Running Legs

Really not a lot to say. Pretty committed to the run. Got in a 6 runs and a 10 mile ride over the last 10 days or so. Planning on another run this afternoon after soccer practice. I did a 6.2 mile run week before last to see if I could. The Run for the Son 10k is saturday and I feel somewhat confident. Looking for to a different challenge. Running with some friends that are much faster than I am. 

Very proud to say that my wife is again doing the 5k, daughter is doing the 5k and my son is doing the fun run. Should be a very fun family morning.

Also, Byers Bike Bash is May 16th and I may scale my ride back to 46 or even 25 miles instead of the 100k route. Depends on how much time on the bike I can get over the next 2 weeks.

Another strange, fun, weird event I might take part in is Fatty's 100 Miles to NoWhere. Trying to coordinate some friends to participate or at least ride with some of it with me. Cold be pretty fun to do a 2 mile loop 50 times around the neighborhood. Check out the link, very cool cancer-fighting-fund raising event. 

Run

3 Nice runs today, monday-wednesday.

3 miles on an indoor track.

4 miles around the university.

3 more miles at the track.

I took yesterday off and had planned on running today but did yardwork at lunch instead. Had 50 mph winds yesterday and wildfires going all around us. Very scary for a lot folks. 3 deaths reported so far.

Also of note today, it is the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Tornado that leveled good portions of town. My wife, as an infant, was raced away from her house by her father with her mother and sister as the tornado approached and eventually destroyed their house. Great information here.

Run for the Son 10k is in 22 days and Byers Bike Bash is a little over a month away.

Run and Goal Update

I am going to start with updating my March Goals. I am no longer setting goals. I seems I fall well short in the old goal department. So, for now I am going to concentrate on just establishing a base for running and gradually increase my riding miles as the days, weeks and months tick by. Weather this month as been interesting to say the least. Great early part of the week, only for a cold front to blow in that saw temps at 30 this morning and some sleet/ice/snow on the roofs/chairs/flat things. 

I did get in a couple of runs at the Y indoor track this week. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to another tomorrow. Next week might be slow in the workout sched, wife leaves for St. Thomas with a couple of friends for the week. Soccer/Tball/Soccer/Tball/Baseball. That would be my evening/after work plans next week.

Hopefully, I can take advantage of lunch time runs or rides. Weather appears to improve each day. 

I am pleased to say that I have not had any piriformis/sciatic issues since I started running. I attribute a lot of it to stretching. I broke down because of the pain and ordered a DVD from The Aspen Back Institute and I incorporate their stretching plan in my day-to-day. Works great. I read an article in National Geographic Adventure about a year ago by Steve Casimiro. I thought I would try it out.

I am planning on a couple of 5k, 10k and maybe 50k rides this spring. The end of May is Muddy Buddy Nashville. this would be year 4 for me and BIL.

Upcoming Events

• May 2nd Run for the Son 10K - Colonial Baptist Church 
• May 16th Byers Bike Bash 100k
• May 31st Muddy Buddy Nashville

dirt and road....

Got a couple of runs in last week, 3 plus and and 2 plus. Okay with that as long as I maintain it a consistent running base. Both runs were okay and just reaffirmed the fact that I really do not like to run.....yet. I do feel better running, just not comfortable. Lungs are fine, but road legs are not there yet.

Today I saw a little bit of dirt time, finally. My Better gave me the thumbs ups for an after work ride with a couple of buddies. Weather was perfect, around 90 when we started but cooled off for the second loop to around 80 with a breeze. Total ride was about 15 miles and it felt great. Pushed fast the first loop and a nice easy second mile loop. Hoping to get in a yoga workout tomorrow but we will see. Kids are home for spring break, one of which is recovering from surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. He is on day 5/6 and after a bad day yesterday did great today. Hopefully he will see better days over the next few days. 

No road rides and no core work. My evenings are absorbed with soccer/tball/baseball and preparing taxes. Yippee.

