David Trains

out of order

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:26:14 -0400

realized i never mentioned that i’m not running at the moment. about a week and a half ago, 2 miles into a run my knee locks and i almost collapse. i hobble home, ice it. it’s sore, but 2 days later i try again and at 2.5 miles i get incredible pain. my knee just kind of hurts whenever i move it now. i got a small band to wrap around it to keep the kneecap in place, and it seems to help walking, haven’t tried running yet.

i don’t get it. train for a marathon, no knee problems. run casually for a little while and my knee is f-ed.

haven’t seen a doctor cause i don’t have one. i’ve been paying for insurance but haven’t found a doctor, and what can they say? ice it? wrap it? done and done. the only way they could fix something like that is with surgery and that doesn’t seem like it would be an option, so i’ll wait and see.

until then my race is off. no 10 mile up-hill race for me.

sigh. i need to run. it hurts not to.

10 Mile Mountain Goat

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:46:20 -0400

the race is less than a month away. 10 miles. i haven’t done 5 i think since the marathon in november. i’m not overly concerned. i’m not setting out for a PR. especially since i don’t have any official 10 mile time yet. ideally 1:20. but we’ll see. i just want to get myself back into the motions of running gradually. it’s like learning all over again.

i’ve been running at the gym 4 times a week. unfortunately- this is preventing me from running outside even though the temperatures are now in the 40s. i’ve grown accustomed to a certain temperature cause of the gym. soon though i’ll have to mix in outdoor runs.

today i’m gonna aim for 5 miles on the treadmill. i’m gonna pace myself. i’m talking 8:30 a mile, maybe more. i’m gonna do this right. maybe.

huzzah!

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:47:49 -0400

so i’ve gotten back into running in preparation for the 10 mile mountain goat in syracuse on may 1st.

i’m nowhere near ready, but i can do it. i’ve been hitting the gym instead of running outside because honestly, the cold is just frustrating. it’s defeating. it’s defeating because it is damn near april and still 30 degrees outside on a good day.

however- i need your help. i’m looking for a quality pair of running headphones. nothing overly pricey, but i don’t want them to keep falling out, fit poorly, or cut out after two months. i’ve had shit experience with nike’s headphones. right now i’m using a pair of adidas ones that loop over the ear, but they require so much bending and twisting to get to a point where they only feel mildly awkward and they still fall and bounce during running.

any suggestions?

change

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:10:34 -0400

change is needed. this blog was to kind of go through me training for a marathon, and i did that. so i’m not really sure what to do now. i mean- i’m gonna train for a second marathon. i’m going to run a 10 mile race soon. but it seems boring to just post my nike+ thingy and talk about it. i don’t know…thoughts?

as of now- i’ve run 4 out of the past 5 days, and i feel like i’m learning to run all over again. i took too much of a break in the winter. my legs feel like cement now for the majority of the runs. today i even puked…which happened during my first half marathon, and used to happen when i ran far distances or in extreme heat. today it was 30 degrees and i only did 3.5 miles. it was at 3.5 that i lost it. so yeah- i’m learning all over again.

so…how should i continue this blog?

i’m actually kind of disgusted with myself. i ran a...

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 11:33:34 -0400

i’m actually kind of disgusted with myself. i ran a marathon. i trained for and ran my first marathon last year and did it in 3:50:22. now i’m struggling on 3-4 mile runs because i spent december-february doing nothing. i tried running in mid january on a schedule, but i just let go of it. now i have some serious work to do to get myself back into shape.

yesterday i registered for my first race of the year, the mountain goat in syracuse. 10 miles. this is not gonna be a cake walk. i need to train for the next month and a half. yesterday was also my first real run in quite some time, and it just proved how out of shape i am. huffing and puffing, miserable. of course syracuse winds don’t help.

however- now i’m going to do this regularly. no mileage yet, my goal for this week is to run daily, 30 minutes or more. then i’ll bump it to 45 next week, and if i can manage that, i’ll begin reading higdon’s run fast and see what i can do speed wise.

essentially i am trying to drastically change my life. including eating. cause yesterday’s run embarrassed me. i will get back into it, and i will choose my next marathon, hopefully mid september, and i will beat my time. suck it.

yeah- feels like 1. i’m gonna go running in this now and...

