How to Run a Marathon

So, the day was more eventful and more interesting than I had expected. Let’s start at Saturday night. I was staying with my friend’s Kirsten and Antje in Pacific Beach (a part of San Diego) and we decided to go out to dinner at George’s a nice restaurant in La Jolla with a stunning view of the ocean. With dinner we enjoyed a bottle of Miner Family Rosato, mostly because I couldn’t believe they had it. It was stunning, and frankly the best part of the meal. After dinner we walked to the Hard Rock Café and enjoyed a beer before heading back to the apartment for what was expected to be a nice night’s sleep. WRONG! The neighbors were having a party. When they all left at 3 a.m. I finally fell asleep for more than 10 minutes in a row.
Up at 5:15 I made breakfast and got on the road. I made record time to Carlsbad and thought I was in the clear. One half hour later I entered the mall parking lot with 30 minutes to stretch, go to the bathroom and get to the starting line. I made it with a couple minutes to spare.
I had signed up the night before to be a member of the 4:15 pace group. The first 8 miles were a relative breeze. Our pacer was great and she kept us all on track, even through the hills. At mile 11 the trouble began. We had been away from the ocean for the past 6 miles and there was no breeze and no shade. It was excruciating. I will from here on out do the best I cannot to complain about San Francisco Fog. I noticed I was having troubles regulating temperature and that I had stopped sweating. Mind you I was drinking two or three cups of whatever I could get my hands on at each station. Just before the 12 mile marker I decided to take a walking break, and that was the last time I was still in hopes of catching my pace group. While trying to recuperate, I was passed by another gal that had fallen out of the pace group and she encouraged me to try to catch the PG with her. I gave it a shot, but had to stop and walk again a short time later. I simply had no energy left. No pain, just no energy. She went ahead and I called it a day. She rooted me on when we came face to face at the ½ way point turn around. I was sure I had seen the last of her. By the way, her name was Lauren.
At mile 15 or 16 I caught up to her and she was in a lot of pain. I ran with her for a bit and eventually decided that we were going to get through this together. I was drinking more and feeling a little better, but was still needing a lot of walking. Remember: NO FUCKING SHADE!!! I learned a lot about Lauren today. She went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado, did her undergrad at USC and is now stationed in Little Rock, AR with the AF and is awaiting being shipped to Irag in April. Why had she decided to run a marathon today? Because she wants to make sure she runs one before she dies, and felt it was a wise idea to do it before being shipped out. I was stunned, and frankly, this was when it became my mission to get her across that finish line. For the next 7 miles our only goal was to pass the 24 mile marker before noon. We converted at this point to a Jeff Galloway marathon. We’d run for a bit then we would walk ¼ to ½ of mile, then run a bit, rinse and repeat.
Because the police had to open the streets, anyone that didn’t make the 24 mile marker by noon would be turned away and not allowed to finish the race. It was thus imperative for her and to me, to reach the 24 by noon. Along the way we caught up to another 4:15 PG guy and helped encourage him to keep going. It was also his first marathon. We were able to keeping him going for another couple miles, but at 22.5 miles he fell behind and encouraged us to go ahead. We pushed on and hoped for the best for Pete.
After crossing the 24 we only had one more obstacle. I have a rule (those who know me well, know there are a lot of rules – no reading the fortune before finishing the fortune cookie, etc.) and that rule is that there is no walking after mile 25. None. Not until you’ve crossed the finish line. So we did it. We running along swimmingly until we hit the 26 mile marker. It was here that my left hamstring decided to cramp up. I thought I was going to have to walk. I stopped for a second and tried to stretch it. That didn’t work. I tried to run, but I was on the verge of cramping so bad I would fall down. I realized I couldn’t bend my left leg. So for about 50 yards I looked like I was playing with one of the those jump rope things you attach to your ankle and swing around it, while simultaneously jumping the rope with your other foot. I’m sure the spectators were impressed that I had run the whole race that way. Just give it a try. Go outside and run a few yards while not bending the left knee. It was quite amusing. I tried running again and it worked. We turned the corner into the mall parking lot and kicked it in. I had said several times that you were still doing good as long as you are passing someone. When we turned into the parking lot there was a guy walking that we could take. Yeah, I know it’s cruel, but we had to do it. The last 1/10th of a mile was an all out sprint. We crossed at 4:48 give or take. It was awesome!! Pete crossed the finish line about a minute behind us, so he managed to finish too. It was great!!
Interestingly my day had begun with a goal of shattering my personal record and turned into a day of supporting others. Honestly, I think the latter was the better option. I’ve got my whole life to beat that PR, Lauren may never have another chance to run marathon.
I’m feeling good now. Had a beer in the bar at the airport and will be boarding the plane soon. My knees are sore, but that’s nothing new. I don’t feel the hint of injury that I had in July. I’m guardedly excited that this might have been an injury free race.

Today’s Stats:
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 4:45:34
Average: 10:54 per mile
Overall Impression: Mother Theresa Move Over, Sixpack Chopra Is In Town! (MTMOSCIIT)

Do they know something we don't know?

I couldn't help but chuckle while checking in here that this is the ad that showed up on googleads:

ServSafe Alcohol (TM)
Alcohol safety training: classroom and online options.

We can engage in Online drinking now? That's amazing!!!!!

T minus 24hour

It's 24 hours and 34 minutes until the gun for the race tomorrow. I'm ready psyched and can't wait to get there. I actually didn't sleep well last night dreaming that I was going to miss my plane because I had read my watch wrong (those who know me, know I look at my watch at least 10 times an hour) and was going to miss the last boarding call. So, I will try to get some rest tonight. Although I'm not incredibly concerned as studies have shown that only extreme sleep deprivation has an impact on running times.
I'm going to sign up today to run with the 4:15 pace group and I'll give that a whirl. If for some reason I can't keep up I can always slow down and maybe meet up with the 4:30 pace group, but what I'm really hoping is that at mile 20 I'll find the 4:15 group too slow and I'll burst ahead in a ball of flames and scorch the finish line.
I'll be sure to post ASAP and let everyone know how I fared, in the meantime you can follow "unofficial" results at: www.carlsbadmarathon.com

This just in: "athletes consume more alcohol than non-athletes. Moderate to large intakes may promote weight loss due to its substitution for carbohydrate..." From Eating for Endurance. I think we are on to something here.

Peace

Everyone needs a "Good" Laugh so here I go

I am all the way up to 2 miles for the week. (running that is/more lke jogging)
Extending it by 4 Electric Poles every Monday.

At this pace, I will be up to 1 mile per day without walking by February 5.

Not bad for a Short, Fat Fart

Alcohol - "0"

Both are unbelievable, especially the latter.

The real test for me will probably be Saturday. Going "Ice Fishing" with my old buddy Tom and Son-In-Law Brad. There will be a couple of grills out there and multiple 30 Packs. Can I stay at "0"and will I still go out to exercise?

One More Good Reason to Run

More good news for your body! (My only question: does this counter the killing of brain cells by alcohol consumption?)

This report was on CBS News this evening: Boosting Brain Power May Be Steps Away...

Good Morning "ALL"

Please allow me to introduce myself. From here on I will be refering to myself as "30 Pack". Not a spin off of 6 pack, as he claims, just a slight comparison thereof. I am, just a "30 Pack", much shorter and much wider than the famous 6 Pack. And I might add, "much slower". I really got the name from my long time fishing buddy Tom Short who says "It ins't Beer unless it comes in a 30 Pack". Yes, we have been known to finish one or more off in one setting. Especially out Ice Fishing. You don't have to carry a cooler to keep the beer cold.

For the past couple of weeks I have been receiving a considerable amount of entertainment and inspiration from reading everyone's input and commentary. Up to now, I have simply had nothing to add. When I arrived home last evening all enthused to go out for my workout, as I pulled up in front of the garage the temperature indicator in the car read -6 F. At that point it became a test of my willpower. You see, I have not run for about 20 years and have a much longer way to go than the rest of you. I did go out. I made my now standard 1.6 miles. By the time I got back to the house my glasses were so frozen over I was running off of the driveway.

I read most of you refering to "Time". I can only refer to time at this point by measuring it with a Calander." It is getting better though. I got new shoes last weekend, which made a tremendous difference. I put the Steel Toe shoes back in the closet for the time being.

Finally, "Yes 6-Pack, you have been an INSPIRATION to the rest of your family, and it is because of you and Forest that the rest of us are working hard to join everyone who may read this at Bay to Breakers. And for that you shoud be proud."

Slow to start but feeling stronger

I can't wait til my postings are as impressive as others on this blog!! I appear to be related to the turtle at this point in training. I printed off the training schedule from Runners World which is 16 weeks, so I went ahead and allotted myself 2 weeks for bringing myself up to speed. I entered the slowest possible mile and the least amount of miles/week and it still seems impossible for my fat ass!! I have been focusing on increasing water intake, decreasing caloric intake, not smoking and just walking for now. I can walk 2 miles in 30 minutes and only jogged a 1/4 mile 2 times. I lost 4 pounds and am starting to feel better already. I bought new shoes and a cute running outfit, but haven't sported the outfit yet. Forced to take the day off today due to snow and few sidewalks in the neighborhood. Hoping weather improves this week. I have avoided alcohol mostly, but found a new wine shop on Riverside and had to check it out. I bought myself a new ale and enjoyed that immensely. I don't think I'll worry about increasing my alcohol intake at this point. I still need to think about the calories involved until I lose a little more and can at least run!! Besides.....they don't call me Sandi for nothing!! (Just kidding, I think most know I love to drink!!

my first week - an update

okay, o holy sixpack, here's my update from freezing cold PNW (and yes, i can complain about the cold now... it has been below 30degrees for about a week now, and it's killin' me).

i ran 9 miles last week.

yeah, i felt pretty good about it. each run felt progressively better/ easier and my time picked up significantly after each run. i really need new shoes soon, though. and ear buds. both suck significantly.

i drank an indeterminable amount of booze last week. during the week i possibly had one glass of wine per day (maybe some days no wine, other days two glasses)... but friday and especially saturday put me into the "indeterminable" range. friday night we went out (for the first time in AGES) and went to this great little club near us. DJ Aquaman was there (how could we NOT go see DJ Aquaman!?!), he was uber nerdy as he masterfully spun his funky beats, AND there were really awesome breakdancers there, tearing the floor up. i had 2 G&Ts before we left the house, and 1 beer at the club. saturday we had two friends over for dinner and, well, we drank most of the sauce we had in the house. luckily i drank water along they way, which made sunday not-so-bad in recuperation.

so, yeah, i drank just fine amounts. i probably could have imbibed less on saturday... definitely NOT more... but it was all good in the neighborhood.

