Doing That Thing You Do: Twenty Fifteen Review

I decided it was time to take a look back at this past year. This is actually a post I was looking forward to writing, because when I thought about it, it was a pretty damn good year, now that I take a moment to stop and look at it. I've accomplished a lot, even if I didn't always hit my mark. Let's take a look at the year.

Running

I had a pretty good year running, even if it felt a little less busy when it came to races. Thanks in partial to my first challenge, some virtual races, and some fun runs with my daughter, I managed 11 races this year. I started the year with a 5K PR on the BRATS Frozen 5K, gritted my way through Rock n Roll DC with my sister when we were both undertrained, completed my first triathlon Memorial Day weekend where I also brought home my first age group award, and finally, completed my first multi-race challenge (and race for BibRave) where I PR'd my half marathon on the final day of the Runner's World Hat Trick. Finishing off the year racing with my daughter on New Years Eve for a 1K was the perfect finish to the racing year.

BibRave

My involvement with the BibRavePro program deserves it's own section in my year end wrap up. My first year as a BibRavePro has been HUGE!. I already mentioned my first race as a pro, the Runner's World Hat Trick Challenge. It was an all around awesome weekend, that I hope to repeat in the future. Where being a pro has really impacted me is right here on this blog. I've gotten the opportunity to try out a lot of great products, which has been a lot of fun but also has helped me with my blog. I've reviewed 11 products this year alone, with another 3 products currently being tested and reviews coming soon.

While I've really enjoyed what I've tested (and I've use most of it still on a regular basis) I feel like I have to pick some of my favorites. If you haven't read these, go check them out. First has to be my review of the Mizuno Wave Rider 18, including a fun little teaser video I made.

Next is one of my new favorite brands, Buff USA. Between the two reviews, I'm going to pick the UV Half Buff, because it has gotten so much use in my running and it has ponies pictures. How can you go wrong there? Of course, I also love the full Buff, and if you're looking for a belated Christmas present or a birthday gift for a certain blogger, might I suggest this one?

Rounding out the top 3 of my reviews would have to be my other new favorite brand, 2XU, with the 2XU Elite MCS Compression Tights. These were amazing and a huge part of my success to my Runner's World Hat Trick, in my opinion. I also reviewed these as my first video review, which was a cool step forward for me.

I'm so excited for being a BibRavePro in 2016 and can't wait to see what else I can share with you.

Team Nuun

It's been a really fun year being a member of Team Nuun. In addition to representing by simply doing what I enjoy and rehydrating plenty with Nuun, I've gotten to take part in some cool things as well. I ran in their first virtual race: Run Ride Hydrate. While that race was Team Nuun only, this year, they're putting on the Nuun Year Dash, which is open to everyone. I also got to be a part of their launch of a completely new product, Plus for Nuun. I used this to help my refueling during my Runner's World Hat Trick, and really liked how it worked for me. Plus, I've represented with some awesome Nuun gear, such as my tri kit or my running shirt.

Blog

All in all, this all has contributed to me having a really great year on my blog. I've written about some really great races I've experienced (and some not so great ones), lot's of amazing products, and some fun posts about my favorite place, Disney, in the Magical Mickey linkup. I feel like I'm almost getting the hang of this whole blog thing 2 years later. I've still got room to grow, but if I didn't, what fun would that be?

How was your running year? What was your favorite highlight of 2015?

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The Thing to Do: A Year in Review: 2014

It's the end of December. It seems like the thing to do is a "year in review" post. This has actually been a big year for myself running and for my running related blog (that you just so happen to be reading). So, while it may be "the thing to do", I'm enjoying taking a look back at my running year. So, let's break it down like an enzyme.

Running

This was a big race year for me. I ran a total of 10 races year. That included a huge step for me: my first half marathon ever, in the form of the Walt Disney World Half Marathon (recap and review). Man, I love runDisney. Just sayin'. 

That was not all. I also topped it with a new PR by 17 and a half minutes at the inaugural Loudoun Half Marathon (recap and review). Another highlight was the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, for it's awesome course (recap and review) and for proving to me that I am stronger than I think.

The running season ended strong for me. I signed up for the BRATS Holiday 5K Series, consisting of three 5K races that earn you a special medal at the end. This meant a run in November, a run in December, and lastly a run in January. The past two races, the Chris Yung Memorial Turkey Trot (recap and review) and the Santa's Workshop 5K (recap and review) have resulted in new PRs at the 5K distance.

While it has been a great year for my racing, my distance and dedication to training has declined. I had less miles that last year, largely accounted for training really hard in the summer leading up to my first half marathon in January then not training so hard this year. I had a couple of good months, but I also had my first blank month. Not something I'm proud of, but I acknowledge it happened and want to move forward stronger. A partial contributor to this is a new little cutie named Timothy, that has sucked up a lot of my sleeping hours in the almost half year he's been here, making energy and motivation a little lower. Not that I'd trade him for anything.

I look to rebound next year in my running, training, and all around fitness.

Blog

This year has been a great year for my blog and social media. I started my blog in March 2013. In April 2014, after a little over a year in, I decided to try and step up my blogging game. I purchased my own domain name to match my blog title, www.rungeekrundisney.com, which I used to set up my own email account for free through Zoho (check it out if you have a domain and want to use it for email). I started my own dedicated Twitter account for the blog and all things running and Disney, @rgrdisney (follow if you're not, please and thank you). I grew that account to pass 1,000 followers (hard for me to grasp) and I'm now on the edge of 2,000. My blog also got a new face, giving it an all new look and feel all its own.

With my social, I took the step into the world of a Facebook page. While the growth there hasn't equaled that of Twitter, it's quietly growing into it's own. I rebranded my other social medias to match that of Twitter more recently on Instagram and Pinterest. I'm less active there, but looking to grow.