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:41:27 -0500

yeah- feels like 1. i’m gonna go running in this now and regret it in 10 minutes.

sorry for the lack of updates. i run occasionally, but not i want to get back into regular runs. i think at this point 6 miles would be a struggle for me, which is disappointing. i’m gonna try going to the gym more to run for now, since it’s so awful outside. god willing once it warms up i can read my speed training book and work on that for a month, then begin training for another marathon.

how’s everyone doing? who’s running what?

more of the same

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 20:06:52 -0500

i just got distracted once classes began so i stopped running the past week and a half. but i did get out this morning. maybe 2.5-3 miles. i’ve stopped measuring and timing. it’s too difficult with the extreme cold and slick ground to have timing mean anything.

i am trying to figure out if i should do a summer marathon. i’m looking to maybe do another one, a little more relaxed maybe, i don’t know, but i want to do one either during the summer or maybe early in september.

thoughts?

all set to run 3 miles in the snow. i’m like chevy chase...

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:33:29 -0500

all set to run 3 miles in the snow.

i’m like chevy chase in memoirs of an invisible man.

have i been running?

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:25:27 -0500

yes. yes i have. for the past week and a half or so i’ve been running nearly every day. it’s both disappointing but also kind of relaxing. disappointing in that my first run had me doing 9 minute miles for 3 miles so i got frustrated and have since stopped timing myself. however, i am running in snow, on snow, on light snow that is covering ice, on light snow that is covering caked and slick snow, or on uneven caked down snow. it’s been hell on my calves but is actually teaching me a thing or two about pace.

also my lungs are being killed by the sheer cold outside. so i’ve been doing 2.5-3.5 miles every day. each run i now charge a very steep hill covered in snow while humming the rocky theme. that is not a joke. i actually do that.

currently i am reading a book by denis johnson, however, soon after that i might begin my running faster book by hal higdon. might be good to do that when it is nicer out though, or once i find out if they ever clear the track in the winter. we’ll see. i’m hoping to do some kind of race during spring break. a 10 k would be nice, but i kind of want to do the asbury half marathon…we’ll see. i’m not entirely confident i could do a half marathon and beat my 1:42:54 right now. coming in slower would be devastating…

today

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:24:54 -0500

today i’m going to start running again. the goal for today and maybe for a week or two is to just get to the gym and run for an hour. no sensors or anything, just run for an hour. problematically, i think i usually developed shin splints (?) from running on treadmills. so i’ll see how it goes and maybe i’ll just end up going to the track or something as long as it doesn’t snow. still going to rock my vibrams for now. i love them. here’s hoping i can ease back into it with no problems.

the next challenges!

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 22:55:51 -0500

i’m sorry i’ve been gone. i’ve slacked. disgustingly and it has had negative mental side effects. i’ve run twice since my marathon. once 10 days after, once christmas eve. but i have new goals which means back to training!

i would like to do another marathon, but that won’t be till the fall again i’m guessing. maybe even vegas…we’ll see. that’s neither here nor there. well…it might be there.

step 1 on my goal list is speed. i need to learn how to speed train for a bit so when i do eventually go for marathon two i will feel faster and better. this also means a better diet. lose weight, feel lighter, run faster. confidence.

now for the goals- no matter what i will do the warrior dash in pennsylvania in june. 3.5 miles, obstacles, seems kind of fun. then i found out there is a tough mudder run in PA in april. 9 miles. seems much more hardcore. hell- one obstacle is basically being electrocuted.

now these are not “serious” runs. they are serious. they will take training and prep and such. especially the 9-miler. but these aren’t like my other runs. i do plan on picking up a half marathon here and there granting i feel like i can do it better than before (under 1:42), but these are my definite goals. i’ll know about the tough mudder by january 9th, since it is rather pricey to register. but hell- it looks like a fucking riot.

keep moving.

12 days after my marathon and i went for a run. i was going...

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 17:08:33 -0500

12 days after my marathon and i went for a run. i was going stir crazy and mentally i desperately needed to run. 3.5 miles. not bad. pace is awful, but oh well. i’ll work on that.

i used my vibrams for the first time and at first i looked terribly awkward, but after a while, it felt great. when i returned home my calves hurt, as expected. but then waking up saturday i got out of bed and just yelled. my calves were completely gimped out. today too. they hurt like a motherfucker. i could blame the marathon and my legs not being fully healed, but my calves didn’t hurt after the thon, the thighs did. these new shoes totally stretched out my calves and i am excited to see how jacked they end up looking after repeated runs.

god bless you, vibram.