Tscherman Tank

Since Don has been officially deified, it appears that we're evolving towards a "Jonestown for Runners". This begs the question: Are they going to start serving Kool-Aid at the marathon's drink stations? If so, would you drink it?

As I'm not training for anything now and still within my self-prescribed minimum four week base-building routine, I have a little time to experiment more with the beer/running combo.
I noticed that completely matching beers with miles is actually complicated because, inherently, it means you have to ask yourself to stop drinking at some point. This is all fine after one beer, maybe two. And definitely after twenty or so. But stopping after four beers? Come on, I'm just finding my groove! That's the sweet spot! Drinking is an art, and that's like asking a writer to intentionally subject himself to writers-block.
Anyway. I think this week my beer-to-run comparisons read thusly:

Mon/Tues- 2 Beers to 4 miles
Thu/Fri- 800 beers to 3 miles
Sat/Sun- 3 Beers to 6 miles

As you can see, there is some pretty wild variations, and Thursday was the result of a university reception for fellows/researchers in which they were serving (literally) kegs of beer. Nonetheless, I've found I can drink approximately half my distance and still come away unscathed. Of course, like I said, I'm not training for anything yet. For those of you running BtoB, I would double the beer and halve the miles. That hill is a bitch.

Seriously though, I have ten days left in my orignal recuperation plan. Then I officially go into hyper ass-kicking mode. Possibly. (Updates on that in ten days.)
Last week's Runs

Distance: 17 Miles
Avg. Time (min per mile): 8:46
Long Run: 6 Miles
Overall Impression: I Alternate Between Very Pleased and Very Nervous. (IABVPaVN)

All in all, the runs have been pretty good. I fatigue earlier and my lactate threshold is negligable, but I'm pleased with my early pace. When I add speed work to it in a few weeks, I think I should be in a better place than before the marathon. I'm still hesitant to add too many more miles yet, since I want to keep my legs intact and functioning...
Of course, this is all contigent upon whether my IT Band holds up. It gets tight, as it did earlier, but it never tightens like it did in October. It slowed me down during the second half of the six miler on Sunday, but I still finished with a negative split, so I'm not really complaining. I seriously have to stretch all day to make it work though. Non-stop. I'm stretching as I type this, and I'll be stretching when you read it.

PS: Tessa is now running two miles, twice a week. We'll have her on here in no time.

You want an Update? You can't handle an Update!

Just kidding.

I was a total invalid this week due to my foot and the lack-o-snake oil. However, I woke up Saturday morning without the usual "f*&#@ that hurts" as I put my foot on floor, so....

Update Reponses:
ZERO = big, fat ZILCH

SUCKY SUCKY SUCKY distance for me in the grand scheme of things. Didn't feel good about it but my foot certainly feels better.

I did much better on the drinking bit. I don't like to talk numbers, but lets just say Smirnoff isn't going out of business anytime soon.

This was an honorable amount, especially since I have been given the task to drink for myself, Smells, and Sixpack. Whew! This is a heavy burden to bear alone!!!

Tomorrow's plan is to put on my old running shoes (until I figure out what is wrong with the new ones) and try to run 3-4 miles. Keep your fingers crossed and your snake oil at the ready.

Jogi-jogi and Forest, I will be putting tunes in the mail to you this week (Sixpack has given me your addresses). I won't try to defend my workout music tastes (No comment out of you, Deetschei), so take what you like and leave the rest! :)

A Call for an Update

I suggest we start the week with a chime in on where we are all at. If you are a drunkrunner, please answer the following questions:

How many feet or miles did you run last week?

Was this a good distance for you? Did you feel good about it?

How much did you drink last week?

Was this a good amount for you? Do you think you could have drank more? (Afterall, I'm probably the only one that couldn't have drunk less.)

I'll start:

13 miles run

It was a great distance, kept me running while allowing some rest.

One glass of wine.

It's way more than the doctor wants, but it was a nice Burgundy. Couldn't pass up the chance.

My week of running

First let me say that this has been the busiest month long vacation I have ever had. It's just been nonstop. I still haven't accomplished all of what I wanted to get done, but I did get a good bit done, which is great. Next week classes start, so I have to get in gear for that. Although I only have one class and my exams. Seems simple right? But that's not running. That's me whining about my life, which I really have no right to do.
So here's running. I'm on taper so I was not expected to cover much ground this week, but with injuries I've been having troubles even with those. Injuries you say? Not serious ones, but I'm really starting to accept a certain amount of pain as the way things are.

Injury 1: Would you believe I may have broken a toe? I've been taping it to another toe for a week and it is doing well, but as soon as I forget to tape it, I have a bit of pain. If it's truly broken, this means 3 broken toes in my life. Only 7 left. Not bad.

Injury 2: Shin splints, still a problem, but stretching and a nice slow warm up run really helps. I'll be getting up very early the day of the marathon so I will have time for a jog around the mall before the race. Yes, the race starts at a mall. I love America!

Injury 3: Anyone remember the left knee pain I was whining about before the last marathon? Well, it seems to be back. I'll be making a PT appointment on Monday so that I'm already in the system if things go wrong next week, but I'm hoping with the rest, i.e. inactivity, of this week, it will work itself out. It doesn't hurt once I get running unless there's a hill. Going down hill is really not cool, but as I understand there aren't many hills in the San Diego course. Nothing like SF anyway.

So, with all that going on, I still managed to do 11 of the 16 miles I was supposed to do. I decided to not do today's 5 thinking the stress to my knee could worsen the pain, and be more detrimental than the missed run would be.

Overall impression:

Total miles: 11
Time: Not so easy to calculate without my excel spreadsheet, which I've not been good at keeping up now that I have the Nike+
Average mile: 9:46
Overall Impression: Sixpack, Please Help Me Keep It Together Long Enough To Cross The Finish Line (SPHMKITLETCTFL)
-- Does God pray to himself?

mwuuahahahaha

not to be outdone by Sixpack's marathon proselytizing to his family...

i have managed to intrigue my mother, who turns 50 later this year, that doing a marathon would be a great way to "celebrate" her momentous occasion too.

she is not sure yet whether she is going to try to run, or if she is going to walk, but i think i have gotten her interested enough that she'll at least train in order to come up in october to walk the portland marathon.

the thing that worries her the most about doing it? she'll have to eat breakfast every day (as of now, she gets through most days on only her coffee jump-start), as well as two other square meals.

o mighty Sixpack, we may have yet another drunk runner to join the stumbling ranks.... i'll keep you posted.

p.s. first week of running has gone well. i feel good and am inspired to make this happen.

Help being offered

Forest, first a few questions.

Are you running 5 miles everytime you go out?

Are you pushing yourself everytime you go out and run, or do you occasionally just go for a jog?

Some advice:
You should be making sure there is one long run of the week. If 5 miles is it, then great. During this run, your only goal right now, should be to finish it. Trust me, when I run 20 miles, I check my pace at the end, not during it. The key is to put the miles on, not to win the race on your long run. If it's a little slower, don't worry too much.

Make sure you are continuing to eat your carbs and good stuff. Rest two days a week. And mostly, don't worry about your time if you are able to do the distance.

Any other suggestions folks?

I need help

At least more than what a therapist can do. My times are continually going up higher instead of lower. I think a new play list with no memories attached may help, but I need some advice on what to do other than that. My pace on new years day was 9min 38sec for a 5 mile run. since then my time has just gotten worse with last nights 5 mile run being the absolute all time low of 10min 48sec pace. Any pointers on how to get out of this downward spiral? I don't want it to drag me down! I have a long way to go to run a marathon and my will power is dropping because of my times. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!

40 Must be a Time for Drastic Change!

I would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome into the Drunk Runners. I jokingly said 6 months ago (or a little more) that I should quit smoking and try to start running in order to join my brothers in the Bay to Breakers in May '07. Now, I've really committed myself to it. On Jan 2, 07 at 3 pm I vowed to be a non-smoker. Although that in itself seems to be a battle. I'm finding that living without smoking isn't so bad. My experience says all habits must be replaced, not quit. So now I'm walking soon to be running to save my life instead of smoking it away. I'm totally pumped since the whole family is going to be involved. Hopefully, all have committed and will look forward to this, too. I decided that if my Mom and Dad were going to do it, then I had to. I hope that this all leads to an even better life, at least a better way of life. I've always been the one sitting in the stands wishing that was me, but now it's going to be me. No more idleness and watching everyone else. I'm seeking the freedom of perseverance and sweat!! I'll be looking here often for nudges, pushes and shoves in the right direction. I'm disappointed in myself for letting all the hard work go to waste that I put in a few years ago. Starting this training would not have seemed like so much work, but I can't look back now. Just focus on the Bay to Breakers: running with my Dad and spending an amazing time with my family in an amazing city!! That in itself is enough to motivate me for now! Starting from scratch and praying for strength!! Sandi

Trust Me, I'm NOT a Doctor!

I have several theories as to why the health care system in the U.S. lags behind that of our brilliant European counterparts. Case in point: $30 copay, an hour and twenty-five minutes waiting to see the doctor, and 10 minutes actually spent with the doctor, I was no better off than before I entered his office. (The total cost of my visit was actually $175!!!)

These are some of the "gems" of wisdom that one apparently gathers after years of arduous medical study and practice:
"Take 2 Advil or Aleve twice a day."
"It should feel better in a few weeks."
"Stop running."
"Buy good shoes."

Um, DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why do doctors feel the need to "hate" on running - don't get me wrong. I loved to get fired up about a good "hatin'" but this seemed wrong. Where are the kudos for getting out and exercising? (Oh wait, here's another gem: "You aren't exercising. You are training!!! Olympic athletes have trainers. Do YOU have a trainer?") I can't believe how bad I was made to feel when I revealed that I wanted to run a half-marathon and a marathon this year. His jaw practically unhinged when I divulged that I run on asphalt. I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking him if he was planning on writing me a prescription to sit on my fat, lazy ass in front of the tv while stuffing my face with deep-fried chimichangas and hunks of extra sharp WISCONSIN cheddar. (That does actually sound really deliciously naughty!)

