End of Week 6 - 21 Miles

Not a bad week. I need to add another day to the week and keep up the interval and tempo run this week. I also need to add in a race pretty soon so that I can see how it looks. I am not losing weight at the pace I need to be, have to keep up the effort.

Sunday - October 31st (5.50 Miles)

I got out to the track and got in an interval run. It was really great to get this one in.
Mile 1 - 10.35
Mile 2 - 11.43
200m - 52.75
200m - 53.16
300m - 1.25
300m - 1.26
400m - 2.04
400m - 2.13
Mile 3 - 11.30
Mile 4 - 11.08
It was great to get out and run this - I have been putting it off but I know that it is so important.

Saturday - October 30th (6.25 Miles)

We had our new treadmill delivered so I decided to break it in. It was really hot downstairs and this run was sluggish.
Total time was around 83 minutes - that is way too long.
It was good to break it in.

Wednesday - October 27th (6.25 Miles)

Decided to go for a little run outside on the 6 mile course around the house. This is a great course and I can tell that not running outside as much is making a difference. The hills are really adding some time.

Mile 1 - 11.12
Mile 2 - 11.34
Mile 3 - 12.07
Mile 4 - 12.17
Mile 5 - 11.37
Mile 6 - 12.26

It seemed a little slow. but I liked getting out there and running it.

Monday - October 25 (3.12 Miles)

Thought I would try to get back on track and do my tempos the way that I used to do them. Went to the Y at lunch and got in a short run - total time of the 3.12 miles was 32.30, the time on the first 3 miles was 31.30. The tempo time was 18.03 - need to get that to 20 minutes next week. I did that at a 6 mile per hour pace or a 10 minute pace. Felt really good.

End of Week 6 (Total 10 Miles)

Not a very impressive week - I was out of town a bit too much and lost a little of my motivation. I have also felt a little tired lately. There are always excuses are'nt there. Well you cannot linger on the past too long. I did end the week strong and feel good about the upcoming week. I also missed my weight watchers meeting because I did not really want to weigh in. I not only did not run while I was on the road, but I ate far more then I should have. Overall, it was the rebellion week.

Oh well, heres to a better next week.

Sunday - October 24 (6 MIles)

I had been laying off this week so I was pretty excited about hitting the Y and getting in a good run. Ran a six miler in 1.08. Not a bad time a little over 11 minute miles. It felt really good and I could have probably gone a little longer.

Tuesday - October 19 (4 Miles)

Well, decided to hit it hard for the start of a good week. I ran 4 miles at the Y however, I forgot to keep the times.

End of Week 5 (25 Total Miles)

Another interesting week. Got the miles in for the week - it was tough however trying to run for 5 days without rest. Need to get back to intervals, tempo and other for Week 6. Also need to get an 8 mile run in on Sunday.
Monday is going to be a day of rest
Tuesday will do Intervals 5.5 miles
Wednesday will try to get in a 5.5 miler
Thursday off
Friday will do Tempo 6 miles
Saturday off
Sunday will do the 8 miler
Need to try to get in 26 miles total.
We will see.....

Sunday - October 17 (6 Miles)

Ran 6 miles of the canal - it is getting a little cool here. 41 and light rain.
Total time for the 6 mile run - 67.51 - pretty good time - 11.20 minutes miles.

Saturday - October 16th (4 Miles)

Ran at the Y - 4 miles - 44.03 minutes total time.

Friday - October 16th (5 Miles)

Did a little cross training to mix it up. 2.5 miles on the Precor and 2.5 miles on the cross trainer.

Got back to 258

OK - hard to believe that I got back to 258 - I ate like a horse in Palm Beach. Oh well, I ran alot this week so maybe it is starting to catch up. One thing that I am starting it that I am eating all my points, including the work out points for a day. I get between 9 and 12 points every time I run and someone told me that I should be using them. I will see how that works.

It is time to get to 256 by next Saturday. I am going to be on the road a great deal of the week so it will be hard.