I also did one last thing on my blog that I'm rather fond of: I started my own link up. I created the Mickey Monday linkup, that I host with Adventures by Katie, for everything Disney. I've really enjoyed writing those posts every Monday. It's really helped me in my writing and content of my blog. I felt like I've started to come into my own with my blog and writing. While it was started to help keep me in check, I've enjoyed my time as a blogger and am quite proud of what it's become.

Ambassadorships

At the end of this year (read: very recently) I was selected for not one but TWO ambassador programs. First, I was selected to be a BibRave Pro. This is the ambassador program for BibRave.com and their weekly Twitter chat: #bibchat. BibRave is a great site for finding and reviewing races. I review every race I run and use it to check out races I'm considering registration. It's a really great group of people at BibRave. Some of the other ambassadors I was actually already friends with (digitally of course) so it's been a lot of fun already. I really look forward to the opportunities I'll have this year with the program: reviewing races, gear and just interacting with the rest of the crew.

Second, I was selected to run for Team Nuun. Nuun hydration is a fantastic product I discovered this past year for staying hydrated. It's got all the good things you need like electrolytes and some vitamins with great flavor without the extra sugar and waste of other drinks. It also goes down light like water, not sitting as heavy in the stomach (in my humble opinion). I was selected to be a part of their team and run under the Nuun name, something I'm very excited about.

Going Forward

As I go forward into 2015, there's a lot of excitement on the horizon: more races, new races, new challenges. I can't wait for it to start, and luckily I don't have long to wait either.

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My Journey: 0 to 13.1

It's crazy to look back at how far l've come. Since starting this blog to help track getting healthy, to deciding to train for a half marathon, it has been quite a journey. It has of course had it's highs and lows. While I haven't accomplished all that I set out to, l think the highs have greatly outnumbered the lows. And frankly, it just means I have room and directions to grow. Believe me, I have no intentions of stopping.

It is funny to look back and see in March I wrote about having a "long term" goal to run a Disney Half marathon only to sign up the next month and finish my first 13.1 miles just 9 months after that. It's amazing how quickly that time has gone.

The Jeff Galloway Run-Walk-Run plan was amazing. It was really the key to my success. It helped me get through my half, even when I was not up on my training, but even more than that, it really helped me build my confidence early that I would be able to do this. I can never thank Jeff enough for that. I hope someday I get to meet him though and get to try. Until then, Jeff, thank you. Thank you for giving me confidence, experience, health and accomplishment. Thank you for helping me give that all to myself.

Past Year-ish

Let's take a look at what I have done getting here, in a little under a year.

• bought my first pair of "real" running shoes
• ran my first race ever the Rockstar 8k
• ran a 10K race with Derek
• ran over 30 miles in one month (almost 40)
• earned my first medal at Disney Family Fun Run 5K
• completed my first half marathon at WDW Half Marathon
• gone through 4 tracking apps, 2 armbands, run in 4 states and over 200 miles

What's next?

I've come a long way, but I'm far from done. I'm going to keep running. And first things first, I'm going to work on my weight loss. I haven't made progress in this area. I dropped some and put it back on while being inactive. I'm going to take a step back more towards what I did before my wedding and do more elliptical running than road running. This will help two-fold. First, I can run faster for longer to help rebuild my cardio. Second, I can do this at the gym at work, which avoids the cold weather. After Florida, I'd really prefer living in 70 degree sunny Florida than 10 degree snowy Virginia. (And before you say it, yes I know it gets hot and humid over the summer. I've been there, and I can handle that.) My hope is this will help me to drop some weight and then keep it off while running some races.

I've started to line up some races for this spring and summer. I haven't fully laid out my goal yet for a yearly total. As of now, counting the 2 I already completed, I'm already looking at around 7 this year. We'll see if that number grows. I want to use the races to help keep me in check. Of course, those checks come at a monetary price, so I need to keep the budget in check as well.

Will I run more half marathons? Absolutely. Will I run a marathon? Yes. Not saying this year, but that goal is now out there. I just need to get myself the mental confidence there. Will I run Disney again? Without a doubt.

Am I done my journey?

Not even close.

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Weekly Roundup: October 6th

Well, if you insist.

We're already through the first week of October. Moving fast. The half marathon is fast approaching. I've been looking into getting a race or two in between now and then. This past week has been hectic getting ready for my daughter's 2nd birthday party. It caused some flux in the scheduled, but in the end, all my runs were in.

One Word to Describe the Week

Busy

Training

Weekly Total:

Miles: 12.64 miles

Time: 1:18:48

Sunday, September 29: Distance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 7.02 miles
Time: 2:46:36
Average Pace: 12:50 min / mile

Summary: This run was my distance run from last week, that I pushed to Sunday night. I almost didn't go out, and then almost didn't run the full distance. I was tired and unmotivated but got myself out the door. When I started running, I told myself that I would see how the first mile went to determine how I would run and how far I would go. I was ready to throw in the towel and skip out but then my first mile came in at 13:58. My goal on longer runs is now 14 min / mile, not 15, so I had hit my goal and decided to keep going. I'm glad I did. It was an interesting run. I've learned where the limits of street lights are and my confines for distance evening runs will be. In the end, I did a long down and back with some side loops to get in the full 7 miles.

Monday, September 30: Rest

Tuesday, October 1: Rest

Wednesday, October 2: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 2.19 miles
Time: 27:06
Average Pace: 12:20 min / mile

Summary: I took a quick little run Wednesday while working from home. It was nice to run in the sun light but it ended up being hotter than I expected. I had a good quick pace, but my shins were a little tight. In the end, I was a tad shy of my 30 minutes.

