and revel in my demise.  For shame.

This year has been one of the most challenging of my thirty-three (yeah, I'm old - what of it?).  Working part of every week out of town has made me mix up and maintain a flexible training schedule....flexibility, something I lack physically and don't enjoy in my training.  I'm very routine.  I know...how boring.  But, I like to compare training data and find a good routine gives me more comparable results to test.  Yes, I get too involved in my numbers for a fat kid that sucks.  Now comes the cerise sur le gateau - I got the gout!  Yeah, gout.  For those who don't know what gout is:  it's a kind of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in blood and causes joint inflammation.  It's a very painful condition that doctors equivalate on the pain scale to child birth.  Not fun.  I was down all last week and spent Thursday - Sunday on the couch essentially immobile.  I'm on medication now and improving, but likely out of action for several more weeks.  And it's the worst time of year to be down...July...Tour de France time.  So I sit and watch each stage of the Tour in agony wishing I could be out on my bike getting in some good exercise.  It makes me mad.  Side story:  when I was in my early teens playing baseball my mother was being an absolute annoyance one day at the ball field and I finally asked "what's your deal?"  Her response:  "you play better when you're mad."  Thanks mom...I think I hit two homeruns that day.  Well, I'm mad.  So when I come back from this bout of misfortune, expect a strong effort.  Like I said last week, I'm ready to come out of this thing like Lance Armstrong with one testicle...but with two.  I devised the training schedule posted below.  Most certainly, I will not keep to it as I always overshoot, but let's see how it goes.  I struggle to perform any cardio functions in the mornings, but hope I can mix in some short runs to get active and get my days going.  A good month for me is usally 20 miles running and 100 miles on the bike and now I'm trying to get all that running and 60% of the cycling done each week, plus a couple swim sessions!  Too ambitious.  Not realistic.  I at least need a rest day built in here somewhere....most likely I'll combine Saturday and Sunday and alternate with either a Long Ride or 10k Run and take either Saturday or Sunday off each week.  But, as I sit on the couch and dream of healthier days...any fraction of this schedule would be better than where I sit now.

To the healthy I say, get out and enjoy your good health.  It is a blessing and fortune.

Mountain Escape

The Stats 7/1/12 - 7/7/12
7/7/12: 3.00 mi; 24'08"; 7'52" avg. pace

Thanks and welcome to Krystle for getting in on the run blogging excitement last week! I checked the blog stats afterwards and saw a huge spike in page views from her friends, so that's encouraging. The family is planning on Pittsburgh's Great Race being our next joint 10k race, which should be fun as the Pirates could be making a push for the MLB playoffs in September. Hey, anything is possible.
I had another relatively tame week. The pain in my knee has almost completely vanished, but between having no power at my house until July 4th, car problems, staggering heat outdoors, and the Tour de France on tv, there has been precious little incentive to run. However, I did manage to clock one run for the week after making the trip up to lovely Snowshoe Mountain for their Homegrown Arts and Music Festival. I broke out the Newton's once again to try to continue strengthening my feet and calf muscles. Oddly, I put more stress on the middle of my left foot than my right when running in zero incline shoes. My stride differs between feet apparently; I can even see it on the treads of my Nike's where the right foot turns inward and thus wears out the tread on the outside of the shoe. The left shoe displays a more evenly spread wear pattern. Anyway, I hit up a 3 miler on the mountain from Top of the World parking lot past the Village and back. It was an undulating run, but I left the drastic inclines that stretch down to Silver Creek and back for another trip. Below is a graph showing my pace dropping with the inclines after a steady first mile and a half. The pace bottoms out near the end of the run due to a lack of recent training and a slight pain in the left knee (I hate you knee joint!).

It was good to breathe in the mountain air and escape 100 degree heat during the run. In the morning it was below or around 80 degrees with a slight breeze. I don't think we'll sniff temperatures like that in Charleston for another month or two. It wasn't the best run, but it got the endorphins flowing, which is nice. So that's the story for now: no glory, no returning to form, a lot of waiting and hoping to get back to 3 or 4 runs a week. Oh, and some fireworks:

Pop, pop!

From Smoker to Avid Runner (Krystle)

Good morning to the blogging world – I guess it’s about time that I add my story to the family running blog. I’m cousin to Matt – the founder of the blog – and I owe my introduction to running to his charming sister, Emily. In short, this will be a brief story on how I went from smoker to avid runner in the course of a few short years.