Anywho, the long of the short is that Sixpack has an amazingly wonderful miracle docotor, who actually listens to his problems and sends him to P.T., while not making him feel like an "evil-doer" for running. If the "2 Aleve a day" and the "stop running" doesn't help, I am going to see a sports doctor. NOT RUNNING IS NOT AN OPTION.

I should have asked for some snake oil before I left the doctor's office. Blast!

Welcome 4 more!

As your spiritual leader, I have been busy of late with evangelism. With the help of brother Forrest, we have added 4 new DrunkRunners in the past week. Yes, it is true. My entire family are now followers of the DrunkRunner way (although not all drink). They are yet to establish nicknames, but I'd like to introduce to you, Sandy Patti (sister Chris), Emo (father Emery), Rosie (mother Rosealee), and Mouse (twin sister Dawn).
All of our new inductees are working hard to lose weight and make their way to the top of the Hayes Street Hill!!!! And they will do it. Word is they have established a competition for the "Biggest Loser" in the Backman clan. Hopefully they will share the results as the competition continues. Emo and Sandy are really hoping to run the race. so, lets all give them a DrunkRunner Welcome as they log on register with their various new nicknames!!!!

In other news, I'M IN TAPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how happy I was to only run 3 miles yesterday. It was a glorious feeling. Tomorrow it's 5 miles, but nowhere near the ordeal of two weeks ago with 39 miles in a week. Of course, I'd better get used to the idea if I'm going to make it to Boston. Don't forget. That's the goal! I won't report on the run, but will share that I am very confident that things will go well in San Diego. I'm hoping to break 4:15, which would mean I still need to chop off an hour before Boston, but it can be done.

Nothing else here.

BRRRR!!

Hey kids, just thought I'd let you know winter has finally hit Wisconsin. 70 minus 40 for highs and the night time lows are forcasted to be at70 minus 70. That means it will be a little chilly for me as I run in the late evening or early mornings, so the snot moustache will be in full force. I'll try to get some pictures posted so you can all laugh and relish in the weather you are having. Wish me luck on my cold weather training I'm going to need it. Do they make a pair of Nike thermal pack running boots.

can't get you outta my head

yeah, i just can't get you outta my head.

damn you, kylie.

i officially started running again today. it has been two years since i trained regularly... and a year since i ran at all... and so to get myself pumped up and out the door, i put together a rockin' playlist for my ipod shuffle.

it got me thinking about how important music can be for training... a particularly rockin' song can pull you out of a funk, can keep you from hitting a wall (hopefully just in the figurative sense- if you are literally hitting walls when running, perhaps you are taking your duty of drinking for Sixpack a little too seriously and you have more problems than a kick-ass song can cure). i am working to get together a collection of truly inspiring songs in my "run, forest, run" playlist (that's a little nod to you, forest f. gump).

i read an interesting tidbit today about listening to music while running, and there is a whole website devoted to music for running... and it seems that in order for a song to be good for running, it needs to have over 80 beats-per-minute (BPM). you can even calculate your own pace and fine songs that match your running pace, if you are so inclined.

anyway, for me, just something upbeat works well (though, when i am deciding whether i want a song or not, i imagine my cadence while listening to the song to see if it matches, so i guess i kinda do that in my mind already).

so far i have just over 2 hours, but would like to double that. i would like to propose a music trade. i am offering to send a CD with my playlist (thus far) out to any of you... and am hoping that some of you could return the favor (note: i am happy to send a CD to any of you regardless of whether you send one to me). my playlist ranges from johnny cash to kylie minogue, ol' dirty bastard to tori amos... never a dull moment.

my first run of 2007...

distance: 2
time: i'll keep that to myself for now... but i am feeling just right after the run- i feel like i pushed myself, but i won't be crippled tomorrow.

Drinking for Three, Running for One

In lieu of Don's condition I, too, have decided to offer up my liver. I was probably drinking enough for him before anyways.

Onto last weeks runs. I set the new goal of putting in 20 miles a week. I am not currently training for anything, so the times are really just a pride thing. This week I managed to log 16.3, but couldn't finish the last 4 due to a foot injury. Dayton suggested it might be related to a pronation problem. Having surfed the web, I am inclined to say it is a result of supination (under pronation) resulting from placing more pressure on the outside of my foot when I run. Grrrr! I hope it is not due to the new "kicks," but I am hard-pressed to identify any other cause. I can walk on the ball of my foot just fine, but when I put pressure on the rest of my foot, I get a shooting pain up my ankle and into my heel. Alack, alas. I ran three days, ending with a 7 mi. run with a good average time of 8:53 for that run.

Distance: 16.3
Time: 2:25:07
Average Time/Mi: 8:54
Overall Impression: Still hanging in there but really wish my foot didn't hurt (SHITBRWMFDH)

Oh, for those who are not in possession of the the Nike+ipod and have very poor math skills like myself, here is an EXCELLENT pace calculator.

Return to your Roots

See, this page was once nearly called 5 Drunk Kenyans in honor of Julie's rather convincing argument that the key to Kenyan dominance in marathoning is directly attributable to the amount of vodka they drink the night before. It was a pretty simple equation: As the Vodka increases, times decrease.
Ultimately our lawyers weren't having it, for PC reasons beyond my comprehension, and we were thusly dubbed DrunkRunners.
Out of concern of cosmic imbalance set about by Don's recovery, I decided (subconsciously and intuitively, apparently) to up my own alcohol intake to test a modification to Julie's theory. I'm recursively naming it the "Beer a Mile" hypothesis, and it simply states: "For Every Mile You Run on Sunday, You Must Drink A Corresponding Amount on Saturday. This will make you fast. And stuff."
I tested this inadvertently by drinking five imperial pints (2.5 liters) during a disastorous FA Cup Match on Saturday Night, deciding not to eat dinner, and subsequently rationalizing all the behavior as "Science".

LONG STORY SHORT: I took it easy, didn't overexert anything, and still managed my five miles with an 8:44 avg. Imagine my pleasure! (The hypothesis seems to have been proved, but I hesitate to add it may only be safe for shorter distances.)

Anyway, for those of you keeping score, last wek was my first week back from the infirmary (excluding two days of running to end 2006), and it didn't begin until Wednesday. I still managed 12 miles through Sunday, and the IT Band is holding up alright. My fastest 2 miles were at an 8:22 avgerage, and my fastest mile was an 8:05...Let's keep our fingers crossed that I can meet all of my monthly goals on the ol' Nike+ and then start training for that Halfie. (Speaking of Nike+, I need to calibrate mine. I'm pretty positive it's calibrated for 10 minute miles somehow, and any time you run different than that, it affects the distances. I've gotten 3 different readings for one 2 mile stretch in the past two weeks. Granted, they are all within .1 mile of each other, but I think it's time for calibration anyway.)

No more drinking?

Folks, I've kept this a little quiet over the past week for good reason. I went to the doctor at the end of December complaining of a sore throat. Mind you, a sore throat that had bothered me since November. She said I was to take Prilosec, stop drinking and give up caffeine. Now, you all know me well and know that there are three things I can't imagine living without. One being oxygen, the other two being coffee and beer (not necessarily in that order). So, I've been put on the diet from hell.
I didn't say anything, as there are certain things one must do on vacation. Drinking is one of them. I offer these pictures as proof.

These pictures are from a German Restaurant on 3rd Ave. - Rolf's - in Manhattan. We stopped because of the Matterhorn painting on the side of the building, and walked in to find the Liberace Christmas Collection hanging from the ceiling. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the gayest not gay bar in the whole world. I'm pretty sure that I can say that with reasonable assurance. What you are getting here is just a sampling. These are the just the decorations in front of and behind me, as well as those behind Steve. There is still another half of the bar and the dining room covered in decorations.





With all due respect to my brethren, I didn't know something like this was possible. There's a bar here in SF, Marlena's, that everyone raves the christmas decorations of. It's a pathetic Kmart Blue Light Special display compared to Rolf's. It was simply amazing, and well worth the damage I may have caused to my intestines while enjoying a few beers here. However, the doc says these need to be the last beers for awhile.
It is with this that I announce my intention to abstain, for the most part, for the next month. I have the marathon in a couple weeks and then I will have a few weeks after that to recover before beginning the next training. I'm hoping that after a month things will clear up and I will be able to begin abusing my body again. At the moment I can't decide if it is the caffeine or the beer that I miss most. It's a toss up. But, when you bring in Rolf's the answer would absolutely have to be the beer.

Cheers

greetings fellow masochists

your newest drunken runner here... from the dreary and yet lovely pacific northwest. allow me to introduce myself (i have had my first cup of tea this morning, so it should be mostly pleasant).

i hail from the hippy haven of santa cruz, calif. but met our very own sixpack chopra at Chimp U in SF and am now his parter-in-crime at Reactor Press. i just relocated back to the US after living in japan for two years.

my endurance event madness started years ago just before i first moved to SF. i got into running with a friend and did a 10k. and then a few years later did an olympic-length triathlon to raise money for the leukemia&lymphoma society (with TNT- Go Team!) in honor of my father-in-law who died from leukemia a month after i married his amazing son.

this year i turn 30... and while my body was languishing in the two-and-a-half looong weeks i spent with the in-laws in Florida for xmas this year, i thought to myself, among many other less productive and more hateful things, "gawd, everyone in the south is fat and lazy. i can't wait to get back to the PNW and get back to my normal life-- eat not-fried food and get moving on a regular basis."

and then i thought about how i turn 30 this year and how for the most part i am ok with it and how i am generally healthy and active... but the part of me that is NOT ok with turning 30 needs to do something drastic... and since i don't like cars, much less sports cars, and since i already have done the piercing and tattoo thing, i figured that running a marathon was a crazy drastic thing to do in my 30th year.

so here i am, thanks to sixpack encouraging me to join the ranks of the drunk runners.

i specifically wanted to mention... i read over a few of the most recent posts and there is a book i read/used while training for the tri that i think would be helpful for you, especially sixpack and forest (who mentioned eating in relation to training):

Eating for Endurance, by Dr. Phil Maffetone

i think it's out of print, but there are used copies on amazon, and maybe elsewhere. it is really worth picking up. he goes through the science of food and what your body needs for endurance event training and what foods are best (and worst) for training. i will say he is a huge advocate for nuts and avocados (the fruit of the gods). plus, since he does not include alcohol on the "worst" list, he is right up our alley (and i don't count the fact that alcohol is technically not a food- it has calories, right? and it nourishes the soul, right?). i don't follow his recommendations to the letter, but i learned from this book and found that i did really well with how i ate for the tri training.

cheers and happy new year to you all... jogijogi-chan
(name explanation some other time. "joe-ghee-joe-ghee-chawn" is the pronunciation... just say it in a japanese accent and you'll be fine).