Thursday, October 3: Rest

Friday, October 4: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 3.44 miles
Time: 42:52
Average Pace: 12:26 min / mile

Summary: Friday was back to an evening run. A friend of Steph's was over, staying the night while she was in town, so I left them to their bottle of wine and went out for my run. It was a little humid but not too bad. The run itself felt nice and easy despite the quick pace.

Saturday, October 5: Rest (Distance on Sunday)

WeightWatchers

I had a good week for my eating and weight. I ate pretty well and lost 1.3 pounds. Well, I ate pretty well except for Saturday. Saturday was the party and I'm not really sure how much I ate or drank in the end. The problem was I got small amounts (which was good) but didn't track it as I was going along. After the party, I snack a good bit more (which was not good). In addition I had some beers as well, but I was drinking draft, so I'd often top off my glass, so don't even know how much of that to track my points. In the end, I didn't track anything on the weekend, which has been my m.o. lately. The weigh in on Friday was good, but we'll see if there is any backtrack next week with the weekend eating.

Thoughts on the Week

While this week was all over the place, I was glad to still get in all my runs, even shifted from their normal days. I also got in my run on today, though not reflected in the round up. My runs felt good, which is really building my confidence. The Tower of Terror 10 miler was this weekend, which my cousins ran, which just increased the runDisney excitement. They look like they had a good time too. October may not be my best month for staying on track with all my trainings based on my scheduled but at least I got a good start to it.

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Weekly Roundup: September 29th

Credit: http://oilersnation.com/

My training has found its way back on track. We're rolling again, with no missed runs, some good paces and some weight loss. It felt good to have a more sense of accomplishment this week. One week is just one week, but one good week is something.

One Word to Describe the Week

Improved

Training

Weekly Total:

Miles: 5.96 miles

Time: 1:18:48

Sunday, September 22: Rest

Monday, September 23: Rest

Tuesday, September 24: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 3.70 miles
Time: 45:41
Average Pace: 12:18 min / mile

Summary: The legs were still a little heavy as I headed out for this run but I decided to push through it and go for a faster run. In the end I had a nice quick pace for me and was happy with the result. The one thing I learned on this run is that 123 is not lit for night running. I need to save that for daylight.

Wednesday, September 25: Rest

Thursday, September 26: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 2.26 miles
Time: 33:07
Average Pace: 14:39 min / mile

Summary: I took this evening run a little easier. The reason being is I planned on having a race on Sunday. Now, to make a long story short, apparently when I registered online, it never went through, so I had no race on Sunday. I still pushed my distance to Sunday, and actually ran a tiny bit farther than I would have otherwise at the 10K.

Friday, September 27: Rest

Saturday, September 28: Rest (Distance on Sunday)

WeightWatchers

While my month hasn't been what I've hoped, I did have a better week for my weight. I was down almost a pound from last week on my weigh in day. I'm also unofficially down a little more than that today as well (weigh-ins are Fridays). I ate pretty well this week and have been trying to cut back my caffeine some too. Those that know me, know I could drink coffee all day or hook and IV in if given the chance. I know it's better to have less, so I've been trying to cut back, but not out because I'm realistic.

Thoughts on the Week

This week was a stronger week than some have been lately. While this doesn't show it because of the structure of the roundup, I did have all my runs in this week, just with my weekend run bumped to Sunday. Looking ahead, the time improvement plan does look aggressive in its distances, so I need to keep up the good work.

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Weekly Roundup: September 22nd

This month may have started good, but has been bumping since then. Last week was a little sidetracked by work. This week has been working to get back on track. While things are a little more lined up, they aren't fully upright yet. This did mark official week 1 of the time improvement training plan.

One Word to Describe the Week

Credit: http://spreadtheslug.tumblr.com/

Sluggish

Training

Weekly Total:

Miles: 7.18 miles

Time: 1:48:02

Sunday, September 15: Rest

Monday, September 16: Rest

Tuesday, September 17: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 2.17 miles
Time: 32:59
Average Pace: 15:09 min / mile

Summary: Starting this week off did not feel as good pre-work trip. My legs felt heavy and sluggish. It just felt like a lot more work to run and get the legs going. Sometimes I feel like this when I start runs and it shakes off but this continued the whole run, which lead to the shorter end of the run window duration.

Wednesday, September 18: Rest

Thursday, September 19: Missed Maintenance Run

Summary: I missed my second weekday run. Not going to make any excuses. On the slight positive I did walk about 1.5 miles with Steph and Sam after work (and then again on Friday). Not my run / walk, but still activity for being healthier.

Friday, September 20: Rest

Saturday, September 21: Distance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 5.01 miles
Time: 1:15:03
Average Pace: 14:57 min / mile

Summary: The first distance run of the time improvement plan was a 5.5 mile run. My plan was to get up just early enough to get my run in (giving me 15 min / mile in time), get home, showered and breakfast before heading off to gymnastics for Sam. My legs felt sluggish again today. At times during the run, it was a little better, but there was a degree of sluggishness through the run. Early, I was just over a 15 min pace, which was not making me happy. My goal is always 15 minute miles on my long runs, to be sustainable for whatever distance and still "have something in the tank" to be able to push when I need it. Before my week in Florida, I was doing that and then some on my 9 mile run which gave me great confidence. Unfortunately, this Saturday I did not have that. In the end, I did get my pace just under 15. However, I arrived back home a half mile short and stopped. While 5 miles is good, I'm mad after the fact of missing that little extra half mile.

WeightWatchers

I had done a little damage while away. Trying to get back into things went pretty well. I ate ok. Not great though. I had some cake here and there from the cake made for Steph's birthday as well as some ice cream with it. While not good, I did eat much smaller portions of it then I normally have in the past, so it is an improvement. In the end, my weight was unchanged from the last week.