Thursday - October 14th (5 miles)

This week I am still off plan a little in terms of the runs I am going through. I have time before the race so I am changing it up a little to account for travel and variety. Today, I ran another 5 miles. I took a couple of minutes off yesterday's pace. The last mile was strong.

Mile 1 - 11.09
Mile 2 - 10.44
Mile 3 - 10.47
Mile 4 - 10.44
Mile 5 - 9.41

It is a good sign that the last mile is the fastest.

Wednesday - October 13th (5 Miles)

Ran at the Y - total of 5 miles

End of Week 4 (24 Total Miles)

This was a great week - I ran my first really long run. It did however throw me off a little from my scheduled training activities. I did need the change up. Linda and I spent some of the weekend in Palm Beach - the run on Sunday at the Breakers was really good.
Overall, a good week.
Will probably be a little out of sync for another week since we will be in Palm Beach for a couple more days.

Sunday - October 10 (6 Miles)

Well, as feared, I ate and drank a little more in Palm then my points allowed for. The good news is that I was able to get a good run in today.

Total of 6 Miles
Mile 1 - 11.45
Mile 2 - 11.41
Mile 3 - 11.26
Mile 4 - 10.42
Mile 5 - 11.04
Mile 6 - 11.13

Not a bad day.

Up to 260 1/2 pounds

Went up a little in my weight. Not sure how, it was a pretty good week of running and eating. I did go to a different place to weigh in because of our flight in the morning. I am not discouraged, the clothes are starting to fit better and my runs are in good shape.

Wednesday - October 6th (12 miles)

Well, I changed up my pattern a little today. I got up and it was a beautiful day outside. I decided that I would attempt to run 13 miles. I went to the Y and headed for the trail to the canal. I got to the 3 mile mark and then went on to the JCC (that would be the 4 mile mark) I was having some issues with my GPS so I timed the next 2 or 2 1/2 miles. I turned around at 1.15.58. I ended up running back to the point where there was 3/4 miles left and had to walk. At that point, I had run for 2.30.
The walk took me back to the Y and it was over.

I needed to change up my routine a bit and I also wanted to see what it is going to be like running for that length of time. Some key things learned from today. You need to carry more water and I needed some food after about 1.40. I am going to try to gel on the next run.

I am going to add this into my routine 2 times a month - it was really fun.

Tuesday - October 5th (6 miles)

Tempo day - I ran another 6 miler, today I did not really feel like I had made much progress. Not sure why - it seems harder and harder - my muscles are starting to ache a bit more.

Oh well, have to keep pushing the envelope.

Here's the stats.
Mile 1 - 11.20
Mile 2 - 9.22
Mile 3 - 11.25
Mile 4 - 9.16
Mile 5 - 11.35
Mile 6 - 11.45

The tempo times were pretty good, the others were so, so.

Today it seemed to me that there was no way I would be able to get in 13 miles.

End of Week Three (21 Miles)

Overall the week was really good, I met my weekly mileage goal and I dropped a few pounds. If all weeks are like this week I feel like I will achieve my goal.
This upcoming week is going to be problamatic in that Linda and I will be in West Palm Beach starting on Saturday. I need to get my workouts in early this week. Tomorrow I may hit the Y and try to get the Tempo run in.
The journey continues!!!!

Sunday - October 3 (7 Miles)

Easy run day. I was able to get in 7 miles at a little under the 12 minute pace.

Mile 1 - 11.47
Mile 2 - 11.57
Mile 3 - 11.54
Mile 4 - 11.53
Mile 5 - 11.43
Mile 6 - 12.17
Mile 7 - 12.15

It was a really nice day to run - it has cooled off a little but the sun was shining.

Saturday - October 2nd (6 miles)

My first running day for October was a pretty good one. Today was a Tempo day. I felt pretty good and added a little extra distance at the end. It is raining here today so I did get to the Y for my workout.