A couple of years ago, around 2008, if you asked me to join you for a run or to participate in a foot race, I simply would have told you that “running is against my religion.” I hated running and saw no purpose to it. But that was all soon to change. I was, at that time, a light smoker, though I am ashamed to admit it. I moved to Charleston, WV the summer of 2008 and happened to get extremely ill – in part to my disgusting habit. Saving the gruesome details, that included but are not limited to a spinal tap and a bronchoscopy, I opted to quit smoking and attempt a healthier lifestyle. Emily was completing a rotation in Charleston at this time and she suggested that I join the cousins and aunts in their newest endeavor: to run a 10K in every state. Frantic to give anything a try that would prevent such a harrowing experience from occurring again, I told her that I would join. To keep me to my word, she kindly informed me that there was the Richmond, VA Monument Ave 10K the following March and I could either “train and do well, or not and be miserable,” but I was running the race regardless. I took her advice to train, which proved rather difficult with my recovering lungs.

On March 31, 2009 I completed my very first 10K with a bib time of 1:16:34. Since this race, I have ran four more 10Ks (still needing to catch up on some states that were run before I joined the group), and until recently this was my best time. I did not take training seriously, and honestly I still hated running. Instead of being something that I saw as pointless, it came to signify the improvement my lungs had made since that fateful day on July 22, 2008. And yet, I was still not a fan. I slowly made my way through three more 10Ks, trying to convince myself that maybe it wasn’t all that bad. I trumped up my lack of training to being “too busy in graduate school” to take the time out to run - the excuse “I have a thesis to write” came out of my mouth more than I care to admit.

But then my outlook changed in March 2012. The history department at the University of Kentucky hired a new staff member, Bridget Ash, who happened to be a dedicated runner. I had a slight habit of marketing myself as a runner, despite my clear dislike of it and lack of actual runs. I, of course, did not hesitate to inform her of my imaginary status. At this time, I had already signed up for the Cleveland Experience 10K (as described in Matt’s post), and decided that maybe I should actually *try* to run the whole race. I told her my goal for the 10K and she offered to train with me. I put it off and put it off, constantly claiming that my time was much too slow for her. She finally roped me into running with her one evening after work. She assured me that I was faster than I thought because surely all the swing dancing I did put me in good shape. Well, as much as I hate to admit it, she was right. We went out and did four miles at a pace that was two minutes faster than my best recorded time. I continued to train with her, keeping my new 9:30 pace, and became more and more determined to run the Cleveland race in its entirety. Eventually, Bridget convinced me that if I could run the 10K in its entirety, then what’s to keep me from training for a half marathon. At this point, I thought, “What the heck?! If I can do this, LET’S train for a half!”

Unfortunately, the week of the race, I did something stupid. Very stupid. In a fit of idiocracy, I decided that it was a very good idea to attend a swing dancing aerial practice, and instead of keeping to a move that I was sure I could tackle (it’s similar to one I already know), I attempted one that was beyond my abilities. When I was supposed to do a round-off over the lead's head, I did a cartwheel causing me to land on my ankle in a not-so-pleasant manner. I heard the “pop” and just sat there angry with myself. My ankle was wrapped for the days to follow and I could not move it very well. To say that I sprained it may, in fact, be an understatement. I iced it every chance I got, kept it wrapped, and took it as easy as possible, which for someone as active as me is hard to do. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to run the race that was a mere four days away.

Well, May 20, 2012 came as surely as the dawn. I had spent the previous day judging how well I could walk and move my ankle. By this point, it only hurt if I flexed it in one particular manner, which I did not think would happen in the race. I admit with pride that I am a very stubborn person, and I refused to give up on this race. At the start line, I remember thinking “Oh no, my ankle is still a little stiff.” But as soon as I heard the starting gun, I was off. I finished the race with my fastest 10K time (59:42:00) and my fastest recorded mile (9:07). I even beat Mike (just don’t let him know I’m still bragging)!

This was only the beginning. I returned to Lexington and started on my half marathon training. I decided that I would set my first half a year out, aiming to participate in the Derby City Marathon and Half that is held in Louisville, KY every year as part of the Kentucky Derby celebrations. This plan lasted a few weeks. As I started training more and more (with Bridget’s kind assistance), I talked myself into moving the date of my first half up six months. I am now signed up to run the Iron Horse Half Marathon in Midway, KY on October 14, 2012.

Thus far, my training has been right on schedule. Lucky for me I have beautiful landscape to help me through the long miles. Yesterday, Sunday, July 1, I ran my first consecutive 9 miles. Bridget and I started our route in the parking lot of Keeneland Horse Park and continued out the back gate to the terrain of secluded country roads and beautiful horse farms. Today and tomorrow will be spent as “rest days,” which are built into my schedule, and I will use them to help me prepare to race the Bluegrass 10K on Wednesday, July 4. Hopefully I will be able to post with new record times.

Until then, I hope you all enjoyed my long-winded story. Chao.