Thoughts on the Week

I hate to of started off week 1 of the new plan with a miss. When I miss, it's usually in the same way, the same pattern for 90% of the cases. I hoped to start the new plan better than this (and the month) but you don't always achieve everything. Unfortunately, this was from a lack of trying, so I am at fault. I have a race coming up next week, the Perfect 10 K, so I need to be on my game this week and finish the month strong.

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Weekly Roundup: September 8th

First week in a new month, a new page. Trying hard to keep improving and keep on track. I think this first week in September was a pretty good start. My running stayed energized and felt good this week. I put in some good distance this week, including a long run on Saturday. The was week 1 of my 2 off weeks before the start of the new training plan that will lead all the way into WDW Half.

Training

Weekly Total:

Miles: 16.11 miles

Time: 3:42:31

Sunday, September 1: Rest

Monday, September 2: Rest

Tuesday, September 3: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 3.11 miles
Time: 41:16
Average Pace: 13:16 min / mile

Summary: I felt really good out running on Tuesday. I decided to go a push for 3.1 miles again and have another 5K maintenance run. I was energized and pushed a good pace for myself without really needing to try. I was not far over a 13 minute split just going out and running. It gave me some good confidence.

Wednesday, September 4: Rest

Thursday, September 5: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 4.00 miles
Time: 50:54
Average Pace: 12:41 min / mile

Summary: Thursday ended up being another great evening run. I started out feeling ok. I wasn't overly motivated or unmotivated, just ok. As I started running, it felt good and I decided to try and go for a full 45 minutes. As I was running, I was covering good ground, enjoying the cooler temperature, enjoying my music, enjoying my run. When I reached the point about where I should turn around timewise, I saw I was nearing 2 miles. I decided, why not, let's make it 4. I pushed my run out to the next stop light that put me at 1.95 miles, turned around, knowing I'd get 4 miles in to get home. In the end, I turned in a really great split and put in 4 miles. Ok, yes, I cheated and went a little over my 45 minutes on the plan, but so worth it.

Friday, September 6: Rest

Saturday, September 7: Distance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 9.00 miles
Time: 2:10:21
Average Pace: 14:28 min / mile

Mornin' George.

Summary: For the first of the 2 off weeks, I scheduled myself a 5 mile run. With having such a good week, I thought of pushing for longer. There was also some guilt of missing my long 13 mile run 2 weeks ago playing into it. I set out to get at least 5 miles in, but geared up with my water belt and some GU Gels in prep to run longer. On a side note, I recently picked up a couple different flavors from PRR. The espresso and peanut butter flavors... awesome. At first my legs felt a little tight but loosened up. Before I new it, I reached George Mason University. I felt great. I was trying to take a slower pace, knowing if I was going to run longer, the pace from my week day runs wouldn't be sustainable for me at this point. After the first mile at 14:27, my app stopped giving me my splits every mile. It was a good / bad situation. Good, because kept me from overanalyzing, bad, because I wanted to know and would end up trying to do some close math to figure out my average anyway. I looped half the campus, then decided to cut through campus to go by the George Mason statue instead of continuing to loop around it. I learned my mental map of campus is not quite as good as I thought, which my split times will concur with. In the end, I made it back home and with a little hook around stopped at 9 miles. The crazy part? I wasn't too tired either. Sure, my legs were a little tired, but they didn't feel like dead weight or anything. Other than the bottoms of my feet a little, not sore either. I hooked off at this point though so I could grab a quick shower and catch up with the wife and daughter at her gym class, to check out a new place we were trying. The main downside to the run? Missed out on bagels with my wife and Dopey Dave.

WeightWatchers

This week was much more positive than the last. I forgot to weigh in until Sunday, but I dropped almost 2 pounds, getting back what I gained the previous week. I ate pretty healthy, cutting back on some of the less healthy stuff I was fitting into my points. Just because it fit into the points doesn't mean I should always have it. I need to make more of those right choices. It is still ok once and a while, just not as often as I've allowed it. This week will be a little more of a challenge, however, because I will be on a work trip which means eating out more often. I just need to convince myself of more of the healthier options than those that are not to come out not too damaged.

Thoughts on the Week

Training went well. Eating went well. Sleep... could use some improvement. The week, and especially the weekend, were busy but good. I hope the energized running feeling will continue to last. I'm hoping I just found that sweet spot of enjoying running. I know it can't always be there, but I hope that becomes the rule, not the exception.

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Monthly Roundup: August

I can't believe it's already September and that the summer has already come and gone. It went by so fast. August was an interesting and busy month. It included vacation, some heat and humidity and a new job. My training and weight loss had some ups and downs during the month, but still moving forward.

Trainings

Not a bad place for a 14 mile run.

My training this past month wasn't great. It included a lot of missed sessions. In fact, I missed more times than I actually worked out. I'm not happy with that. I'm not happy with myself. I expect more from myself. With that said, it was not all bad. I did have my longest run to date: a 14 mile run that I did on vacation none-the-less. That did in fact save my monthly total miles to look better than it should have likely been. I have started to bounce back from the missed sessions as well and have a renewed drive to get all my runs in. As I've mentioned before, my biggest hurdle is wanting to sleep for morning runs and just plain forgetfulness for evening runs. But I only offer that as explanation, not as an excuse. I cannot let myself make excuses and expect to improve.

Races

I had no races in August, but I think the 14 mile rhn should count as a psuedo-race. September has the Perfect 10 races, where I plan to run the 10K. They offer a 1.0 mile, 10K and 10 miler. I'd want to try the 10 miler, but the 10K fits better with my training schedule.

Some Monthly Stats

Geeky stats time for the month of August.