Mile 1 - 11.28
Mile 2 - 9.29
Mile 3 - 11.18
Mile 4 - 9.32
Mile 5 - 11.38
Mile 6 - 11.32

I kicked up the last 1/2 mile to see if it will burn out the lactid acid buildup in the leg muscles.

258 - DOWN 3 POUNDS

Had the weigh in early this morning and came in 3 pounds less than last week. At that rate I will be in good shape for race day. Of course there are a number of challenges coming up in the next few weeks. Next weekend Linda and I are going to West Palm Beach for 3 days. On October 16th, we will have the Turkey dinner at church. These are just a couple. Oh well, you can only look at it one day at a time.

Thursday - September 30th (3 Miles)

The last day of September brought a short 3 mile run. I did not keep the per mile pace, but I ran it in 32.28 total time. I was hoping to run a little longer but felt a little fatique. I gave blood yesterday and think that might have had something to do with the fatique.

Two more tough runs this week - a long easy and a tempo.

Tuesday - September 28th (5 Miles)

Interval Run
Today presented a major challenge. I had to step up the interval runs to include further distances. This seems to be the general trend of the training. Every week you add more distance to the intervals. For the last two weeks I have been running 200m intervals today was different. I did run the same format however. 2 mile warmup, intervals and then a 2 mile warm down.

The numbers look pretty good, you can start to see some progress.

Mile 1 - 10.44
Mile 2 - 10.30

200m - 49.00
1.30 walk
200m - 53.41
2.03 walk
300m - 1.25.97
2.30 walk
300m - 1.28.24
3.10 walk
400m - 2.05.32
3.08 walk
400m - 2.10.00

Mile 3 - 11.22
Mile 4 - 11.25

I was really sucking wind on the last 100m of the 400s. I see room for improvement.

This was really a great training run. Times looked good and I did not feel too fatiqued after the run.

Now a well deserved day of rest and then a Tempo run.

End of Week Two

Week 2 seemed to be a really great week. I felt as though the training in week 1 paid off. It seems as though I was able to run faster and longer in general. The tempo and interval runs seem to really be the key. I know that I will pick up the interval runs are a great deal more aggressive in week 3 so I am looking forward to them.

My total miles for the week were a little over 20. Next week I go to a little over 22 - it is said that you do not want to add too many miles per week.
As far as the weight, it really did not seem to go down much this week, but I really ate a bit more then I should have. Weighing in on Saturday was really important. It give me a solid way to measure my progress instead of the "how do my pants fit method"

I really notice the difference having a real training program - it requires a great deal more descipline and makes you stretch....

Well, heres to the start of week 3.

Sunday September 26th

Today is an easy/long day. It was a beautiful day in Rochester, the temp was about 75 and it was nothing but Sun. I went to the Y and met up with someone who I have worked out with in the Weight room over the past few years. Bill also runs a great deal, I typically do not run with him because he is quite a bit faster then I am. Today however he ran my 6 miles with me (at a pace more in line with my ability) We ran on the canal. The times we as follows:
Mile 1 - 10.55
Mile 2 - 11.38
Mile 3 - 11.37
Mile 4 - 11.50
Mile 5 - 12.26
Mile 6 - 11.35
Overall not too bad, it felt pretty good.

The official weigh in!

261
It is not a surprise that I need to lose some pounds if I am going to make it through both the training and the distance for a half marathon. I have been following weight watchers for the past couple of weeks, but today was the official weigh in - translation, I joined weight watchers so that I have to go weigh every week. It is really a great thing to do - it adds an extra layer of descipline to the whole weight thing. The official starting weight is 261 - that means I need to lose about 31 pounds before the run. If my runs are like yesterdays, then dropping 31 pounds will not be an issue. I will keep you all updated after the weigh ins

Friday- September 24th

Interval Run Day - This was a really challenging interval run, but when I got done it felt like I had really accomplished something.

