Beautiful Long run, and, how many layers?

Route: 18 miles (Here's the map)
Listened to: Wait, wait...don't tell me; Speaking of Faith ("Exodus, Cargo of Hidden Stories")
Weather: 45-50 degrees F (9-12 mph winds SES)
Afterward: Nice run

I couldn't have asked for a better long run. The total run took 2:41 which puts me on pace for a 4-hour marathon pace. About the only things that bothered me were what to wear (I was thinking shell and sweats and gloves and hat...Lori talked me out of that and I am thankfuul for that). The other minor inconvenience was that for the last 1/3 of the run, I was running into the wind...gusts up to 15 mph. I figure that should count for something extra when I was running up the hill CR 15.

Besides that, groovy run! Wee-Haw!

Mapping the run: Thanks GMaps!

I found this site in a running magizine this week and been quite happy that my routes were fairly accurate (and, maybe a bit longer than I thought). Using GoogleMaps, the site allows you to plot out a route and it'll kick out mileage and elevation and you can save maps to share with others.
Here's Saturday's run (which I had thought was only 17 miles, but ended up being a tad more).
Very cool.

Mamma, Don't let your sons skip Wednesday runs!

Route: Berkey hill and back (3 miles)
Listened to: iTunes New Music Tuesday; music
Weather: 40 degrees f
Afterward: Fine

So, I effectively convinced myself yesterday morning that it was too cold and too early to run. 2 Maintenance runs this week to set up the 18-miler.

Not the best way to train, eh?

I had a bad dream last night: that a collation lead by the US were announcing a preemptive strike against Iran. The press conference had the Russian-looking guy (who had the Canadian rep to the right and the US President to the right of the Canadian...almost out of the picture) explaining the strike (and the demonstration even included a toy missile). There were smiles are around.

And then I woke up to run.

Tired Tuesday

Miles: 3 Route: 8th to Wilson
Listened to: Music
Weather: 49 f ish
Afterward: good...a bit tight from only two days rest from the long run, but by Mile 1, legs were fine.

Lots of traffic.

Saturday Run Sunday

Route: 13.5 miles (Berkey to CR11 to 111 and back): Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
Weather: Good: 64 degrees f with a nice West wind (around 10 mph)
Listen to: Speaking of Faith: Planting the Future with Wangari Maathai; music
Afterward: Good run...pushed that last 5 miles

Speaking of Faith was a good show (again). Here's the site's synopsis:

Wangari Maathai, a native Kenyan, was the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She is founder of the Green Belt Movement — a grassroots organization that empowers African women to improve their lives and conserve the environment through planting trees. Deforestation and climate change have plunged Africa into the worst drought in decades. After helping plant 30 million trees, she speaks about the global balance of human and natural resources and shares her thoughts on where God resides.

Very cool stuff. Run was nice and I'm trying to reduce the number of walking and fluid breaks. Specifically, looking to eliminating the last 5-6 miles of them: run straight through. Reason: that's usually where I lose it: Take a walking break anywhere in the 20 mile range and it spells trouble. That's what I learned from Columbus when I just followed the pace runner and it really helped. Besides, psychologically, a walk during the 3 hour mark is hard to recover from...just run right through the urge. Next week: 18 miles (yeah!).

Interesting: I searched my time from Columbus, and the site returned my time from a year before at the Lakefront Marathon:

10/16/05	Columbus Marathon 2005		Chris Judson				3:57:24
10/03/04	Lakefront Marathon 2004		Chris Judson				4:05:03

Here's Early that 2004 season at Sunburst (best time so far):

187

295

3:56:25

Males 35 to 39

37

M

And here's Sunburst 2003:

283

426

4:02:10

Males 35 to 39

36

M

First Marathon (Lakefront 2002):

569

1020

107

M3539

CHRIS JUDSON

35

4:27:12

And now, we're trying for another 2004 thingy: two marathons in one season. (Last year got injured early in the training for Sunburst)

Kids, Don't skip runs due to fashion

Route: 3 miles (Berkey hill and back)
Listened to: iTunes New Music Tuesday
Weather: 50 degrees f, clear (in the dark...nice moon though)
Afterward: fine.

So, I skipped my run yesterday because my two short-sleeve running shirts have stains on them...pretty sad, eh? But, to justify the slothfulness, I decided (or convinced myself) that I should work on a podcast and switch my running schedule around because I won't be able to do the Saturday long run...instead I'll have to move the run to Sunday. It makes sense, then, to run Tuesday, Thursday, Friday then long-run it Sunday...right?

Anyway, school is beginning its descent toward summer vacation and things will be getting busier and a tad more chaotic.

Cool.

Beginning the countup to 20 miles

Route: 3 miles (8th to Wilson)
Listened to: Music (Rent and Genesis)
Weather: 40 degrees f (but I thought it would feel colder)
Afterward: Nice quick run.

Now begins the work up to 20 miles...got 18 in two weeks and then 20 in 4. This morning's felt fast and I probably should have gone 4 miles out Berkey, but I didn't. But the big question in my mind: how to work the phrase "Occam's razor" into conversation today?

Long runs and nice days

Route: 15 miles (same as last week: 32 to 9 to 36 to 111 to 13 and back)
Listen to: Wait, wait...don't tell me; "Neighbors" (This American Life); Seasons of Love (Rent); Domino (Genesis).
Weather: Beautiful (55 degrees f) and just plan the best day of training thus far.
Afterward: Fine; lots of fluids and eats and typical soreness.

So, I've fallen into a bad habit of missing my Thursday runs because I know I can get away with it and still have a good long run on Saturdays. But who cares when the weather was ideal and really was my first run without all the layers...ahh!

Seasons of Love

Route: 3 Miles (8th to Wilson)
Listened to: "Seasons of Love" (Rent)
Weather: Warm: 48 degrees f
Afterward: Good

Let's get caught up: Saturday's long run was 15 miles (32 to 9 to 36 to 111 and back home on 32): Good run, longest one of the season and an important one in training. Listened to: Wait, wait...don't tell me; Variations on Prayer (Speaking of Faith) and Train (My Private Nation).

Yesterday was back at school and catching up on grading and reporting of the grades (Wednesday's PT conf). Most of the chatter yesterday, though, revolved around how much time until summer break.

My friend, Fartlec

Route: 3 miles (8th to Wilson)
Listened to: Train (My Private Nation)
Weather: Clear and sunny (it was 8 a.m.) 48 ish
After: nice

Did some fartlecing the last mile or so of this run just to say I did some speed work. The second day of Spring Break and the past 24 hours has taught me how to: replace copper piping at a "T" for the hot water in our house (I learn how to flare the ends of the tubing...thanks Lowe's guy for helping find the stuff I needed) _and_ to light the pilot light to the hot water heater. 

Ah, I'm a manly man with cuts on my hands and the confidence of saving bunches of money on paying someone else to fix it. (Or, perhaps the whole thing will give way).

Anyway, for Day 2: we're off to Borders!

First day of Spring Break and a run

Route: 10 miles (cr 32 to cr 13 and back).
Listened to: Train (Drops of Jupiter and For me, it's you)
Weather: 45 degrees f with a bit of West wind and drizzle
Afterward: Nice. Even did a little speed work on the last mile (crazy, man).

It feels good to start to have the legs back (and the muscle memory of longer-distance running). Still trying to figure out how to dress (usually it's on the warmer side).

And now it's spring break and we are .... well, watching Tim and Jennifer's dog while their family goes to PA with Doris. I think Lori and I may pull away for an evening, but besides that: lots of Star Wars stuff to do with the kids and perhaps some writing (I promised myself that I would crank out at least one chapter this break, but we'll see).