Running the Roads
Total Distance: 24.19 miles
Total Time: 6:13:02
Average Pace: 14:49 min / mile
Best Pace: 13:34 min / mile
Best Split: 12:59 min

Total Distance Year to Date: 117.52

Do you see that? I have run 117.52 miles since April. That's just on the road, nothing in the gym counted. Going from nothing, that number is hard to fathom for me. Then, I start to think what that number would be without all the missed training sessions and it's just so hard to take in. I can't even believe that number is real, for me to have done all that already.

Looking to September

Credit: austincc.edu

We're already fast into September. I thought a good way to look at the month is to set some goals for myself. Some will be more difficult to others. I will strive to accomplish them all. But goals should stretch you, so I'm not just picking things I know I can accomplish.

• No missed training sessions
• Add 1 non-running training session per week
• Run 40 miles total
• Lose 5 pounds

I think these are good starting goals. The first, no missed sessions is obvious. It is how things should be every month, but have not been yet so far for me. The second is something I want to add to increase my overall health and compliment my running. Ideally, I want to add yoga, weight and other cross-training activities to my workouts. I think I'd like to do yoga once a week to increase my flexibility and joint strength, weight train one day to work out other muscles and another day just doing other exercises, such as for my core. That is obviously a lot to add in, so I'm going to pull out the developer in me and apply the iterative approach. I'm going to start with one extra session a week, then come back and add more. Right now, with my new job, I don't have a gym. In our new office, we'll have one to use again, but for now that means my extra sessions will be something I will do around home. One extra time a week will be good for me I believe.

The next goal is to run 40 miles. My largest has been 30 outside, so I wanted to step it up from there. In addition, looking at the training plan for this month, this requires some of my week day runs to put the 45 minute side of the 30 - 45 minute window because I will need more 3 mile runs than 2 mile ones to meet this total. Lastly, I want to kick my weight loss up a gear. It has done ok, slowly losing a little with a slight setback recently. That is a change I really want to see that I haven't yet, so I want to push myself on that as well this month.

I've also decided to give the Nike+ Running app a try this month. We'll see how it goes. If you're on Nike+, look me up and add me. I used the screen name WickeeWickee.

What will September hold? More work, more progress, more success.

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Weekly Roundup: September 1st

I've been working on getting back on track. This week, for training, was a step in the right direction. For the eating and weight loss, I think I need to step it up some. Though I believe this week might more likely be the lingering effects of the off weeks I've had.

Training

Sunday, July 25: Rest

Monday, July 26: Rest

Tuesday, July 27: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 2.19 miles
Time: 31:34
Average Pace: 14:26 min / mile

Summary: This was my first run out in 2 weeks. It felt pretty good considering that. I got up and out early, starting to run before the sun even came up. It was a pretty good way to start the day. My first split was a little slow so I pushed myself a little more the second mile and took over 2.5 minutes off my split. In the end, I was happy with my run.

Wednesday, July 28: Rest

Thursday, July 29: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 3.10 miles
Time: 45:12
Average Pace: 14:34 min / mile

Summary: For my Thursday run I ran in the evening as opposed to the morning. I was tired and couldn't get myself out of bad. One of the hurdles I have. I decided I wanted to push myself a little more for my run, so I decided to take the upper end of my 30-45 minute run. I wanted to get 3 miles in, which would mean a 15 min / mile split. Not too fast, but my current goal for the long distances so trying to find that pace. In the end, I was successful. I ended up running in the twilight into the evening, but the path I run has street lights, so lit enough to run just fine. I do need a reflective belt or something to wear all the time, to be safer. I ended up having my own personal 5K run that evening, getting my 3.1 miles in at the 45 minute mark. Goal accomplished.

Friday, July 30: Rest

Saturday, July 31: Missed 3 mile run

Summary: No real excuse here. With the holiday weekend, I was enjoying relaxing, didn't make myself get up early but didn't remember or push myself out in the evening. I'm still working on this.

WeightWatchers

I did a pretty good job on my food again this week. I'm doing a pretty good job of tracking, just occassionally needing to go back to put in dinner when I forget in the evening. I've had more sweets than I probably should have, though they all were within my allowance. I think the problem I have is the points allow me to cheat a little too much, when I have very low point lunches. I also feel like my daily calculated target is higher than in needs to be, allowing more than what I feel like I should be, but I can't give a real reason as to why. I also put on over a pound, but I think this is largely the effect of my non-training recently catching up to me. I've often seen positive effects lagging a week or so behind, so I could see negative going the same way.

Thoughts on the Week

In the end, a week with any training over no training is an improvement. 2 of 3 isn't bad, but it's not good. I need to be better. I have to be better. I will be better.

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Weekly Roundup: July 28th

I can't believe July is almost over. It has flown by. I finally got a new CPAP machine, so things have started to right themselves. I've started getting some more sleep, better sleep. With that in mind, I resumed training this week. It started well, but tapered to end the week.

Training

Sunday, July 22: Rest

Monday, July 23: Rest

Tuesday, July 24: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 2.57 miles
Time: 39:41
Average Pace: 15:27 min / mile

Summary: I tried something a little different with this maintenance run. I was feeling really good at the start, so I kept going. I ran the first mile at a jog with no walk break. This may not sound like much, but since beginning my training plan, I have done the run / walk ratio on every run. I took this first mile without breaks, at a slower pace than my run intervals, but still jogging. As I went up the hill, my legs really called for a break but I pushed through. My first mile was at a 13:39 pace. While I've run faster splits, this one felt good to do. It may not have been a blazing pace, but frankly, it's faster than I used to run a mile during gym class, so no reason to not be happy with that.

