It's over, man. Let her go.

March 2013

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Location:

Bliss,ID,USA

Member Since:

Jan 04, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Recover From Injury

Running Accomplishments:

In late 2008 I decided I needed to get in better shape and started running again.  I ran my first formal road race ever, a half marathon, in late 2009.

(unofficial) Track 1 Mile - 7:32 (4/24/2010)  6:56 (9/27/2010)

5k - 27:31 - Riverview Run on 06/11/2010
22:39 - Gatorade Steelers 5k on 09/04/2010

10k - 50:43 - Riverside Run on 04/10/2010

Half - 2:02:58 - Just a Short Run on 03/27/2010
1:51:47 - IKEA Montour Trail Half on 09/11/2010

Short-Term Running Goals:

2011 Races:

Sept 25 - The Great Race 10k (59:15)
Nov 5 - Dirt Monster 5mi (52:59)

2012 Races:

June 8 - Riverside 5k  (27:49)
Sept 2 - Gatorade Steelers 5k (route) with Steve!  (27:39)
Sept 30 - The Great Race 10k (route)  (53:48)
Nov 3 - The Dirt Monster 5mi (52:55)

2013 Races:

May - Pittsburgh Marathon (started, but DNF about the half way point)
June - Riverview 5k  - Bummed I missed signing up for this one. It's one of my favorites!
Sept - Gatorade/Steelers 5k. (Signed up!)
Sept - IKEA Montour Trail Half  (prob not, but leaving it on here)
Sept - The Great Race 10k (My Running 101 goal race)
Nov - Dirt Monster 5mi (Gotta do it again no matter what!)

Long-Term Running Goals:

Finish recovering from my injuries and build mileage.  That is all.

Personal:

My name is Wes, I'm married with two wonderful children. The nickname BaldNSpicy came from the fact that I have been balding for a (long) while now and spicy for my love of very spicy foods (Thai and extremely hot wings are my favorites).  If eating doesn't bring me near tears and leave me sweating, it's not worth eating.  :-)

Oh, and I'm also known for my doorags.

Favorite Quotes:

"Running without hills is like motorcycling without corners." - rAtTLeTrAp

"Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit.  You are what you do repeatedly." - Shaquille O'Neal

"A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else."  - John Burroughs

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
NB 758s #2 Lifetime Miles: 596.90
Brooks Cascadia 7 Lifetime Miles: 165.17
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
36.990.0036.99
Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 36.99
Weight: 167.33
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Ok, I'm going to try something different from now on.  I'm going to commit to blog every day, even if I didn't do anything but get out of bed.  I've had great intentions since before the beginning of the year.  I am committed to running the Pittsburgh Marathon in May, so I've really got to kick it into gear.  My goal is just to finish, even if I have to walk the last 10k or something.  So I'm going to try something new since the week seems to slip by, missing a day here or there due to work or whatever, which adds up into a "dang, it's Sunday again and I've only run twice last week!"

So, from now on, every Sunday, I will login to recap the previous week and record what my Marathon Plan has laid out for me for the upcoming week.  Then, I'll check in every day even if I have nothing to say or report.  I need to make myself more accountable or I'll never be close to ready to finish the Full.

Last week:
I'm not going to comment on last week except to say it started out good, but didn't end well. I had planned on at least getting in my "long" run on Saturday, but that just didn't happen.

This week (18mi total):
 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
 Rest 3mi (25-35min)
 5mi (45-55min)
 XT-A 10-20min
 3mi (25-35min)
 XT-R 7mi (60-70min)

Weight: 0.00
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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
7.180.007.18

(72:51 / 10:09AP)

Longer than the prescribed 3mi for today, but since I missed last week's long run, combined with a frustrating morning at work, it was the perfect excuse to get out mid-day.  It was cold and somewhat windy, but not bad.