Run,run, yoga

Great weekend, great weather. Highs near mid 80's. Daylight savings. Added up to spending all but 1-2 hours outside yesterday with the kids. Dealt with 2 soccer games on saturday and 2 baseball practices on sunday. Good stuff.

I did get to enjoy a nice 3.75 mile run on saturday, albeit a windy run. Temp was great, nice and warm, wind was out of the south and around 20 mph's. Felt good. Planned on a 20+ mile road ride or hit the singletrack for about 15 miles. Decided on the road because of lack of wind. 2.72 miles in doing a brisk 28 mph downhill I ran over something that just gashed both tire and tube. Had a spare tube but no tire, hoofed it home. Got home, via a lift from a friend I bumped into. No cell phone. Changed the tire and tube and was going to go again but decided on a nice easy run instead. I was just kind of meandering thru the neighborhood not really caring how far I went, ended up just under 3 miles. Legs felt great, could have kept going but "other" wanted to run also. I am anxious to up my mileage over the next few months. I would like to split the week with 3 runs/3 rides. Weather turns feb-ish on wednesday and stays around 50 thur saturday.

Today I did an hour of yoga at lunch. Felt good to do it again and stretch out. So March is starting off better than February ended. 

So for the week, 3 runs of 9.5 miles and 2 core workouts.

March Goals

Stoked for March, spring is springing, daylight savings this weekend, grass is growing, warm mornings. Very nice. Now, I have to find my groove. Most days, nights and weekends are wrapped around the kids, the house and the wife. Not a complaint, just harder to make room to ride or run. Mostly it is my lunchtime. I have a friend that can go for a run at a 11 pm. Not I. I see March as being very productive.

So, here are my goals for March:

• On the Feet.....30 Miles
• On the Dirt Seat.... 25-40 Miles
• On the Road Seat.. 75-100 Miles
• Yoga 4-8 Times a month
• Core No less than 20 times

Haha, those seem ridiculous considering I did not even come close in Feb. Oh, well, cup half full kind of guy.

On the piriformis/sciatic front. Nary an issue last month. The stretching, core and overall strengthing of abs and back are doing great. 

So far in march I have 2 core workouts and a 3 mile run. Planning 3 runs this weekend to get back on pace and hopefully a road workout as well.

Wow.....One month down and March Goals

Well, February wrapped up a tad disappointing. Mainly on the bike and core work. It started promising but faded towards the end of the month. Sadly, I only achieved 1 of my Feb goals, it was the most important to me, running.

So, since last fridays post and to end February I got in a blistering, endurance of run of 1.5 miles. Now I will say this, the wind was steady at 30 mphs and it was cold. I made one loop and stop at the the house. I did not get another ride, core or yoga workout in over the weekend. Here are Feb's totals in relation to Feb's goals in parenthesis.

On the Feet(20 Miles).......25.5 Miles

On the Dirt Seat(40-50)....30 Miles

On the Road Seat(50-60)..27 Miles

Core Workouts(14)............6 Times

Yoga(1-2 Per Week)...........2 out of possible 4-8

Yikes. I did miss it. On to March. Post later for March Goals. Off to do a core workout. :)

Could it be that time.........

The lovely Bradford Pears have unleashed their white fury this week. When they blossom that is like the first round of the alarm clock going off. Of course, there will be some snooze's (unlike spring-like days) mixed in but it mostly means that warmer days, especially, warmer mornings are here. Yippee.

Thursday at lunch I got in a nice easy 3 mile run. Windy and pleasant outside, weather was around 75 degrees. Yesterday was much warmer and more wind. Highs around 90 and wind out of the west around 20-25. My route in fact took me west down Seymour Hwy. The bumps and wind made for a nice exercise and when I turned I enjoyed a really nice tailwind on flat concrete averaging 25 plus MPH. I would prefer to get out for a 30 plus mile ride but with only an hour or so for lunch, 20 miles will do.