Wednesday, July 25: Rest

Thursday, July 26: Rest

Friday, July 27: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: ~2.42 miles
Time: 34:56
Average Pace: 14:26 min / mile

Summary: I pushed my second run to Friday night, after not running on Thursday. I didn't want to miss my run. I had a good 35 minute run, but after just 0.4 miles, my GPS was lost and never came by. I played with the route builder on Endomondo to get the estimated 2.42 miles. The run felt good. Not too hot. Relaxing.

Saturday, July 28: Rest

WeightWatchers

I did a pretty good job on my food again this week. I did go over my daily target of points on several days by a little, but I didn't use up all my weekly points or any of my earned activity points, so I was well within my set parameters. In addition, I've lost 4.4 pounds since starting this blog and trying to get healthy, so it has been helping. I have a long way to go, but it is definitely going in the right direction.

Thoughts on the Week

While not a perfect week, I got started by into my training. Not noted on here because of the way the days fall is that I missed my weekend run that I pushed to Sunday night. I planned to run after putting Sam to bed, but instead my wife and I sat down to watch a movie right away to squeeze it in before bed (2 hour long movie) and I never made it outside. This week I need to pick it up because I have a 14 mile run on the weekend. I'm not confident going into it, but I will give it my all.

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Weekly Roundup: July 21st

This week became an off week given a bunch of unrelated items to my training. I've been having trouble being really tired since my CPAP machine died and have been fighting with the medical equipment company getting it filled. Just them taking their damn time and never following up with stuff themselves.

Training

Sunday, July 7: Rest

Monday, July 8: Rest

Tuesday, July 9: Kinect: Your Shape Fitness

Summary: I missed my maintenance run on Tuesday. My wife had to be to work early, so I took Sam to daycare, so I couldn't get my run in like I normally did. I intended on running after Sam went to bed, but remembered that 3/4 of the way through dinner. And unfortunately what I was eating wouldn't go well with a run in the humidity. So, to have something instead of nothing, I did some kinect. I did a half hour of Your Shape Fitness, and got a pretty good workout in. Not the same as a run, but stuff that got a sweat working, knee lifts, squats, etc.

Wednesday, July 10: Rest

Thursday, July 11: Off

Friday, July 12: Rest

Saturday, July 13: Off Distance Run

WeightWatchers

I've been doing good this week on my healthy eating. I used to turn down the points more than what they give me, because it seemed like such a high number, and I could eat bad for me things without penalty. They calculate them based on your weight, so each week when you weigh in, it gives you a new number. I was too lazy to turn in back down some again the last time so I left it. I've actually done pretty good by the plan this way. This past week, I never exceeded the daily points I was given, never needing to touch the extra weekly points you get that allow you to indulge on occasion. So with that, I call that a success. I also lost some weight, but we're unsure if our scale is accurate (at least in its current placement) because my wife was 10 lbs less at the doctors office than at home, and one would assume their scale more accurate.

Thoughts on the Week

As I mentioned in a previous post, I took this week off, given everything that was going on. I'll be getting back into it this week. I need to get back into training in force. Time to pick it up.

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Weekly Roundup: July 14th

Time for a weekly roundup. This past week wasn't my best week, but not my worst. Still room to improve, but there always is.

Training

Sunday, July 7: Rest

Monday, July 8: Rest

Tuesday, July 9: Missed Maintenance Run

Summary: I missed my maintenance run on Tuesday. Mostly just on account of being really tired and forgetting. Been exhausted lately.

Wednesday, July 10: Rest

Thursday, July 11: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 1.41 miles
Time: 21:26
Average Pace: 15:12 min / mile

Summary: I was highly unmotivated and stressed going into this run. Usually running helps me to relax and forget the stress but that was not the case this day. Because of that I ended up cutting my 30-45 min run short. Not my best day.

Friday, July 12: Rest

Saturday, July 13: Distance Run w/ Magic Mile

Where: Outside
Distance: 3.68 miles
Time: 54:04
Average Pace: 14:40 min / mile
Magic Mile: N/A

Summary: So I was to have another 4 mile run with my second Magic Mile. It was a very muggy morning. And unfortunately, I didn't check my calendar to realize that I was supposed run a Magic Mile. Because of this, I did not run my MM. My run went pretty good, I ran my mile down the road and back then circled the lake. With all the rain recently, you could see that the lake had flowed over the path in the corner. It was still wet and squishy in this area, which is important. First time around, no problem. Second time around, some problems. Needless to say, I ended my run up a little early and had some tightness in my right knee. I thought maybe a nice shower would help but it only increased in tightness as it went on. Luckily, there was no swelling and resting it during the day resulted in it feeling much better by the next day.

Thoughts on the Week

Not quite bright and smiling

As I started, this week was an ok week. Not my best, not my worst. I'm disappointed to miss another training day, and need to get back on my regular schedule. I need to start hitting all my trainings to unlock my full potential. I need to really get cruising.

On unrelated to training, but related to getting healthy, my eating and staying on Weight Watchers has went well. I've done a good job sticking to my points and trying to track everything I eat. I'm hoping to see some increased results from it. The key to eating healthy for me is to have a variety to it. That keeps me happy and content with my eating.

Everyone else stay healthy while training?

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Monthly Roundup: June

The month of June is complete. It's already halfway through the year, 3 months into training and just completed week 11 of my half marathon training plan. The weather is warming up, but I'm trying to still train strong.

Trainings

Call Miss Utility

I had good month of training. Like all, it had its ups and downs. I missed 3 training sessions, one of which was an 8 mile run. I was bummed after missing that one and not getting my run in. I did bounce back two weeks later, with my longest run to date, a 9.5 mile run. I tried to shift more of my running to outside instead of in the gym on the elliptical while the weather's nice. My training included over 30 miles on the road running. In June, I also set my best average monthly pace: 14:18.