The Year in Review

We are a week into this new year of ours and I have to say, my running so far this year has been pretty good. Steve and I are on vacation in NYC and I have been able to run in Central Park twice, which has really been great. It's a giant part, actually smaller than Golden Gate Park, but 100 times more usable than GGP. There are paths everywhere and one gets the feeling that one could get lost if not careful.
On Thursday I went for a 10 mile run, which took me from the hotel - all the way through the park to the north side - and zigzagging all the way back to the hotel. I'm pretty sure it was 10 miles. My brand spanking new Nike+ chip malfunctioned a bit. I had read that you have to put it to sleep to go through security, so I did, however, it didn't wake up properly, so 1/4 mile into the run it was telling me that "activity had stopped". It was go back to the hotel, or just trust my running watch and my internal pace as I always had. Therefore, I could have done as much as 11 or even 12 miles. Most likely 10-11. I don't regret it though, it was a beautiful run.
I'm still having shin issues off and on. This may be a battle I have for a while. I've been careful about stretching, but I think it might also have something to do with increasing my pace. The next race I will be doing more speed work as we did the last time. With some speedwork I should be able to get my shins/calves in order. If not, it's back to the PT.
My marathon is coming up in 2 weeks, and I'm very excited about that. It's in Carlsbad, CA. I'll go down on Saturday and stay with my friend Kirsten from Lörrach and then go to the race all by my lonesome on Sunday. Start time is a much more sane 7:30 - My start time in SF was 5:30. I'm going to try to hang with the 4:15 pace group, which would mean taking a half hour off my last race. I'm pretty sure I can do it, but some taper is going to have to happen before then.
I'm still feeling pretty beat up, which is funny since I have again managed to skip quite a few workouts. Maybe that's why. I really need to get a grip on those. I try not to beat myself up over missed workouts, but, for example, I'll have to postpone a 10 mile run tomorrow until Monday, because we will be flying in the morning. That will put a little crunch on next week, but not too much.
I'm gonna stop bitching now and just say that I can't wait for the next round and to get all of you ready for the Bay to Breakers.

Running Log:
Miles: 14
Time: 2 hours or so
Overall impression: Thank God for El Nino, For I Ran In New York Without Freezing My Balls Off! (TGFENFIRINYWFMBO)

Nutrients

Just a short one today. I'm only running 15 miles a week right now, with two days of cross training and it's whoopin my ass. I primarily live on chicken and salads and my energy level keeps going down. I need some help with a good diet for a fat man in a thin mans body at least now. I don't want to put weight back on, but with the running I shouldn't. I need to keep my energy level up and the weight off any suggestions.

First run of the

I got up at the butt crack of 8:00 a.m. on new years day after a night of over indulgence and headed to Middleton for the new years day dash. A five mile computer timed event, the first of the year, hell the first of my life. It was a balmy 41degrees with twenty mile an hour winds and the sun was a shinin. A beautiful day for a run.
I was a little tight to start but everything came around for me, I finished in 48min 14sec, with a pace of 9min 38sec a personal best for me. But I was out classed the whole way I came 152ND out of 284. but on a positive note My last mile was an 8min 57sec another personal. I ran right from the finish line to the bar and washed the race down with beer and yes sixpack chopra it was a stout.

My goals for the year:

Simply keep up the training and finish the Mad City Marathon. I have signed up to be a charity runner for the American Cancer Society. With only a 1,000 $ in donations they'll give me free training, what a bargain. Oh and the use of exclusive Porto potties, I wonder if they will follow me through the whole race with one Sixpack chopra I hope so.

The T.T.'s (now P.P.'s) Year in Review

I suppose this is a bit overdue. Hey! I've been busy trying to become a productive member of society ;)

Looking over my running log I, too, am proud of all that we have achieved this year. Apparently, I decided that keeping track of my running in April, May, and June was too much of a hassle (and those where the best months!). Here are my prized accomplishments this year:

1) keeping up with the Pacemaker and Sixpack Chopra on our timed sprints - who knew I could run a 7:20 mile??? I haven't done that since 6th grade!!!
2) running 12 miles!!!!!!! holy crappoli. I am the girl that always claimed I only ran when someone chased me! Only drawback: chafing! Yikes.
3) running and finishing MY FIRST RACE EVER!!! 12k schmelv-k. It felt amazing.
4) keeping up with my running. I lapsed briefly when I first got to Texas (the pool, damn it, the pool is to blame! and those pesky vodka tonics in the blazing Texas sun at 1 in the afternoon. but I digress). I have been running regularly now for an entire year and not just the usual 3 milers.

Here are my stats for the 8 months of running I managed to record to some degree:

Total Miles: approx. 300 - (I estimate it to be probably closer to 400 for the 3 missing months)
Total Time: 34:38:30
Best Time: 8:10 mi during a 2.5 mile run
Best Time for Longer Distance: 8 miles at an average of 8:30/mi last Feb.
Worst Time: 10:00 mi on a 3 mile run

Anywho, my goals for the new year include:

1) keeping up with running, even when I am a big stressball
2) running and completing a half-marathon
3) training for a marathon

With my spiffy new running accoutrement (this snappy ironman watch keeps track of up to 50 laps and my splits - why isn't it called ironwoman???)
and my awesome new shoes - feelin' no pain in the knees!
I am well on my way to achieving my goals. Now all I have to do is buy this new fandangled Nike+iPod so I can kick your asses ;) Did you miss me? I am also toying with getting a Shuffle - they are soooo small and lugging around this video ipod is slowing me down (at least that is what I tell myself). Does Nike+iPod work with the new shuffle too? I must investigate.

As for my drinking year in review, I would have to say that many an easy-pour gallon jug of Shmirnoff have fallen prey to my insatiable thirst. I believe that I single-handedly help support the Russian economy. Oh, speaking of Vodka - you MUST try this Polish vodka called Buffalo or something similar. It has blades of grass infusing in it. Tasty. Tastes like lemon.

So, all in all, I would say that it has been an excellent year for running and if we make our regular offerings to Sixpack Chopra, I am sure that 2007 will be even better. When is B2B again? I feel the need to represent. I have to file my diss. in person by May 18th and graduation is May 11th, sooo... don't count me out just yet. (That means lots of travelling, especially if I am gonna make it to London for the nuptials!!!!)

Yay to us! And Yay to Don's entire family!!!!

Last Run of the Year!!!!

I'm lying in bed (god, I love my laptop) having just showered after my massive final run of the year!!!!! 20 miles and I still feel pretty good. I've got a few bugs to work out, but all in all things went great.
Bug 1: Buy taller socks. I finally realized that the ankle injuries aren't from rocks in my shoe, but from my ankle rubbing against my shoe. Taller socks will take care of the pain, which is especially nice, because running the last 10 miles with the feeling that your shoes are about to cut your feet off at the ankles is not real pleasant.
Bug 2: Don't go out so strong. I did a pretty good job today, finishing the whole run with an average mile of 9:53, but I think it could have been better. I had a best mile of 9:03 and a worst of 11:33, if I could balance that out I might have even better times.
Bug 3: That amazing time was with quite a few breaks. Keeping in mind that at the end of the day it's the miles that count, I allowed myself a couple minutes in Golden Gate Park, almost 10 minutes at Crissy Field and another 5-10 at the Ferry Building. I'm sure without the breaks my times would have been slower. However, I always allow myself to walk through water stations, so maybe it all balances out in the end.
The great news is that there are no more shin splints. This was the longest run before San Diego and I'm virtually pain free. Shin pain that is. My thighs are screaming for a vacation and as for the chafing, you don't want to know where it is.

During my 20 miles I had a lot of time to think about what I had done over the past year. If New Year's Eve is not a time for retro/introspection then I don't know when is. Here's a short list of what I am most proud of accomplishing this year:
1. I ran a marathon before Lance Armstrong! Take that, you one-testicled freak!
2. I ran my first marathon!
3. We all trained together for an amazing Bay to Breakers!
4. Julie and I beat Jason Whitt in the Bay to Breakers!
5. I beat Jason Whitt in the Marathon!
6. I will be running the San Diego marathon only 6 weeks behind the schedule I had hoped to keep to. The Physical therapy has made me a better runner!
7. Julie was there with me hating all the way.
8. Two more people will run marathons this year because of our good example. Good luck Wayne and Amie!
9. I saw Dayton naked.
10. I'm still on my feet and pounding out the miles. I still need to evaluate the diet, but I haven't gained any weight over the past 4 months -- and that's quite an accomplishment for me!

The week in Review:
Distance: 39 miles
Average: 9:46
Overall Impression: Would Someone Tell Me How To Break The Endorphine Addiction? (WSTMHTBTEA?)

Squeezing a Few More Runs Out of 2006

Oh man, I stretch now. I stretch for days. Cross legged, spread eagle, sitting in a swing with my ankles over my head...oh wait. That wasn't stretching, that was our new sex swing...
Seriously, I feel like I haven't run in two months or something. And the IT Band is just as stiff, but I've noticced positive signs. Namely, it's stiffest in the beginning of the run. And everyone knows that pain in the beginning is much better than the end. Or the middle. Or any of those grey areas in between.
So, I've been running. Yes, you say. You've run. But how far?
I've run 9 miles in three days. Ooh, you say. Nine miles? Really?
Yep. In four runs. I look at last years schedule and realize I'm back exactly to square one, when I was doing two-a-days on wildcat Canyon Road. Two miles in the morning, and three miles at night. Since I'm too much of a wreck to string five miles together in one go, this is the quickest and safest way to get up to fifteen miles a week.
Since Don mentioned his goals for 2007, I thought I would list a few I've set for myself at the Nike + iPod website:
Goal 1: (Speed) Run 10 runs in four weeks under Avg 9:30/mile.
Accomplished thus far: 1
Goal 2: (Distance) Run 50 miles in four weeks.
Accomplished thus far: Roughly nine plus change.
Goal 3: (frequency) Um, dunno. Run More?! (to paraphrase the Violent Femmes: "Three, three, I forgot what three was for.")