Storms Behind, Storms Ahead

The Stats 6/24/12 - 6/30/12
6/25/12: 2.51 mi; 18'34"; 7'23" avg. pace
6/27/12: 2.04 mi; 15'04"; 7'22" avg. pace
What started as a promising week with two runs in the first three weekdays turned into another rather restful week. It may be what is required to get this $#@# knee back to health, but it's frustrating and stressful not to be able to release some energy via running. Monday's run was the first in my new Newton's. The shoes held up well, and while I could tell the extra cushioning upfront is trying to make me run more on the front of my foot I still reverted to a flat strike for most of the run. It's difficult to undo years of heel striking with heavily padded shoes. As for the knee, it still twinged throughout the run and prompted a shutdown before reaching my standard 5k mark for training runs.
The recovery period on Tuesday was much better than last week. No residual pain in the left knee and minimal soreness in a healthy right leg signaled it was okay to plan on another run later in the week. I took the rest of Tuesday easy and came back after work on Wednesday to try again. Another 5k attempt was crushed by growing weakness in the knee. Just when I thought it was nearing total health it let me down in the middle of yet ANOTHER training run. I was being asked to run the YMCA Corporate Cup 5k on Saturday so I knew to pack it in for the rest of the week. Thursday and Friday proved nice and easy on the legs and I was set to give the 5k a try Saturday morning.
And then the storm came. Friday night featured one of those rare end of the world moments in the Ohio Valley when hurricane force winds ravaged the hillsides, displacing trees and anything else that was planted tens of feet underground. Cars hurried around, wind whipped and trying to find order with the stoplights deciding to turn off. I ended up sleeping in an office building, as my house, along with several hundred thousand others on the east coast, was bereft of power. I say all that to say, of course Corporate Cup was cancelled and no more runs were logged for the week. Barring a zombie apocalypse, I'll be back out on the streets again next week, trying to make sense of this wacky world, or at least forget about its wackiness for a moment.

Hobbling on the Road to Recovery

The Stats 6/17/12 - 6/23/12
6/21/12: 2.8 mi; 21'26"; 7'24" avg. pace
I hit my goal of resting until the 18th...and then some. A weekend of vacation in SC left me exhausted leading into the week and made it easy to rest through Wednesday. The sole run of the week came on Thursday as I finally felt comfortable giving the knee a go. There was some discomfort, though thankfully not on the same level as two weeks ago. I jogged out my regular route with probably a faster pace than I should have. Miles 2 and 3 saw considerable favoring of the left leg. This led me put more pressure on the right thigh than I usually would. I stopped before hitting my goal of 5k, as I had looped in front of my house at 2.8 miles.
Friday morning showed how awful a disjointed running form can make you feel. My right thigh was very sore. I hobbled around the office and did my best to stretch when no one else was leering into my cube. With soreness persisting into Saturday (my long run day when I'm in normal mode) I decided to let this week remain extremely soft and hope for full recovery next week. However, I did decide to pay a visit to Robert's Running Store for the first time. I've been wanting to head over there ever since their Charleston location opened. This whole knee injury deal has convinced me I need to try a minimalist running shoe that will encourage ground striking on the ball of the foot. I sampled three pairs Saturday morning, jogging on the treadmill and making the rounds outside the store. Ultimately, I felt the least amount of elevation and most freedom in Newton's Momentum shoes (pictured below).

Ready to log some serious mileage. Thumbs up, let's do this!

Much thanks to Alana for humoring me and letting me try out a number of kicks. We'll see how a different shoe alters my gait in the coming weeks and if it has the potential to relieve stress on the knee. I'm worried it's a problem with the meniscus, but I'm not overly book-learned when it comes to anatomy.
The coming week features no run events. Still, it could be just the shot at getting back to form that is so desperately needed. Fingers (and toes) crossed.

The Resting Is the Hardest Part

The Stats 6/3/12 - 6/9/12
6/6/12: 0.7 mi; 5'46"; 7'20" avg. pace
6/9/12: 1.0 mi; 7'10"; 7'10" avg. pace
It was a rough week of running. More accurately, it was a rough week of not running. I stepped up my summer training too soon when I ran the Corridor G hill last Saturday. That led to an aching knee, which had me walking with a limp. In addition to the slight injury I had nights of quite little sleep. Those two factors worked together to sideline me until Wednesday. I foolishly headed out Wednesday, hoping the pain in my knee might be worse walking than running. This hope was flattened as I trotted along behind UC heavily babying the left leg. Darn. More rest seemed like the only reasonable treatment. I did that and iced down the knee at intervals through Thursday and Friday.
It was a bright, sunny day on Saturday so I thought I'd test out the knee again. Mike had taken out his boat for its maiden voyage the previous evening allowing a nice evening of rest heading into the day. The first half mile was semi-normal. I tried to keep pressure off the knee while not significantly altering my form. At around 0.75 miles, I could feel a little twinge and some slight popping. I knew it would be a mistake to try to push any further. A serious commitment to rest has to be made. On the surface that sounds easy, but running gets to be a habit when you form a slight addiction to it. Severing an addiction, even a positive/slight one, is tough. I have to be smart and strong enough to not ruin the next few months of running activity. It helps that I haven't signed up for any road races in the near term. My plan is to hang up the Nike's until at least June 18.
It ended up being an even tougher week due to other family issues outside of those listed. Here's hoping for better days.