Races

June did not come with any races. I'd like to run one every month, but time doesn't always allow for it. June held a lot of traveling, so the weekends were spent in various places, not conducive to running. I currently don't have any scheduled for July, but you never know if that will change or not.

Some Monthly Stats

Geeky stats time for the month of June.

Total Distance on the Pavement: 30.35 miles
Average Pavement Pace: 14:18 min / mile
Best Pavement Pace: 12:52 min / mile
Best Split: 12:37 min

Total Distance in the Gym: 2.50 miles
Average Pace in the Gym: 7:04 min / mile
Best Pace in the Gym: 7:04 min / mile

What's Next?

Next month is July. It'll likely be a hot one. I'm going to try and keep up my running outside instead of in the gym while I can. I'm not looking forward to when the winter months roll around. July will have an 11 mile and a 12.5 mile runs. It'll be tough, but good. I'm also going to try and push myself and work hard on losing weight. That is one area I've been struggling with. I'm going to keep myself more accountable and strict. 

What will July hold? More work, more progress, more success.

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Weekly Roundup: June 30th

Gray day around the lake.

Time for another weekly roundup, this time for the final week of June. This week featured two runs at home as well as one on the road.

Training

Sunday, June 23: Rest

Monday, June 24: Rest

Tuesday, June 25: Maintenance Run

Distance: 2.28 miles
Time: 33:29
Average Pace: 14:39 min / mile

Summary: I decided to try and make the most of the summer and try and run as much as possible outside while it is nice enough to do so. With this in mind, I decided to do another work from home day on Tuesday so I can then run in the morning before starting my day. I did a nice run around the small lake near by which was a nice change of pace.

Wednesday, June 26: Rest

Thursday, June 27: Maintenance Run

Where: Outside
Distance: 2.45 miles
Time: 35:03
Average Pace: 14:18 min / mile

Summary: Tuesday's run around the lake was so nice, I decided to do it twice. I decided to run my Thursday around around the lake as well. I like to run counterclockwise around the lake, because everyone else seems to go clockwise. Some people will say good morning and smile, others won't even look you in the eye when you pass them. The weather was nice again, though a little gray.

Friday, June 28: Rest

Saturday, June 29: Distance Run w/ Magic Mile

Where: Outside
Distance: 1.86 miles
Time: 26:48
Average Pace: 14:24 min / mile
Magic Mile: 11:31 min

Summary: This week, Week 11 on the Jeff Galloway "To Finish in the Upright Position" WDW Half Marathon Training Plan called for 4 miles with a Magic Mile (MM). This was my first MM. The idea behind the MM is you run all out for the mile and the time helps predict the time you can expect to finish the half marathon in, with the run-walk-run method. The goal time is 12:15 to finish in 3:30 for the marathon, which is the time limit. Using the factor of 1.3 gives you the expected fastest pace, which then gives you a total time. My first MM gives me an fastest pace of 14:58 min / mile. That's not as good of a pace as am hoping for, but it was my first one. My MM did not go as well as I might have hoped. The plan is you are to warm up then run the mile. You're supposed to do it on a track, so it is level and accurately measures. I was in New Jersey, so I just ran down the road (not level) and used my phone to measure (pretty accurate but within trees). During my run, about 2/3 of the way through, the inside of my right thigh started to get tight. It didn't hurt but was tight. I pushed through the rest of the mile, but by the end, I had a very weird gate. It ended up causing my left ankle to hurt by the end of the mile because of the way I was running. After that, I decided I would call it early, without finishing my 4 miles to avoid further straining anything. I walked back to the house, giving me the 1.86 miles. It wasn't ideal, but I keep hearing "trust your body" on blogs and Team runDisney so I did just that.

Thoughts on the Week

In the end, I felt the week was pretty good for running. I could have done a better job eating. I ate ok on lunches and dinners, but was not great on the snack side of things. In addition, we were in NJ for a birthday party, so I had picnic food and cake. This coming week may not be the best either. With the combination of my anniversary and holiday, I'm sure I won't eat great, but I'm going to try and not go too overboard. I do feel that all things considered, it can be allowed for the week. Afterwards, I'm going to try and be much stricter and accountable on my eating.

How was your week? What are your plans for training around the upcoming holiday?

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Weekly Roundup: June 23rd

Finally a pageant winner
that needs to do something.

As mentioned in my catching up post, I'm moving to a weekly round up for my training sessions. I liked posting for all of them, it was good reflection, I just don't always have the time for it unfortunately. In addition, moving to one weekly roundup post to cover my trainings gives me more time to try and write the other entries for the blogs. I have a couple ideas that I just don't get the time to fully work up. Without further ado, here is my first weekly round up, for week 10 for my Jeff Galloway Half Marathon plan.

Training

Sunday, June 16
Rest


Monday, June 17
Rest


Tuesday, June 18

What: Maintenance Run
Where: Gym - Elliptical
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 17:40
Average Pace: 7:04 min / mile

Summary: I ended up only having time for a short run on Tuesday morning so I opted to try and keep a quick pace for it.


Wednesday, June 19
Rest


Thursday, June 20

What: Maintenance Run
Where: Outside
Distance: 2.80 miles
Time: 41:22
Average Pace: 14:45 min / mile

Summary: I had a good Thursday morning run. Looped around the lake which I haven't done in a while as a part of my run. Felt good and was a really good de-stresser to start the day.