Anyway, those are my specific goals for the month. Should be enough to give me a decent base, from which , hopefully in February, I can start training for a Half Marathon. After that, who knows? Maybe a few Iron Man triathalons and a whiskey sour. ;)
We're off on a long train to Vienna in two hours, so I won't be seeing/hearing from any of you for a few days. I wish you all a great New Year, and look forward to 2007. It sounds like everyone one of you (us) had a fantastic year. Looking at everyone's year-end assessments, and knowing everything Julie has done as well acccomplishment-wise, I'm amazed how much somebody can run, and drink, in one year. For a bunch of amateurs that is. I hereby pat us all on the back.

Switching

Hey everybody,
Just a heads up. I had to switch my Blogger account to the "NEW AND IMPROVED BLOGGER" for another blog I'm starting, which basically meant that all the blogs I've created were imported with me. It looks like, in order to post, you will have to make sure you are using the new blogger as well. It literally takes less than a minute to re-configure your acccount, and from what I've seen, the layouts and interfaces are actually better...So we've got that going for us. Just click on "Switch Now" on the log-in screen.
Sorry about the unannounced/undemocratic admin decision, won't happen again!

I'll post tonight about running. Looks like the legs are holding up enough to get a few miles in after all. Huzzah!

Drunkrunner Berkeley/Wisconsin Chapter!

Hey all,
This is an open question for the forum. It is my plan to get together another group to train for the Bay to Breakers this year - if your friends leave you, make new ones. That's my motto. I've been wondering what we should call each other. I hate to tarnish the memory of the Hayes Street Haters, and don't really have time to wait for the name to organically evolve as HSH did. Wayne will be raising money for LLS and will be needing a T-shirt. So, I was thinking of proposing, since Jason Kooiker will be joining, of calling the group Drunkrunners! Any objections? We could then post pictures of the Drunkrunners with their shots and hard core beers on a website and show up those SoCal Drunkrunner wussies (Just how does one spell that word?)! I would be happy to make commemorative shirts for those that can't be with us, complete with appropriate names! As your spiritual leader, I will be changing my name this year. Sixpack Chopra is so much more inspired than Altar Boy although...-- Oh, hey wait a minute, that's gross!
So the question is, do we take the group beyond cyberspace and start a chapter hear in Berkeley? Which would also mean Wisconsin as Wayne, my Dad and others will be coming from Wisco for the race. The sick irony being that my dad's plan is to quit drinking and use running as a substitute. This doesn't disallow a victory shot at the end of the race.

In other news, running is going really well. I've slowed a bit in the past few weeks, but I'm hoping that is just normal. I'm facing my 20 mile run this sunday. Yes, the last run of the year, and it's fucking 20 miles. It's a beautiful route though. I've run it, in shorter versions for the past two weeks. I'll head out over the back of Twin Peaks, then down 7th Avenue to Golden Gate Park I'll wander through the park from 7th Avenue to the other side at 25th Avenue. 25th leads to the Presidio where I follow the cliffs along the ocean to the Golden Gate Bridge. Sunday I will have to run at least 2 miles out on the bridge, which basically means crossing it, and then head back. Then it's down to Crissy Field for a run along the bay to the Embarcadero (a la our runs to Sausalito last year, only backwards) and then head up Market to end at the Happy Rainbow Flag in the Castro. I catch the bus there and gross out the Homo Heights Express with my sweaty smells -- I almost said sweaty balls, but then wasn't sure that would gross them all out -- and unkempt hair. It's a beautiful run and really leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. 20 miles should leave one with a sense of something shouldn't it?

I ran the 16 mile run with a 9:33 mile, but was only able to run the 18 mile in about 10:15 (I can't call it up right now). Today's 10 mile was in 10 minute miles, so I'm tired, but can't slow down. This is the big week. 39 miles, and I'm only 15 miles into it. I'll get it done and then the taper starts! I'm so psyched for the taper I can hardly wait.

Impressions will be logged when I finish the 20 miler!!! Wish me luck!
Your leader,
Sixpack Chopra

Wayne's year in review

On April 15 I topped the scale at 239 pounds, I looked at a 3 day old picture and said HOLY FUCK YOU ARE FAT. I tried running but my knees and lungs wouldn't stand for it. So I started out walking 1 mile a day. It wasn't until June that I could run a full mile. I never kept track of times and distance because I didn't feel the need. Now that my goal has changed I finally started to keep track, but I didn't start until December when I decided to run the Mad City marathon. So the only accomplishment I can shop this year is weight loss and that comes to a grand total of 58 pounds and that I'm actually in shape to train and I will accomplish my goal. I now know why Forest Gump ran to get over Jenny It's very therapeutic. I'm thinking of changing my name to Forest. That way when I hear someone yelling RUN FOREST RUN I'll know they are cheering me on. As for the drunken part I drank a lot until October when I was told to cut back, but I promise to ignore Doctors orders and drink more in 2007 and curse the name of Sixpack Chopra for starting this Marathon thing and forcing me to keep up with my little brother.

Don's 2006 in Review

This a bit early, but I was going to chime in today anyway, and since Dayton chimed with his year in review I felt it was time for me to do the same.
First things first, you may have recently noticed a name change. During an episode of the Colbert Report I was struck by enlightenment. While listening to the guru Deepak Chopra I realized that what we were in need of was a spiritual leader on our quest for leaner bodies and fatter livers. I introduce to you, lady and gentleman, your spiritual leader for the year 2007: Sixpack Chopra! I will be your spiritual leader for the coming year. As such, I encourage you all to praise me and or take my name in vain. Perhaps the mantra could be switched from: Fuck You Jason Whitt to Fuck You Sixpack Chopra. Whatever should bring you spiritual guidance and get you to the top of that next hill, or the bottom of that next bottle, that is what I am here for. You need not contribute finances to your guru, although it is not discouraged. You need not set up a shrine to your guru, again, not discouraged. You need not attend special services in order to praise him. Just know that whether you are downing tequila at a ridiculous pace, consuming ungodly quantities of 2-Buck Chuck, or simply going for a run, your Guru is with you. With the spirit of Sixpack Chopra beside us, we can all reach higher and perform better in the coming year.
Second: My runs. I didn't start keeping track of runs until August, which means I missed a full 7 months of stats, but here are the stats as I could assemble them.

Miles run since July 30, 2006: 283.79
Average Mile: 9:34
Best Run: 3 miles on Sept. 8. Average mile: 8:12
Worst Run: 1/10 mile on Aug. 20 Average mile: 14:48
Judging from these number over the last 4 months, I would guess I logged somewhere in excess of 600 miles this year, but I can't be too sure. With my Nike+ iPod with me I hope to log at least that in the coming year.

Goals for 2007: San Diego marathon on the January 21st. After a couple weeks off, I'll start training for the Bay to Breakers, as my family, and I mean the entire family, will be coming out to run it. I'm sticking with last years goal of finishing in under an hour. Wish me luck.
I also hope to do 3 marathons in 2007. If we are going to make it to Boston, I think I'm going to have to do at least that much.
Hypothetically, if I owned a Nike+Plus chip for my brand spanking new iPod Nano I would have hypothetically thrown down the gauntlet to see who would first reach 300 miles in 2007. I would hypothetically already have started, which would mean y'all have some catching up to do. As your spiritual leader I have confidence in you and know that you will not let me down.

2006 in Review

I'm getting ready to start a new running log for 2007, and thought I would look at 2006 to see how things totalled through today. It looks like I ran a total of 600.38 miles, over the course of about eight months solid running. I took just over a month off for the World Cup, and have been a hobbling wreck since the marathon (which has been well documented in past posts and doesn't need rehashing). My average speed for the year was 9.06 minutes per mile, which includes the whopper 11.222 average I logged during the marathon. My best race was the August Half Marathon, which came in at 1:48 for an 8.27 minute average. Good times.
I just unofficially checked my drinking log with my Do-It-yourself Liver Biopsy, and estimate that between the World Cup, turning thirty, my parents vacation, and the general state-of-affairs in Germany, I consumed 5 Billion units of alcohol. I'll try and increase that in 2007.
Which brings me to the Ipod + Nike.
I understand there are those of you out there that now own this device. I understand, also, that there are certain "Challenges" being given, certain proverbial gauntlets being thrown down. I can not say how much this thrills me, and I look forward to the many smaller races we are going to be running, in addition to the "Big One".
For those of you who don't know, the Nike + Ipod is the new running gizmo that the geniuses at Apple have designed. Microsoft tried to do something similar, but they were working exclusively with a group of Libyans who were only using used pinball machine parts. (No, Julie, you can't right-click with it. Why would you want to? Do you right click a toaster? A martini?)
It consists of a sensor, which is placed in or near the shoe, and a receiver that inserts into the iPod. It has a variety of settings that let you keep track of calories, distance, time, etc. It allows you to set goals, and it will tellyou if you beat them or not. Best of all, besides being an amazingly accurate pedometer, it automatically uploads your information onto a Nike Website every time you plug in your iPod. AND, from this very website you can track and challenge the progress of your friends...SO, hypothetically speaking, if I was in a different country than you four, we could still schedule a race between ourselves. Say a 5K some Saturday. Or, if someone is totally mad, they could set up a race to be the first one to 300 miles. Hypothetically speaking. Of course.

The Competition!!!!

Folks, we've got some competition out there!!!! I did a google search for "drunkrunners" yesterday. The good news is, our blog was the first thing on the list. The bad news is Number 2 was: Drunk Runners' Club! I think we need to have a talk with these people. I mean, they couldn't possibly be in competition with us. There website is terribly out of date, and I'm not saying anything, but they only seem to drink lite beer. What losers. He says from his high horse having just received a Maker's Mark Christmas Shaker, as his 2006 Maker's Mark Ambassador gift. Lite Beer!!! Psshaw!

On to the runs. Tuesday was a great 5 mile run. I have mapped out a great course that takes me up the monster of a hill from Glen Park that I have spoken of before, and ends with a block long street that is at least as steep as Marin St. in Berkeley. It kicks my ass, but I'm already getting better at it.