Overall, I feel pretty good.  It was definitely a long run for me, and I'll take it easier tomorrow based on how I'm feeling.  I had a couple of short walk breaks mixed in, but besides the one stop light I had to stop at, no stopping on the way out.  Goal was just to get the miles in and not worry about the pace.  I tried to keep the HR below 160 which is a pretty manageable level of effort for me.  Without walking, I really never seem to be able to get it much lower than 155 for my runs, even if I'm just shuffling along.  For my "max" of 178 (220-42), I know 160 is probably too high for my "long runs" but that's just how it is for now, I guess.  One day I'll analyze all the HR data I've been collecting over the years...

Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 7.18
Weight: 0.00
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0.000.000.00

Feeling OK even after yesterday's longer run.  The running and (most likely) the stretching has helped the soreness I've had along the outside of my right thigh.  It will just hit me with a sometimes sharp, sometimes dull pain somewhere from my hip to my knee.  It's usually worse after I've been sitting all day working, so the last couple days of getting up and out to break up my long days is probably a good thing...plus the extra stretching.

Worked from home again today, so I decided to give the joints a little break and not push a 3-5mi run today.  Biked for 40:00 and worked up a good sweat.  Nothing's hurting, so depending on this storm that's supposed to hit tonight, I'll get in my 3-5mi tomorrow.

For the log:

Strength Program, Level 7, 40:00, 140-149HR, 90-105 RPMs, 11.9mi, 358 cals


Weight: 167.00
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No miles but some core work today.

Weight: 0.00
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Rest day...

Weight: 0.00
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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.100.005.10

Nice run today, took it pretty easy assuming a long run tomorrow.

Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 5.10
Weight: 0.00
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Not happy to admit it, but didn't get in a long run today.  Did get a few miles walking, but wasn't feeling too great today.  Wife is coming down with something and I'm praying I don't get it...

Weight: 0.00
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Last week:
Another good start, but not a great finish.  Gotta work on that aspect.

Did figure out that what I've thought was a strained right hamstring is probably a nerve irritation.  I'll get in to see the doc this week and see what he says, but from what I've read and a convo with my high school buddy that's a chiropractor, seems to indicate lateral femoral cutaneous nerve irritation.  Despite my stretching (figured it was a sore hamstring), the sharp pain on the outside of my thigh, made worse by sitting all day, is probably a pinched or irritated nerve.  We'll see...

This week (21mi total):

 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
 Rest 3mi
 6mi
 XT-A 20-30min
 3mi
 XT-R 9mi

Weight: 0.00
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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.100.003.10

Ugh. Sluggish run today, but the weather couldn't have been nicer! I enjoyed every minute of being outside.

Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 3.10
Weight: 169.50
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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.020.005.02

Back on a roll.  Feeling pretty good still. No major issues...but it's getting cold again.  Can't wait for spring.

Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 5.02
Weight: 0.00
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Nada today

Weight: 0.00
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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
3.700.003.70

Was only scheduled to do 3mi today, but went a little longer.  Since it was just a short run, did 3 little 1mi or so loops going over the bridge and back to get some "hill" workout in with stairs mixed in.  Don't get excited, nothing extreme or anything y'all would call hard.  Just changing it up a bit without going far.  Legs are a bit tired today, but feeling OK.

I have to do some work for a buddy on Saturday morning, so I may do my long run tomorrow afternoon if work permits.  Fingers crossed.

Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 3.70
Weight: 0.00
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Last week:
No long run again.

This week (24mi total):

 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
 Rest 4mi
 4mi
 XT-A 20-30min
 6mi
 XT-R 10mi

Weight: 0.00
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0.000.000.00

Wife and daughter have been sick for several days now.  I was feeling rundown (probably from little sleep last night) so took it easier today and just rested.

Weight: 0.00
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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.000.005.00

Well, I was thinking of getting in that 9 miler that I missed last weekend since I had time this afternoon, but reconsidered. I found a nice iPod for my niece on Craigslist and agreed to walk over and meet the person today at noon. First, I didn't remember it being as far as it was (3.3mi roundtrip), and second the 40+ mph wind gusts were crazy!  It wasn't very windy this morning, but it was almost knocking me over.  When I went down to the gym, it was still really windy and I just didn't feel like fighting it today.