Friday, June 21
Rest


Saturday, June 22

What: Distance Run
Where: Outside
Distance: 9.53 miles
Time: 2:17:19
Average Pace: 14:24 min / mile
Fastest Split: 13:20 min

Summary: I was a little worried going into this run. The distance was farther than I've ever run at one time and I missed my long run two weekends ago so I didn't have the booster of "It's only a mile and a half farther." I got up extra early ("I hate me" o'clock, as I referred to it when setting my alarm) to beat the heat, sun and get a good start to the day. I don't have a hydration belt yet (but I've ordered one) so I planned my route to come by the house at about 5.5 miles. That worked out perfectly, though I needed a quick bathroom break as well then. The first 5 went by great. I took the same path as my last 5 mile run and it was easier this time around. Not easy, but easier. The second half (or 4 miles) was a little rough. After about a half mile my legs got a little jelly-like and tired. I pushed through and kept going. I could have used the little jellies I have that are for energy to push through the second part of my run. In the future, I plan to keep them in my belt for that exact purpose. Side note, I just got them at 10 for $10 at Giant, the Gatorade Prime Energy Chews. In the end, the run felt good but tiring.  I wasn't too sore after, though the bottoms of my feet would hurt a little after sitting for a bit.

Thoughts on the Week

This week felt good from a training standpoint. There were no missed sessions, I physically felt good and I had a great long run on the weekend which I even followed up with errands and shopping with my wife and daughter after running. 

How was your week? Anything special in your training this week?

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May Round Up

The month of May was good to me and my training. I had some good mileage in (with a lot on the pavement), new gear, a great race and some new personal bests. I'm really happy with what I've done.

Trainings

The brightness helps you
run faster.

I had a fairly good month of training. I did miss 3 sessions during the month, 2 maintenance runs and a 3 mile weekend run. In the end, I don't feel too bad about that. I put a lot more mileage to the pavement, at 25 miles. I feel good by that new monthly high. I've improved my pace, increased my distances. My new shoes have really paid off. They feel great on my feet, have helped my ankles and knees feel better on my runs and they don't look half bad either.

Races

This month, I got in another race. This time, I didn't run alone. I ran the Cascades 10K Firechase along side Derek. I had hurt my ankle earlier in the week, so I had taken it easy during the week and was a little hesitant for the run, but everything turned out alright. In fact, everything turned out more than alright. In the race, I got a new PR for both average pace (13:13 min / mil) and split (12:20). Despite the guy who decides to juggle while he runs and you have to fight the urge to tackle / trip him, we had a lot of fun. I came out with an official time of 1 hour 24 minutes and 41 seconds. The best part was that while tired and sore, I didn't feel as bad as I did after my 8K in May. It's like I'm getting the hang of this or something.

Some Monthly Stats

Now's the portion of our show where I get all geeky and throw out a bunch of numbers and stats.

Total Distance on the Pavement: 24.99 miles
Average Pavement Pace: 14:35 min / mile
Best Pavement Pace: 13:13 min / mile
Best Split: 12:20 min

Total Distance in the Gym: 9.05 miles
Average Pace in the Gym: 7:46 min / mile
Best Pace in the Gym: 7:13 min / mile

What's Next?

Next month is June. The temperature will be rising and so will my distances. I'll have several runs to do on the road. Hopefully, I'll keep to my plan even on the road. In addition, my distance will increase to 9.5 miles. It will be a real test to me, but I'm ready for the challenge.

What will June hold? More work, more progress, more success.

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April Round Up

I may only be starting my 3rd week of my training program, but I am completing my first month of training. My first shoes-to-the-pavement run was on April 11. Coupling that with hitting the gyms, I've had a month of working out. Not only that, April also included running my first race of all time. I'm so happy with what I've done so far. I feel some real accomplishment.

Trainings

I ran all the way to the end
of a silent film.

My training has gone well. I started running at the gym on the elliptical. I also got out and went running. I have my sights set on Walt Disney World in January with my half marathon training plan. I've utilized the run-walk-run method from Jeff Galloway, which has been perfect for me. It's really worked exactly as advertised. It helps me to keep a good pace, without getting too tired and helping with the strain on my muscles. Every training session I try and improve. It may be more distance, it may be a quicker pace or it may be trying to improve my technique a little. I've played with some different tech and some apps, trying to find the right mix that works for me. It's still in flux, but I have a set that works pretty well for me right now.

Races

I completed my first race ever, not a 5K as you might suspect, but the Rockstar 8K. The race was held here in Burke, VA, just around the corner running down and back Burke Center Parkway. The race was ran by Potomac River Running. They have a couple of stores in the area and do a lot of races. I finished the race with an official time of 1:08:12 giving me a 13:45 min / mile pace. That pace blew away all of training paces up to that point. I guess the adrenaline and the concentration of the race helped keep my pace up nicely.

I'm eyeing up some future races as well. I want to get in some longer runs. I need to do some 10Ks to give to Disney for pacing purposes. I'm looking at some Memorial Day weekend that Derek asked if I may be interested in. There is the Cascades 10K Firechase and the Ringing in the Hope 10K. I also want to find a 5K to run with my sister up in PA, since I cannot do the Chocolate Miracle 5K with her in Hershey. Longer term, I'm looking at the Perfect 10 and, if I can get into it, the Army 10 Miler (it apparently fills up quick).

Some Monthly Stats

I'm a geek, so I like numbers and stats. So here are some stats that I've been tracking for the month of April.

Total Distance on the Pavement: 16.9 miles
Average Pavement Pace: 14:16 min / mile
Best Pavement Pace: 13:43 min / mile

Total Distance in the Gym: 16.4 miles
Average Pace in the Gym: 7:48 min / mile
Best Pace in the Gym: 7:13 min / mile

What's Next?

What will May hold? Another race? Hopefully. More distance? Check. The plan calls for a 5 mile and a 6.5 mile runs this month. New gear? Check. My running shoes are in at the store, so I'll be picking them up soon.

What will May hold? More work, more progress, more success.

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