Today, 9 miles. I mapped out a new course. God, I love that USATF Course Mapping website. The course took me from here at home down to the mission to run the entire length of Valencia Street, then a short jog over to Glen Park and back up that beast of a hill, all the way up to the top of Twin Peaks and back down to home. The total course is a bit over 9 miles, but as I had troubles looking up due to the fog, and visibility was only about 100 yards, I hardly felt like I went anywhere. It was a nice comfortable run. My pace at 6 miles was 8:50, and I ended with an overall pace of 9:22. Not bad. Not Bad. I sure do wish I had kept some records in the last training set. I have no idea what I was averaging before. I'm pretty sure my goals before were to do 10-11 minute miles on the long runs. In which case I'm very happy with my present pace.

Week's Summary:
Distance: 14 miles
Average: 9:18
Overall Impression: Running In The Fog Is Like Running In A Hamster Ball Only Harder! (RITFILRIAHBOH)

7-Days A Week? Who is this Freak?

Running / Cross training 7 days a week is not a good idea. Nor can I even imagine it. :-) Seriously, even if you are training intensely there should be at least one day off. Your body needs the rest. You might even consider 2 days of rest in a row. You should find that the first week you do that your times will drop on your next run. For example, I ran 5 miles last week in 49 minutes. Today, after a 2 day rest, I ran the same run in 45 minutes. Most of that can be attributed to rest. So, take it easy and don't burn yourself out now. You've got 5 months of training to do. Enjoy the lighter load now.

Hope the snow doesn't all melt before the holiday, or that it comes back. It's always nice to have a white christmas. Me, I just throw some flour on the balcony and a log in the fire.

We are having a heat wave right now, but with the heat wave we also have rain and fog because of the snow. It's been seventy minus thirty for highs here. I have to do my three mile run tonight and it will be dark and raining, but atleast it won't be cold. congrats on the run Moose. I checked out the uw training and will think about it. A question, I have been training seven days a week trying to bring my times down. Run three days and a row machine or excercise bike with some weight training the other four. is this to much or is it good for me to do to get my times down. I have brought the time down to 9min 42sec, but I want to get closer to a nine minute mile. Any pointers would be appreciated. Still working on the drinking, but I really don't want the calories fom it right now.

The Results are In

Just got the race results back. I did better than I thought. 85th place overall and 12th in my Gender/Age group. Not bad, not bad. And my thighs are now back to normal, which means I can run today. It's supposed to be 5 miles, and it's wicked wet out there. Wish me luck.

Race Results: Hark The Herald Angels Run

Hark the Herald Angels Run!

Welcome back Dayton. We just ask that you leave enough wine and beer for the rest of us. Although, it doesn't seem to be in short supply here. The end of the semester/Christmas party in the department last night was started by a 10-Minute-Party in the office with Champagne. Then down the hall for some crappy chardonnay. After that a cocktail at the Macaroni Grill a la Gergo. God I love free drinks, and I think the hooker/ex-girlfriend was there again. Dinner at Pasta Pomodoro was accompanied by even more wine. This made for a mild hangover this morning as I got up to run a 12K run on Angel Island. The Hark the Herald Angels Run is a grueling course. They run a 12K for the 12 days of christmas and a 25K for the 25th of December, cute huh? Not so, if you thought the Hayes Street Hill was hard, how about a 12K that is more or lest uphill for the first 8K. Yes, it was 50 some minutes into the race before I was confident I wouldn't be seeing the upside of another hill. It was a beautiful run and I'll post pics as soon as I get them back (I bought a camera with film, because I forgot my digital at home.
The run was mostly trails, and pretty narrow trails at that. For much of the race, there wasn't room to pass anyone without a game of leapfrog. It was muddy, a la Jason Witt. Yes, I did indeed just use a la twice in the same posting. Oops, that was three times. I thought at mile 2 that I wasn't going to make it. My shins started getting tight, which I'm convinced now is shin splints, but I kept on going. After another mile the shins felt fine and I joined in with a woman who was drafting behind me. We each cursed the hills as we approached them, and cheered the downhill when we got there.
All in all, a great run.

The Run:
Distance: 7.45 miles
Time: 1:09:38
Pace: 9:20
Overall Impression: Take That Jason Whitt! (TTJW) -- Not as clever as FLAB-A-SLAB, but I'm working on it.


Also, an official calling out! Dayton, if you are going to be in Germany in October next year, then we should be running the Köln marathon together. It would also be a perfect time to be qualifying for Boston!!!!! Think about it!

so damn drunk

Welcome Shorthair!
That's great news that our ranks have again expanded, and I'm currently sending you warm weather thoughts from a relatively balmy Cologne. If they don't make it, it's because I've been taking down wine by the crate. And beer by the kegs. I have holes in my liver the size of silver dollars right now. My synapses are mis-firing, and to quote Jerry Seinfeld , "My Rods and Cones are all screeewed up!"
Needless to say, I haven't run at all, saving for the trips down six flights of stairs to grab wine out of the cellar. My knee, thoguh, is getting stronger all the time. I'm planning on starting in earnest on the seventeenth, when we start to have a normal life again. Will finally write up that Nike + iPod product review soon, I swear!

On the Definition of Cold

Seeing as how, some of y'all have never lived in a colder climate, I think with the addition of Shorthair we are going to have to redefine things.
First, Wisconsin is a unique climate. With an enormous lake to the East and the Canadian Tundra to the north, the great plains to the West and nothing in between, there's nothing to stop the wind. This is why, the annual average temparature in Wisconsin is: 50 degrees in the south (where Wayne lives) and 39 degrees in the north. All time low temperature? "the lowest temperature on record was minus 55 F, reported from Couderay on both February 2 and February 4, 1996." I was living in Wisconsin then and it was evil. Checkout this out for more info:Climate of Wisconsin! My favorite quote: "During more than one-half of the winters, temperatures fall to minus 40 F or lower, and almost every winter temperatures of minus 30 or colder are reported from northern stations. Summer temperatures above 90 average 2 to 4 days in northern counties and about 14 days in southern districts. During marked cool outbreaks in summer months, the central lowlands occasionally report freezing temperatures.

Comparative Average Temps:
Phoenix: 72.6
Köln: 50
San Francisco: 57.1
Houston: 67.9
Madison: 46.1

Yep, it's colder than a Witches Tit there.

So, when Wayne says it's 70 - 100 degrees outside, you should be thinking really friggin' nasty cold. I'm already shivering thinking it was 5 degrees yesterday, and it's only December. The nasty months are January and February.

Sending warm thoughts and a scarf to Wisco!

Flab-a-Slab

I know I have been the wayward Drunk Runner, but I have drunkenly staggered my way back to the pack. Speaking of weather, the Gulf Coast of Texas has officially entered the Fall/Winter season. No snow yet (and yes, miraculously enough it snowed here two Christmas' ago), but I wouldn't rule it out. I thought I would do a lot more running once it cooled down, but since we actually turned the heat on in the apartment, it has been very difficult to convince myself to leave this little cacoon.

Needless to say, my stats are down. Ugh! But, to prevent myself from falling into that trap of mine (See post from 10/13/2006), I have tried to put in at least 5-10 miles a week. However, fed up and in dispair about hearing back about job interviews gave me the fuel I needed to complete a 7.4 mile run last night. Yeehaw! This is the first time I have been able to break 7 miles, since my run in the Berkeley hills back in August. I realized that my problem in November trying to reach 7 mi. was because I wasn't slowing my pace down enough! Aha! (Chic little Ironman Running Watch is already on my Christmas list!) I had gotten all excited about completing 5 mi. runs with 8:30 min. averages that I didn't realize that it was preventing me from extending my distance. I don't know what it was about last night, but I just kept running (I was trying to extend the course I run now, so that I don't have to overlap the route). I find that I will push myself further if I run a route that I don't know the distance of (which has its pros and cons). I was just happy that I didn't have the same dog-chasing problem I encountered on Monday.

Thursday's Run:
Distance: 7.4
Time: 67.5
Pace: 9:06
Overall Impression: Floatin' like a butterfly and stingin' like a bee. (FLABASLAB) - sweet, that just spelled "flab-a-slab"!

The long of the short of it (I am never very concise) is that I am maintaining some similance of running. No marathon planned for the near future, but don't count me out. My Christmas list reads like a catalog out of RoadRunner.com! DJ - let me know about the Nike ipod business.

Cheers!

Cold weather

Last night I went for my two mile run, remember I'm just starting out on my training. At this time last year I weighed 240 lbs, I started running just to lose weight and now look at the punishment I'm going to put myself through. Back to last night temp was seventy minus sixty-five with a two below wind chill. I ran it in 20min 18sec. Right now I'm working on picking my times up through January before I start the training for the marathon. In fashion with ya'll I drank a beer when I finished. As for the running a marathon because my little brother ran one first, I can neither confirm or deny that.

Welcome Wayne to Drunk Runners!!!!

Wayne has been running for about the last year, and has taken the big leap and decided to run a marathon. I don't think he has any idea what he's gotten himself into, which is why he belongs here. After all, neither did any of us!!!
I secretly think he's decided to run the marathon because he can't stand that his little brother did it before he did. :-)
So, let's all show him our support and look forward to hearing stories of long runs through the blowing snowing tundra that can be the homeland. Yes, folks, he's back in Brooklyn, WI. The link is to a run I mapped from his house to New Glarus (Yes, it's named after a Swiss Canton). Check out the green. Just gives you an idea where he lives. Of course, it won't be so green as he does most of his training.
I'm looking forward to hearing the perspective he'll have for us. Especially tips on running in cold weather. Julie you are going to need those especially!!!!!
Everybody raise a glass and give Wayne a nice big Drunk Runners Prost!

Just starting

Hey all,
I'm the new comer Moose's brother Wayne. In my defense I was a little of my game (in the drinking department, I will work on that) when I was town to visit. I don't have anything to report, I have just decided to train for the Mad City Marathon and started a training schedule on Tuesday. I just wanterd to say hello.