Well, I fell behind significantly for goals for February but that is okay. Daylight savings and warmer days will motivate me and give me more time to get out. 

St Jo in the books, totals so far and a cactus.....

First off, very disappointed in last weeks effort. Unmotivated in core, running and riding. I was looking forward to the weekend and a trip to Bar H Breaks in Saint Jo, Texas. Chilly morning and some great trails. Lots of long uphills and super fast descents. Got in a about 15 miles, well short of the 25 I had hoped for. That's okay, beat us up pretty good. Cactus story coming up soon.

Okay, last week did not add up the goal totals like I would have liked. I enjoy midday runs this time of year instead of night, dark runs. Nights were chilly and that Unmotivated me. I did manage 2 runs, thursday and a 4.33 mile run saturday, that was really smooth and easy. I could have easily ran another 30 minutes. Weather was perfect. Also, did a short 10 mile road ride. Core was limited to twice and NO yoga. Oops. Guess that means 2 this week, plus 40+ on the road bike to meet Feb goals. Should be interesting to say the least. So, here are the totals so far:

On the feet....21.83 miles----goal met

On the dirt seat....30 miles---10 more miles

On the road seat...10 miles--need 40+

Core....6 times---Fell behind schedule

Yoga.....Still at 2

I really have my work cut out for me. So, my excuse. I honestly was concentrating on a running base this month  more than riding. However, I did make plenty of excuses not to ride on off days. Wind is my favorite. I think I did accomplish the goal for getting back into running. The last last 2 or 3 have been comfortable and am actually looking forward to going this evening. 

Now, the cactus story. So, we get to BH Breaks and proceeded to go to the hardest trail section there, Devil's backbone. We did not know that it was the hardest, honest. The trail is roughly 5 miles of switches up and fast gnarly downhills over loose rocks, root and nicely hidden under last falls leaves. Each time you top out you ride a nice plateau for a bit and than descend again. Well, on one of the plateau's was a log going across the trail. No prob, simple bunny hop and I am over. Nope, obviously a little tired and my chainring came down on the log and I flipped over it. No biggee, except I was laying on a cactus, yes, a cactus. Which can and did penetrate 3 layers of clothes. So I shuck down to shorts and proceed to pull little tiny needles out of my skin. Now the fun moment. My rear tire starts hissing. 2 large needles thru my sidewall. Got all needles removed, changed flat, redressed and headed on.

Temptations of Temporanillo

I ditched my "loop" run for a glass of temp this evening. I think I get a mulligan a week, right?

I did get some core work in this morning and will do some crunches and push-ups later. Better half is doing yoga downstairs. I am getting kids in bed. 

Hmm...I might try to squeeze some yoga in.

Starting sometime in the next few days I will post and discuss my stable of gear, i.e., shoes and bikes. Also, Beauty and the Beast is back and running in Tyler, Texas next month. Might try the 64 mile route with my buddy JDub. Coming in May is Muddy Buddy Nashville with BIL. And just a few days til St Jo.

While I am rambling, for those checking out the Tour of California, got time, check out Elden's coverage over at the Fat Cyclist. It is a hoot. Also, the ToC Tracker is running nicely, since the rains stopped. The full coverage video is sweet.

Good Wednesday e'ryone

Great weather week in the Falls, high 70's to low 80's the last few days. That is supposed to end tonight and tomorrow. I think the highs are around 60.

My run days this week are tuesday, thursday and saturday. Yesterday I did the loop. Massive wind and it was 85. Wind was worse than he heat by far. I do love the heat. I am definitely getting comfortable, leg wise. 

The nice thing that happened is that I got a 10 mile "sprint" ride in today, sunny with moderate winds. I am planning on going on a nice run with the better half in the morning. 

Got in some core work this morning before work/after everyone left. 4 days til the MTB trip.

Week 2 Recap with some Sinus Infection on the side...