Hit the TM, did 3mi or so in 30mins but got bored. Switched to do some intervals.  20 mins of those, 1 min fast walking (rest) and 1 min between 8:00 and 6:50 pace depending on how I felt. Got in 2mi in those 20 mins. 

Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 5.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
2.100.002.10

A couple quickies on the TM after a long day.

Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 2.10
Weight: 0.00
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Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.790.005.79

Gorgeous, sunny weather today.  I waited until it hit the high of 39F to go out.  Warm enough for shorts and a long sleeve shirt, but not cold enough for light gloves. Not the long run I was hoping for, but long enough to not feel like I completely failed this week. I've got to get my mileage up or I'm going to be in a tough spot in a few weeks. 9:19AP

Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 5.79
Weight: 165.50
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Last week:
On a positive note, I did get my run in on Saturday, but not the distance I really needed to cover.  I suppose I could say I'm building my base consistently the last few weeks, but at this rate, it's not going to get me to the start line of the full in May. 

The Just a Short Run Half is this weekend and I didn't sign up for it since I wasn't seeing my long runs happening to feel confident in running it.  No sense in doing it if I was just bound to get hurt or throw my training off.  So, I'll still shoot for a 10-13mi long run on Saturday, just not in a race.

This week (29mi total):

 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
 Rest 3mi
 4mi
 XT-A 20-30min
 6mi
 3mi Easy
 13mi

Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
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I'm not doing a great job of posting every day, but I am mindful that I'm not.

Work is just killing me right now. I get up early to get my son off to school, then I'm on a bus to work (30 mins...not long), sit on conference calls and meetings all day, trying to get my real work done between 7am and 5-6pm, then bus back home.

I really enjoy running in the evenings/late at night since I'm more night owl then early bird, but with the cold weather and after a long day, it's really hard to get psyched up to go out when the family wants to hang out.  

There's no way I'm getting up any earlier than I do to run before work.  I know some folks can do the 4am run, but I'm not one of them.  It used to be that I'd have 1-1.5 hours sometime during my workday to get down to the gym, but long gone are those days.  Even if I do find an hour, to get a solid distance run in, properly stretch, shower and get back to my desk,  it takes a good 1-1.5 hrs.  Plus, I refuse to go to the gym between 11:30-1pm since everyone is down there.  So even if I run outside, it still takes time waiting for a shower, crowded locker room, etc.  Lately, I've been running at the gym after work, around 5pm.  But then that puts me home around 7-7:30pm and that's just late for the family.

So, I'm working to make it happen, but trying to balance a never ending work to-do list, get more than 5 hours of sleep, keep the family happy is tough stuff.  I have no idea how I would ever be able to do a 100 mi week. I don't expect to kill this first marathon, but I'd like to think I could be ready to at least run a good portion of it.  Work/life just isn't very accommodating right now, I suppose.

Weight: 0.00
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No run today, but thanks to RT for his positive post on my blog, I couldn't go to bed without doing something.  So, I hit the recumbent bike for an hour. HR stayed about 120-130, RPMs kept 85-95. Was glad to get a workout in, but since it was almost midnight, I couldn't get to sleep until about 1:30am.  :-)

Weight: 0.00
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Should have at least hit the bike tonight, but didn't.  YM/Scouts went late and I was exhausted...  Tomorrow will be a better day!

Weight: 0.00
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Last week:
I dunno...life isn't being kind to me. If I have any chance of getting in the miles I may just have to become a 4am runner. 0 miles last week is pathetic. I'm one month from the Pittsburgh Marathon and I doubt I could string together more than a 10k without walking. Adding 20 on to that seems impossible. We shall see...

This week (30mi total):

 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
 Rest 3mi
 4mi
 XT-A 20-30min
 7mi
 3mi Easy
 13mi

Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
36.990.0036.99
Brooks Cascadia 7 Miles: 36.99
Weight: 167.33
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