5 days

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:31:04 -0500

5 days without running. i don’t know what to do now. my legs feel pretty good. monday and tuesday i was like bambi walking on ice. i think monday i walked far too much and climbed too many stairs so by the night i was dead and considering buying a cane. but now my legs feel good walking and only cramp up occasionally. like when i was sitting in a rocking chair for an hour and didn’t realize the constant rocking was actually using my leg muscles slightly…then it hurt.

so i’m hoping to start running again next week. for fun. any distance i want. no set pace or whathaveyou. once the semester ends i might start looking into speedwork. that concept escapes me. i never grasped the terminology or what it is i’m supposed to do. so i’ll figure that out and maybe run a few shorter races for the first time. definitely some half marathons, and once i feel good with it, i’ll think about the next marathon.

the next marathon. that’s right…i’ll do it again. i at least want my initial goal time of 3:45. if not better. we’ll see when i end up doing it, but i’m psyched. there truly is something revelatory about running a marathon. that i can say i did it is weird. even more weird is that i’m not the one saying it, others are for me.

i’ll keep updating…but with what i’m not sure yet.

Let's Talk About My First Marathon

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 10:50:25 -0500

i want to start by saying since waking up yesterday up until right now my life has resembled the scene from Bambi where she’s trying to walk on ice. but i am getting incredibly ahead of myself.

saturday i woke up and ran 2 miles. 2 miles at a very slow pace and i became concerned. around noon i decide to head into philly and later meet up with red who came down from nyc to see me struggle…or to support me. probably the latter. it’s her fault i got mixed up in this. i use to just run various distances under 8 miles for exercise until in may she told me she did a half so without thinking i did a half…then registered for this. after the expo we saw the new harry potter (glorious) and that was that, back to the hotel. where i sat with the course map. and began to worry. the first half was this nice looking course through the city into the park a little, then stops. then i looked where the marathoners separate and i couldn’t fathom the distance north we go nor the fact that once we got there, we had to turn back and come down again.

i try to sleep with an alarm set for 5, 5:30 and 6. can’t sleep…finally nodding off around 11/11:30. my body wakes me up at 3:30 and i am pissed at it. pissed and unable to fall back asleep so i start drinking water and i eat a banana and a granola bar. at 6:30 i head for the start. i get there as the announcer says we have 10 minutes to the start so i sprint trying to find a way across the corrals to the baggage check and then i end up standing in my corral for 15 minutes waiting for the others to go first. no one around me had a marathon bib, all had halfs, so i just silently began to psych myself up.

the rest gets confusing. i forget to check at what time i actually start running. i thought it was around 7:30 but then the clock at mile 1 seemed way off, so at that point, i give up the idea of figuring out my pace and time. instantly i need to pee…i end up using my male privilege and peeing on a wall slightly off the course on columbus blvd. boldly a woman also followed suit…good for her. after that i am fine. at mile 5 as we turn on to chestnut street i realize i am feeling pretty fucking good. i’m leisurely running this and couldn’t be more pleased, for the first time i think i’m gonna be fine.

once we get into the park out of university city around mile 8, things open it, not as congested as early, and i’m satisfied. around mile 9 or 10 we hit a hill that nearly killed me during my very first half. then it came at mile 12.5. here, it didn’t seem bad at all. i thanked syracuse for being an asshole with hills. with people cheering the halfers separate from the marathoners and i suddenly begin to worry. 13.1 miles is now my half marker and that seems mean. now it becomes a 13 mile run along the schuykill (means hidden) river. still…no idea about my time, but i’m worried. i pass 14, 15, 16 and part of my brain tells me you’ve done this distance before but the back of my mind tells me but you’ve never had to keep going for 12, 11, 10 miles after doing that… i’m screwing myself. luckily, my legs aren’t hurting. i’m hitting water stations regularly, my body is doing fine, i just can’t push it the way i want to for fear of over doing it and having nothing left.

did i mention my first half was at 1:57? i didn’t know this till after, but that stings considering my first half ever was 1:48 and my best was 1:42… oh well.