Mile 1 - 10.35
Mile 2 - 10.54

200 - 54.13
200 - 52.38
200 - 53.99
200 - 58.28
200 - 58.64
200 - 59.14
200 - 61.25
200 - 57.41

Mile 3 - 11.50
Mile 4 - 12.02

I have never sweat as much as I did during this run - it felt great. I am really looking forward to next weeks. The program calls for longer interval runs.

Thursday - September 23rd

A little bit of a slog day - I ran a short 4 mile run at a pretty slow pave. I did run on the canal so at least it was a pretty run.

Mile 1 - 11.30
Mile 2 - 12.00
Mile 3 - 12.00
Mile 4 - 12.10

I felt pretty tired from the Tempo run the day before.

Wednesday - September 22nd

I decided to add a little to my Tempo runs after talking with Steve Smith at the office.

Mile 1 - 11.19
Mile 2 - 9.25
Mile 3 - 11.24
Mile 4 - 9.35
Mile 5 - 12.28

My heart rate was in good shape for the run.

End of Week One

The first week is out of the way and I am still able to walk - it was really a great week. There is a difference when you have a planned training schedule. I have been running for some time, however, when you train you have a purpose for every run and it does push you.
I also know that it is critical that I work on getting the weight off - the strain it places on my knees, legs, speed, heart, etc. is enourmous.

I am looking forward to a rest and then the begginning of week 2.

Sunday - September 19th

The easy / long run day. Every week there is a easy / long run that is meant to build up endurance. The key to these runs is that you keep a pretty stable pace - my target for these is generally 11.45 minute miles at this point.

I ran a total of 6 miles:
Mile 1 - 11.38
Mile 2 - 11.48
Mile 3 - 12.04
Mile 4 - 11.26
Mile 5 - 12.04
Mile 6 - 11.54
Total - 110.14

This was the first time I ran on the Lehigh Trail. It is a really nice trail that has a soft and wide path. I think that entire trail is about 13 miles or so. The setting is really great - big trees and lots of outdoors. They do allow horses on the trail so you do have to keep your eyes open for you know what.

I am going to probably try to run this every other week or so. I would like to try my first 10 miler on it.

This run will continue

Saturday - September 18th

Finally a nice easy run - after a day of rest you would think I could do this fairly well. I was still pretty beat from the interval run but I managed to squeeze out a 4.5 mile run in 54 minutes. My GPS quit on me so the time is not exact for this run.

Thursday - September 16th

Day 2 was my first Interval run - these are clearly the most difficult for me. The objective of the interval run is to build up speed and recovery. In general these are best done on a track. I ended up going to Mendon High.

My general routine for intervals will be a 2 mile warm up, intervals and then a 2 mile jog.

With that in mind here were the times for my first intervals:
Mile 1 - 11.30
Mile 2 - 11.33

Intervals
200 - 56.13
200 - 51.99
200 - 53.99
200 - 54.93
200 - 56.80
200 - 59.21

I rested 1.30 minutes between each interval.

Mile 3 - 13.27
Mile 4 - 13.10

I was dead tired after these. These seem to be the basis for training. I will be interested to see how these progress.

The First Training Run!

The time has come to actually start the training efforts. I ended up being on the road early in the week so I put off my first run to Wed. September 15th. I went to the Y and ended up doing a Tempo run.
Mile 1 - 11.30
Mile 2 - 9.39
Mile 3 - 11.39
Mile 4 - 11.11
My average HR was around 155. It was a pretty nice way to start off the training.

The start!

The date and place has been selected. The training program has been designed and now it is time to implement. The goal is simply a half marathon in Austin, TX in late January. The training program is 8 weeks, and I will do it twice prior to the run. It started on September 13th.

There are two things that I know have to be done to make this a reality. First, I have to stick with the training plan. Second, I have to get my weight down. It all seems so simple. Let the journey begin. I will post my thoughts and training, weight and ultimate times on this site.

Here's to Austin and wish me luck!!