Fat Kid Introduction (Mike)

Hi all - I spent most of the decade making up my 20's as a powerlifter; twice a week listening to Heavy Metal and moving as much Heavy weight as possible.  I had a couple long breaks; first when I attempted to join the Peace Corps and then again during grad school.  My powerlifting career culminated in 2010 when I attended my first ever powerlifting meet.  Unfortunately, I received bad information about the type of bench shirt I would be allowed to use and essentially had to lift raw after I had already set my weights for the meet.  Three attempts at 407lbs and none were successfull.  Regardless, I've moved on and decided to join my brother in cardio sport.

My favorite cardio sport is cycling.  I always enjoyed watching the Tour de France and I took a leap in '06 after graduate school and bought a Cannondale Synapse.  Cycling is time consuming and I haven't had the opportunity to ride as much as I'd like some years.  Some of my highlighted events include:  2-day 116 mile ride from Louisville to Lexington for MS Kentucky in 2009, 2-day 137 mile ride from Lewisburg to Snowshoe and back for MS West Virginia in 2009, and 66 mile Mountain Mamma Road Bike Challenge with 6,464 ft of vertical climb in 2009.

I've managed to get my weight down from 230lbs during my powerlifting days in 2010 to around 210lbs.  However, running continues to be a challenge for me.  I first started running races with Matt in 2008.  Back in those days I was a run/walk/run runner.  Oddly enough, my times were faster employing that method.  I'm slow, but I find it much more rewarding to run a full race from start to finish.



I've recently taken up swimming with the hope that I'll someday be able to complete triathlon events that feature swimming.  Matt and I have participated in several mini-triathlons that replace swimming with kayaking.  We actually help sponsor the Capital City Challenge (Run-Row-Ride) mini-triathlon in Charleston, WV.

Here are some of my personal highlights as of today:

Max Bench Press (Raw) - 390lbs

Max Bench Press (Shirted) - 435lbs

Longest Bike Ride - 75.43 miles from Lewisburg, WV to Cass, WV (5:16)

Best Climb - Climb#2 on Sceinic Highway 150; 4.9 miles with 1,448ft elevation gain

Most Ridden in a Year - 1,002 miles in 2009.

Longest Run - 8.45 miles (1:39.22)

Best 5k Time - 29.47  (2010 Outrunning Hunger - Huntington, WV)

Best 4 Mile Time - 41.04  (2011 Joker 4-Mile Run - Charleston, WV) 

Best 5 Mile Time - 58.46  (2011 Run For Your Life 5-Miler - Charleston, WV)

Best 10k Time - 1:03.56  (2009 Ready River Run - Greenville, SC)

Most Ran in a Year - 154.62 miles in 2011

Longest Swim - 1,200 yards (48 laps) (37.24)

In closing, these stories have not been embellished, because - they need no embellishment.  They are simply, horrifyingly, the story of my life as a recovering powerlifter turned cardio sport participant.  Thank you.

Running Up That Hill

Hoping to recover from my post Cleveland funk, I went for a run up Corridor G hill yesterday morning. It is also affectionately known as Capitol Punishment Hill during the Charleston Distance Run. The hill is a solid mile from start to finish, if not longer. Nike+ Maps estimates it as a gain of 301 ft. over that mile. That's an average gradient of 5.7%, but there are definitely steeper sections along the way. I started to feel a slight twinge in my knee approaching the hill, so I took it cautiously this time out. My third mile took 7'47" with the hill starting at the end of that mile. The next mile took me 9'06" to complete, as I crested the height where 119 meets Oakwood Road. My knee held up, but the thighs were barking pretty hard. It was brash to try to come at the Corridor with no hill training so far this year, but I was really anxious to prove myself coming off a week long rest. Here is the view coming back down with the slope continuing for another half mile below the horizon:

Glad to be heading downhill

The final run stats were: 7.15 miles, 56:21, 7'53"/mile pace, 885 calories.
And now a comment on post frequency. Mike and I have decided to post weekly or monthly on our progress. Occasionally we'll put up a product review or special training note. Outside of that, I'll try to keep the posts event centered. As this was a special post on Corridor G, it took the place of my Sunday week-in-review post.