at mile 17 we cross a bridge that was the turning point for my last half marathon, this time it was just there as a small part of the course. after the bridge going the other way i see the pace leader for 4:00. i still have a little ways to run before i too turn around and go back over the bridge, and since i never saw him before i realize he must have started before me but still, being behind the 4:00 runner worried me. so i gradually speed up. around this point there was a group of non-volunteers handing out soft pretzels and i love them for that.

i hit 18 miles. then 20. 20 is my furthest. now i’m hurting. my calves are fine. my stomach is fine. my lungs are fine. my thighs begin to feel heavy. i begin to tell myself- 6 miles to go, you’ve done 6 miles before, but my legs are dragging. i have not walked yet. we hit 21 and i stop to stretch for 15 seconds. i’ve done 5 miles before, i can do it again. i begin to run and the thighs are lead. i am dragging them at an embarrassing pace. here’s where i hear a guy cheering other runners on. he’s also in the race. so i catch up, we make jokes about the distance, and i ask him how many times he’s done this. this is his first. so we both begin cheering people on, cheering each other on, and although we give and take position-wise, we are relatively at the same spot for the next 5 miles.

at 22 i no longer care i’ve done 4 miles before. and at 23 it is meaningless that i’m able to run 3 miles no problem. i am pissed at my legs for doing what they are doing. for turning into stones. every now and then i get a burst and lift my knees high to stretch them and i dash and weave around people for 100 meters before slowing down again to a crawl. i don’t know how i’m gonna make it. at 25 i just hope that i make it across the line. then, around 25.5 the course narrows. the spectators are closer and they are high fiving people. a little further and i can pretty much run the center, hold my arms out and touch people on both sides. red is leaning across the bar yelling for me so i just begin to spring at full speed. my lungs are fine. i’m breathing my nose with no problem and i am trucking it to the finish.

as i cross i am honestly almost crying, but largely because for some reason my eyes are hurting. i stop and don’t know what to do. my legs want to keep moving so i begin to pace. i congratulate the guy who was cheering as he crosses maybe 25 seconds later. then someone wraps a marathon blanket around me and another places the finisher medal over my head. i grab water and make my way to the baggage check.

red meets me there and says i did it in 3:50:22. i wanted 3:45, but for a while there, i was happy to just break 4 and this time was actually something i could live with. i was psyched. my second half was 3 minutes faster than the first and considering my leg dragging at the end, i was amazed. we then hobbled to a starbucks. me unable to walk off curbs without grimacing. extending my legs fully has become a problem. the rest of the day i felt pretty great. i took an ice bath in the hotel and left for home. it wasn’t until monday morning that i became frankenstein’s monster. i am seriously considering a cane for the next few days.

that’s my first marathon. i broke 4 hours my first time out. i struggled and finished. the high i felt afterward was amazing. i suddenly wanted to do so much without having any idea of what it is i should do.

the highlights (aside from the time):

people handing out pretzels around 17
the folks around 19 handing out beer (didn’t take any, but like the fun they’re having)
the amazing fact that philly included your name on your race bib, something i never saw before, because now random spectators would cheer your name, tell you how great you’re doing, and encourage you to finish.
red being there at the end

i’m gonna keep doing half marathons. i want to get better times than 1:42. as for full marathons, we’ll have to see. the training was brutal. not being able to go out certain nights…i don’t know. for now i want to start doing speed work. for a little while at least before thinking about doing it again. then i’ll figure it out. i want to beat 3:50:22. clearly. i don’t know if i’ll ever qualify for boston in this age group. the time for that is 3:10. 40 minutes i’d need to cut. but we’ll see. that can always be a goal in the back of my head. getting my 3:45 would also be nice. i’m just gonna have to wait and see. wait till my legs heal up at least and i can run again. or walk for that matter.

it's done.

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 10:27:44 -0500

it’s done at 3:50:22. not the 3:45 i was aiming for, but after getting halfway through, i was psyched to beat 4:00.

i will write about the entire ordeal once i get the chance. i just need to say though that those last 5-6 miles were a real bitch. i could push myself mentally for a bit before having to give in to the physical for a bit. it was a give and take.

huzzah.

the day

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:52:01 -0500

tomorrow i need to run 2 miles according to higdon to just stay loose.

then i’m off to philly. the expo. harry potter. relax at the hotel. wake up sunday and run. all with a wonderful lady cheering me on. doesn’t sound like a bad weekend.

i need to keep roughly an 8:30 per mile pace to reach my goal. this doesn’t sound horrible. my first half marathon with 3 weeks of uninformed training was run at roughly an 8 minute pace. so it goes to reason that with 18 weeks of half-assed training i should be able to pull off 8:30 for 26.2 miles.

let’s hope.

this is it, folks.

dear philadelphia, i’m gonna fuck your shit up sunday. love, david

now my run yesterday was 3 miles, today was 2, and i’m not...