14 Miles Down, Many To Go!

It's been one of those weeks folks. I just couldn't get it together. With my brother and sister here last week my running suffered a little bit. I went running with my brother in Golden Gate Park, he'll soon be a drunkrunner. Although, he's going to have to work on his drinking skills if he is going to keep up with us. Strange, he's the one that was drinking me literally under the table when I was 18. Where did that guy go? We do get older. I don't, but he sure has.
Speaking of older, I actually had to pull out my driver's license at Stammtisch on Friday when I told a guy, for the 3rd time, that I started studying German in college in 1989. It was quite the ego boost. He simply didn't believe I could be that old. Is running the fountain of youth? Perhaps.
But back to the run. Scenario: Golden Gate Park, brother, supposed to run 8 miles. Did the first 3 with Wayne, because it was all he could do to finish those, but he was a trooper and we ran it in about 11 minute miles. Then he was going to walk and I was going to run the next 5 around the lake. Big mistake. Much like Dayton once mentioned with slowing the pace cause ITB problems, quickening my pace from 11 minutes to 9 minutes did a number on those shins again. By the end of the first mile around the lake I was doing my quasimodo impersonation. I called it a day and went home with 4 miles instead of 8.
Saturday was a great 12 miles from my house to the Golden Gate Bridge around to Pier 39 where I met Wayne and Chris. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful run.
This week was another story. I had a sore throat and a lot to do on Tuesday, so I decided not to run. I began taking Emergen'C and zinc tablets. I think it worked, the sore throat never progressed beyond the stage where it was just something I could feel if I was thinking about it. However, it lasted all week, so I wanted to make sure I was getting better instead of worse, and thus cancelled Thursdays run as well.
Saturday -- Hangover. 'nuff said.
Sunday, I finally tackled the 14 mile run I was supposed to do Saturday. let me tell you folks, it was a long one. I ran from my house to Golden Gate Park, ran 6 miles in the park and then headed home. The tricky spots were Mile 1, which involves getting up over Twin Peaks and onto the back side of it in pursuit of the park. It includes a hill that makes Nimmitz look like a speed bump. Then it was pretty smooth sailing until mile 12 when I had to head home. basically the last 3 miles were uphill. Crazy stuff. Elevation change on the last two miles? 400 feet. Ladies and Gentleman, that's a positive 400 feet.
In the end, however, I survived. My time was a bit slow, but I'm giving myself the benefit of the doubt in that there was a week off and those 3 miles uphill worked me like that poor mule up on Brokeback. I'm back home and feeling great for having accomplished 14 miles for the first time in months.

Week's Summary:
Distance: 14 miles
Time: 2:21:20
Pace: 10:05
Overall Impression: Never Ran To The Park And Back Before, And I'm Feeling Cocky! (NRTTPABB,AIFC!)

Welcome Back Pacemaker!

The Pacemaker is back, just in time to make me feel guilty for postponing my run this morning. I woke up way tired and with a bit of a sore throat. Hoping some rest would help me recover I've decided to evaluate my status throughout the day and see how I feel at the end. If I'm up for it when I get home, I'll strap on the rubber and head out for the 5 miles I'm supposed to do.
Here's hoping Dayton is feeling better soon. I'd recommend that doctor. He'll help you get better faster, even if it is some voodoo medicine involving Fleischkaese and a scarf -- because all German remedies involve a scarf. Stretch, stretch, stretch, and never run more than is comfortable. Lots of ice might help too!!! I know it's become my wonder cure. Does it hurt? Put ice on it! That's the solution.

No run since the 12 miles on Saturday. I'm looking forward to the 14 miles this week. This will be the first time that I will run to Front Runners, do a run and then head home. Should be fun. Wish me luck!

Return of the Prodigal Son

Don's halfway there! Huzzah!
Hey glorious fellow runners:

I know I haven't posted in over a month. I haven't even made comments. But in my defense, I've been very, very drunk. As the Tramp pointed out: Being Drunk is half the equation.
My knee is getting stronger, but not many of the stretches for the IT Band have worked as well as I would like. Also, I'm not sure how to describe it, but the pain has -shifted- towards the back of my knee. I'm going to go see a doctor here pretty soon, since I'm gettin pretty stir crazy. I even had a sequence of dreams last night about running- One involved me only being able to skip, the other was like running in wet cement. Both were based upon an admittedly limited knowledge of those two endeavors, but they were still quite disconcerting. (Actually, I'm quite a good skipper, if I do say so myself.) Both also involved Don sitting in the top corner frame of the dream/screen shot in a semi-dissolved shot overlay, cackling maniacally and telling me how much faster he is than me.

I can't be having that.

Another week down

I'm 8 weeks in. That's halfway. I'm feeling good. Just ran another 12 on Saturday. I'll be bracing myself for the 14 on this coming Saturday.
My brother and sister were here this weekend. And we didn't get as much running time in as we had thought. Wayne went with me for my 8 mile run on Thursday, but as it turns out, it's not so easy running an 11 minute mile with him for 3 miles and then kicking it in at 9 minutes. So, I ended mile 4 so tight I was afraid to go on. That means only 4, not 8 miles, and a drop in 4 miles for the week. I'll make up for it, by not missing any more runs.
My 12 on Saturday was great. I had to meet Chris and Wayne at Pier 39, so I ran from home to the Golden Gate Bridge and then over to the Pier. It was a beautiful run. AGAIN, the first 4 miles were pretty tough. I'm having a hell of a time with shin stuff. I'm going to go to the doctor next week. I don't have time this week, with a big assignment due, but next week there is time. So, that will probably mean more PT. I think I'm addicted. :-)

I'm supposed to do a Fun Run the week after next, and I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to run a run on Angel Island. it's a 12k trail run. Looks cool.

Not much else to report. Missing you all out here in cyberspace!!!!!!!!

Stats:
Total Miles: 20.7
Overall Time: 194.28
Average Mile: 9.36
Overall Impression: Still Not Afraid To Amputate These Shins If Need Be (SNATATSINB)

Brokeback Prison Rape

Oh My God!!!!! I need to start writing the script for Prison Rape!

We were watching last night, of course, and the show was taking it's usual crazy turns. From an abusive childhood that has never been mentioned before, to a twice convicted felon striking a deal with a renegade FBI agent for information, it was a winning episode. In the middle of it all, a Kansas police chief is interviewing Prison Guard Bellick, and asks what he was doing in Kansas. He says, "You know, checking out the sites."
She says, "Let's be honest here. You're in Kansas. Now, we're both in law enforcement you can tell me the truth. I don't care if you were hooping it up with the boys. Or maybe you were going "Brokeback."" I just about dropped my knitting and spit out my Chablis while clutching my pearls.
Not only did the bitch steal my line, she made "Brokeback" a verb before I ever managed to, and I have more experience.

It's going to be a dry week for posts for me. Brother and sister in town, so won't be at the computer much. I will boast that I ran 5 miles today.

It was the tough 5 through Glen Park, basically half of it us up a pretty steep hill.

Final time: 45:06!!!!!!!
Average Mile: 9.02 minutes
Overall Impression: "You Boys Weren't Being Paid To Stem The Rose!" (YBWBPTSTR!)

Ain't nothin' gonna breaka my stride....

Almost to the end of another week here. Did two runs so far. Tuesday, 5miles, today 7 miles. Yes, it's official the weekend distance has crept its way to midweek.

The run on Tuesday was pretty good. Ran the Ohlone Greenway after Dayton crapped out whining something about his ITB blahblahblah.... So, it was by myself. Overall a pretty good run. Tight shins again, so not as pleasant feeling as I'd like. I have noticed that the shins do seem to coincide wih pace. If I'm trying to push it a bit they act up. I ran today with no problem. Maybe somewhere in there is the answer to the problem.

Today's run was gorgeous. I did the Glen Park Monster and kicked it's ass. I felt great the whole time, and clocked a 7 mile at 65:25. Not bad.

Sure wish I could have run with Dayton. I didn't get to say anything about how he couldn't quit me, or where he had left his tackle box, or nothing like that. Instead, I had to dodge a woman with flowers, almost having to dive into the bushes to avoid knocking her over.

Alas, Dayton has returned to Germany and it will be May before we meet again. How about we all go out for a jog in London before the wedding?

The stats:
Distance: 12.2 miles
Time: 109:30
Average: 8:57
Overall Impression: If I Can Keep On Keepin On, I Just May Do This Thing. I Swear! (IICKOKOIJMDTT.IS!)

Just Another Manic Run Day!

It's official. I will soon be renaming myself Sybil. My running life has come to resemble this famous 1976 made for TV movie starring Sally Fields and Joanne Woodward. One day, I'm feeling like it's all suicide and a waste of time. The next, I'm Lance Armstrong meets Will Shorter meets Joan Benoit Samuelson. And today was one of those days.
You'll remember that I was waylayed by delirium and dizzyness on Thursday due to the meds. So today, against Dr. advice, I decided to not take my meds before the run. Went to Golden Gate Park and ran 5 miles before the gay boys got there. 5-mile Split? 43:00. That's 8:36 a mile. WooHoo!!! It was a good run, but I must confess I still felt a little disoriented from the drugs. Kind of dizzy, kind of confused, but the legs felt strong, so I kept it going. The shin issue is still working itself out. I'm figuring out how to loosen it up while running instead of having to stop. It looks like we won't have to amputate after all.
Then I had a few minutes to cool off and get some fluids before we headed off to do it again. The second 5 seemed to go much slower than the first. After all, this time I was being passed by men on their first 5 miles not their last. The miles did slow down a bit, but after mile 2 I felt great. Like I could run for another 10. I didn't, but I felt like I could have. Times did slow on the last five, but I ended with an 8:46 mile average for the day, which I couldn't be happier about.
The real question for me is where are these times coming from? After all, I took two months off, and expected to have lost more fitness than this. In fact, the times I'm turning in now are faster than those we were doing during the 1/2 marathon training. I truly think the gels and the fuel belt are helping. There were a few runs last summer when I stopped sweating, which all say is a bad thing. So, the fact that I stay hydrated is surely helping. The 10 minute break in the middle is probably helping as well.
The times I've been putting in, put me on track for a 4:05 marathon in January. Cross your fingers. That means I'll only have to cut another 50 minutes off to qualify for Boston. Oh, you forgot we were trying to qualify for Boston didn't you!!!! Get your asses out there, we've got work to do!!!!

Weeks Results:
Total miles: 14.8
Total Time: 132 minutes
Average: 8:57/mile
Overall Impression: It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood And Sibyl's On A Roll! (IABDITNASOAR)

Yay!