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:54:14 -0500

now my run yesterday was 3 miles, today was 2, and i’m not supposed to run again until saturday just to stay loose. i’m following hal higdon’s program. problem is- i feel weird about running so little. i’m worried all my training was wrong. his method promises to get me over the finish line, but i want to get over the finish line in 3:45. i’m an ass maybe, but that’s what i want.

i picked up haruki murakami’s what i talk about when i talk about running today to re-read it. i read it back in may. suddenly i’m freaked out. i put it down after 60 pages cause it’s just added to my anxiety. he talks about how he runs 6 miles a day all the time, then bumps it up when training. he talks about how 3:50 wasn’t a great time when he was 40something or 50. i’m worried now. he finished his first marathon in his late 20s at 3:50 i think and he wasn’t pleased. fuck. i’m concerned.

i’m worried my diet has fucked me, my drinking has fucked me, my only taking routes to avoid hills has fucked me, i have fucked me, allen ginsberg has fucked me, america has fucked me, walt whitman, you have fucked me (those last 3 were just cause this sounded like a ginsberg poem all of a sudden, i don’t blame any of those 3 for my possible failure).

3:45. if i average 8 minutes a mile for 26.2 miles, i’m fine. that gives me 3:30 roughly. so if i slack a little bit, it’ll just push me a little closer to 3:45. i can fucking do this right? i can get my time. i’ve been worried about going beyond 3:45…but what if i don’t break 4. then i’ll really be down.

jitters. fuck it. i’m running and crossing at 3:45 even if when i do i collapse and drown in a pool of my own vomit. sorry. excessive.

this is it. today was my last long run until the marathon. i...

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 13:03:43 -0500

this is it. today was my last long run until the marathon. i have 7 miles to run before the 26.2. today felt good. i’m looking forward to the marathon, despite horrible fears. i want to get the time in my head. it’s gonna be crushing if i don’t, even though just finishing my first marathon should be all i need. i’m fucked up i guess.

legs were fine. back hurts a little bit and i’m guessing i slept wrong but i hope it goes away soon. my big toe on the left foot apparently bled a lot during the run, but i didn’t feel a thing. trimmed my nails afterwards…i’m not bright. should always be watching that.

tomorrow i hope to do my full yoga routine for the first time. just so i feel like i did something. it’s crazy that this is happening. i got an email last night with my bib number. 7579. i’ve done 2 races in my life and i’ve been 732 and 7227. 7s. always 7s. and i’m in the grey corral. which isn’t bad…it’s just middle of the road. nothing special. oh well. bring it, philly.

it was 28 degrees when i left the house. 28 degrees. that was...

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:17:20 -0500

it was 28 degrees when i left the house. 28 degrees. that was the hardest part about today’s run…and i felt a twinge in my right shin which hasn’t happened in weeks. worried me, maybe i’ll ice later. the cold has me worrying about what to wear in philly. i’m definitely heading to the running store today to see what’s what. might by some thermal-y shorts instead of rocking my tights. not sure about the jacket. the jacket helps though…it has pockets. i can take my gloves off if i end up wearing them but then not needing them half way through. we’ll see. this is crucial.

other than that…these short runs are worrying me only because they still wind me. i worry i’ll forget the long run. although i am doing 8 miles saturday. i’m already nostalgic for when 8 miles was my wednesday run.

10 days.

today was cold. today was very cold and i went out early. ...

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:39:17 -0500

today was cold. today was very cold and i went out early. i’m trying to train myself to wake up early since next, next sunday i need to be ready to run for 4 hours by 8 am.

suddenly concerned with running attire. the nike jacket i’ve been using is great, but i don’t want to get too hot. it survived the 20 miler, but also i’ll be in philly not syracuse. i’ll have to figure this out soon so whatever i do i can test.

i’m feeling kind of good. let’s not fuck this up. almost there.