I hereby second the motion to make Antonia blabideeblabla Henderlee an official Drunk Runner. For years of dedicated service watching the pacemaker kill himself on these various continents, I vote we honor her with membership among our clan!

Petition to get Tessa added as an Official Drunk Runner Supporter

With this blog I hereby suggest that Antonia (Can't remember all the middle names) Lee (soon to be Henderlee or Leehender) be officially added as a blog member! If the girl can ride by DJ's side and watch him barf, and if she can take amazing action shots at marathons then I believe she should be a full-fledged contributor to the blog (not just via the Pacemaker). All in favor, say "YAY!"

Dayton and his Snobby Euro Server

Jules - Your posts get tomorrow's date, because our snobby friend has set the server time for the Blog as Cologne time. Therefore, unless you are on psychotically early in the day, it get's tomorrow's date, because it's always tomorrow in Köln.

Keepin' on Keepin' on.

[For some reason, my posts get dated a day later than I write & post them. Can't figure it out, sorry!]

Here is a brief update of this week's runs so far.

Tuesday was a really good run. I couldn't feel my legs by the end, and I actually wish I had kept running. They weren't tired, I just couldn't feel them! I had a decent pace, just barely under 9 min/mile.

Time: 47:30
Distance: 5.3 mi
Overall Impression: Hmmm, what are those funny stick-like things? Are they attached to my torso? So they are. Run on! (H,WATFSLT? ATATMT? STA. RO!)

I planned Wednesday to be a shorter run, about 3 miles. Again, I ran a new route to check things out. Ended up running an extra half mile, which was fine with me. Pace was faster (just slightly faster than 8:30min/mile), which was good but could have been better. I probably would have been able to finish it a little faster had I not been "fogged" by the Mosquito Truck(by the way, this is EXACTLY what it looked like, bastards!).

That really can't be good for your lungs or respiratory system, can it? However, I have come to realize the wisdom of the Mosquito Truck.

See exhibit A).

God only knows whose blood ol' Drakul the Mosquito sucked! (Yeah, I know I need to change my fingernail polish. Thanks, Don.)

Time: 30
Distance: 3.5 mi
Overall Impression: Decent run but will probably have 3 headed babies someday. (DRBWPH3HBS).

Onto today's run. I set out with high hopes and dillusions of grandeur today. I had planned to run 7 miles for the first time since that glorious 9 mi. run in Berkeley. However, Gulf Coast weather had different plans for me. It looked like it was going to rain all day, but it never did. Humidity was high, breeze was non-existent. The short of the long of it was that I ran a course that I didn't know the exact distance. I even pushed it to get in an extra 0.5 mi. thinking that it would most certainly put me at 7miles. Nope. The barf-o-meter was on atomic red from about mile 3 onward. Stupid daylight savings! Sure I get an extra hour of sleep, but by the time it cools down sufficiently enough to run, it is 5:30 and there is only a half hour of light. Apparently Texans prize their freedom to not have streetlights, which makes it practically impossible to run without braking an ankle. Wow! I just managed to blame my crappy run on the weather, barfiness, and Texans in general. SWEET. I have just taken hatin' to a whole new level.

Running Conditions: 80 degrees. 81% humidity. Is it really almost mid-November????
Time: 60 mins.
Distance: 6.3mi
Overall Impression: Disappointing but better than nothing. (DBBTN)

I'm planning for at least another 5 miles before Sunday. That will put me at 20 for the week.
I need to find a plan on runner's world that I can actually understand. I need a mathematician to decypher all those cryptic formulas!

Well, I'm off to barf. Check in with you guys later! Enjoy your runs together next week!!!!

Poison Oak and a new Drug!

First, congrats to Hater for getting out and running. We're all behind you! I wish I could come down for the race in Houston, it sounds like a great one. 26 miles on a beach? What could be better. Alas, with a marathon in January, I'm not sure I would be ready in time for another one a month later. Someday.

My running is moving along. On Tuesday I ran a 5 mile run, up and over the Glen Park Monster and did it in record time:
Although I was able to run with poison oak, I found myself unable to run yesterday because of the drugs I was on. As I described the side-effects to JB, he said, "Sounds like something I'd take for recreation!" And yes, there were times when it was awesome.
You see, the Prednisone Side Effects can be quite interesting. At the Pet Shop Boys concert on Tuesday (Oh how I wish this Blog would let me tell you how awesome the show was) I was absolutely euphoric. It was something similar to what I imagine ecstasy with a touch of coke might feel like. I was wired for sound, dancing, screaming and had a great time. Then Wednesday morning I could hardly concentrate, and started going through waves of intense activity followed by waves of an inability to complete the simplest task. It was a crazy roller coaster. I saw the doctor and I have to taper off it, so I will have at least minor symptoms for the next week, but I'm hoping they'll be very minor. They were so severe I missed classes on Wednesday and Thursday. Thank God it's a 3-day weekend.
This all means that I missed my 7-mile run yesterday. I was a bit disappointed because this was the first run where Saturday moved to Thursday. It's a big milestone when your long run becomes the medium run, and now it's been postponed for a week. I'll do the 10 miles tomorrow that I'm supposed to do and can't wait to do it. This will be the first 10 miler in awhile. I think I'll attack it like I did the last long run. I'll go to FrontRunners and run 5 before everyone gets there and then run another 5 with the gang. This way it breaks it up and provides some company on the run.
I'll be looking for some kick ass times, and will beat Pacemaker into the ground on the Nimmitz on Tuesday. Look back here for announcements of the pounding taken!!!!!

What are you doing February 10th?

While trying to find a local running store that would help fit me for shoes, I came across a site posting Houston area races ;) (I know what you are thinking: it took me long enough!) Anyways, I was looking over the various options and saw this unusually challenging marathon/half-marathon.

Surfside Beach Marathon and Half Marathon

Wouldn't this be interesting? You are both more than welcome to stay with us :) :) :) We are just about 15 minutes from the beach.

Before I get too ahead of myself, here is a brief update on my running.

I have taken it outdoors, but I refuse to give up my title as "Treadmill Tramp." I just completed my third run outdoors (hey! I really have been busy.) It had been a week since I last run, but I went further than I had anticipated, given my shin splits and the fact that I twisted my knee playing fetch with the dog (lame, so lame - but I think it is the meniscus. It feels just like it felt when I tore it on the other knee years ago.) Anywho, the magic 20 mins. kicked in and the pain was bearable/hardly present for the rest of the run. The only challenge to these runs are the slanted sidewalks. No uphill or downhill, just F-L-A-T. I ran this same 5 mile course last week in a stunning 45 mins. Today, I was not so speedy, but I'll take what I can get at this point. I came in just under 50 mins. for the 5 miles and had a pleasant 1 mile walk home. However, I have already found that I am tiring of the scenery and might branch out and find a new route.

While looking for shoes I also discovered that there is a running group in my tiny ol' town. Who knew? They are the local chapter of the "Road Runners" - which I am pretty sure is not even close to as cool as the "Front Runners." I am considering checking them out after I buy my new shoes and get some more miles in. I don't wanna be the "slow girl" in the group ;)

Can running get any worse?

I've reached a new low. Everything I wrote last week about addiction? Scrap it. I was high. And clearly not on running. Only a blast of the worst green could have induced that crap. OK, I'm exagerating, but just take a listen to this weeks running.

Last Saturday I was in Indianapolis and had a great run. 9 miles on a chilly fall day. Not so cold I couldn't bear it, but not so warm that my long sleeves and long running tights were too much. It was gorgeous really. Sunny, a flat course that took me 4.5 miles from my hotel through the countryside and then back. Yes, we were about a mile from the edge of town, and this is a big town. Think being in a hotel in the Dahlem area of Berlin. I mean way the fuck out there. Which was really only a nice thing when I needed to go for the run. Anyway, it was gorgeous.

Then I was given two days off and relaxed a little bit. I mean, as much as I could. While in Indiana, we encountered Indiana's first Daylight savings time ever. They were all confused. I had only one problem with it. That being all the time changes. Friday night: 3 hours forward, from PST to EST. Saturday: Back One hour to CST. Sunday: back to Cal, which is another 3 hours back from the one on Saturday. Needless to say, yours truly was up at 4:30 a.m. Monday and couldn't figure out why. It took me a few days to recover.

Tuesday went for my run over Twin Peaks, 4 miles total, and had a pretty good run. Still having shin troubles at mile 2 and can't figure out how to get rid of them. I'm going to have to go back into therapy, I think. So I stretched and ran and had a great run, really. Record time of under 36 minutes. I was stoked.

Wednesday, my leg itched, but hadn't shaved in awhile so I was thinking that was not so strange. Thursday, I've developed serious rash on my right leg, i.e. curbside. I'm not sure exactly what it is and don't have time to go to the Tang center until Friday. So, I go to RSF and try to do the 4 I'm scheduled for. I then suffer the curse of the Physical Therapist. I occasionally run into my PT at the RSF. First off, Kudos to him for being the first "DR." to practice what he preaches. He's there stretching like a fiend. I stretch and then try to do the treadmill, and this has happened once before. I see him and I can't do it. A mile into my run and my shin is so tight I feel again like Quasimodo on some Foucauldian torture device. I give up at a mile and go home.

Today, I call the Tang Center at 8 a.m. and get an appointment for 1:15. The rash on my leg now measures 6"x5" and is "weeping." I think that's the technical term. Well, as it turns out, and I knew this, I'm incredibly allergic to Poison Oak. It also turns out that evidently, this run, which I've done no less that 100 times over the past 10 years, has some poison oak along it's course. It's the only explanation. I'm not thinking it's very plausible, but having had poison oak before and actually missed work as a result. Yes, it's that bad. I'm pretty sure Poison Oak, whereever I found it, is what I have.

To make a short story long. This week of running has sucked ass. I'm going to try again tomorrow with the gay boys and see what happens. I'm slated to do a 5K and there isn't one in the area, so I'll just try the 3 mile really fast. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime here are the stats:

Total DIstance: 14 miles
Total Time: 129 minutes
Average: 9:15
Overall Impression: Don't Tell Them, But If They Don't Start Behavin' I'll Amputate (DTT,BITDSB'IA)

Update soon. And y'all owe some posts. What up Hater? Pacemaker? Don't leave me hangin' on this Marathon alone.