I missed my scheduled run on wednesday but got one in on thursday. That threw me off a day so I was planning on a nice saturday run and maybe push it a little. Well, woke up at 2 am with a raging fever that kept me up until 6. Managed a few hours of sleep and got up to head to work. Got back home midday and took a 2 hour nap. Got a Z-Pack and started the antibioitics.

So, that gets us to yesterday, I did get out a run a nice easy "loop". Temp was around 50 and I can say that overall it was a very nice easy run. First one I can say that about, minimal leg discomfort and zero recovery. That makes three loops for the week. By the end of March I feel like I will be ready to amp it up some more. 

No rides this week either. Hoping to get on that tomorrow or wednesday. Big mountain bike trip this sunday, however.

I did get in a yoga session and 2 days of core.

So. Totals so far.

On the feet.....15 miles

On the dirt....unchanged, 15 miles

On the road...unchanged, 0 miles

Yoga....2 times

Core....4 times

Good Wednesday Morning

Slept great. No kids waking me or climbing over me. Good moods all around this morning. 

Just finished 30 minutes of core and stretching. I am planning on a loop on the feet at lunch or this evening after work, depends on the schedule today.

Yesterday I was hoping for a bike ride but the wind was way up and my normal 10 mile lunch ride would have been in the teeth of it most of the way. I did see some cyclist out yesterday. It is not the wind so much but I do want to enjoy it instead of just because I have to.

I did, however, get in an hour of yoga at lunch that felt awesome. Actually left my legs kind of shaky all afternoon. And, lastly, set of crunches last night while watching Brazil-Italy friendly. Fell asleep in the second half with Brazil up 2-0.

Monday

Slept great. Woke up and got kids and wife on the way. I did about a half hour of core and stretching. Did my normal 2.5 mile loop at lunch. Warm and windy. Loving the weather. Got a bit of a shower last night and blue skies this morning.

Hope to get some crunches in tonight. I am trying to add 100 crunches and 50 pushups 3-4 nights a week to my routine. I did it 3 times last week but got a strange dull ache in my right side of my chest so I have laid off since friday.

Fish tacos and red wine on the menu after soccer, I hope.

Note to self: Go to bed earlier and eat breakfast.

Last 2 Days and 1st Week

Decided to take on the feet solo yesterday. WF weather was great. Around 80 or so. I am sticking with a 2.5 mile loop for February. I am planning on every other day. No rides this week, except for last Sunday. I was planning on one this weekend, a 25 miler, but the winds got up to about 25 mph. I decided some plumbing repairs and  playing with the twins sounded better. I did get in about 45 minutes of core this evening

So for the week....

On the Feet....about 7.5 miles

On the Dirt....15

On the Road...0

Core........2 

Yoga...Once

Soccer practice starts this week and Baseball will be soon after. It will be a test to see if I can keep moving forward. Hopefully the wind will die down somewhat and I can get a couple of rides in Tuesday and Thursday.

Who'd a thunk.....

I have actually ran twice this week for a whopping grand total of 4.65 miles. Haha. That is small but nearly a 1/4 of my goal this month. 

Road miles may be more difficult. I am shooting for 25 miler this weekend, but no trail miles. I am planning a trip to Bar H Breaks in Saint Jo on Feb 22nd. Hopefully get in about 25 trail miles there.

Sciatica or Piriformis?

I have had a recurring issue with extreme pain involving my sciatic nerve. For several years I just went to the chiro to get adjusted. It worked well, but every time I would go on a run the pain would return within a half a day.

So, after some googling, I found out the piriformis muscle is more of my problem, than say, lower back. It turns out that when the piriformis muscle swells or spasms from an activity like running it puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing the pain. So, I have now incorporated some new stretches just for the piriformis muscle and it helps tremendously.

This morning was 20-25 minutes os some core work on the ball and 45 minutes of yoga at lunch.

February Goals

Okay, keep in mind several things when looking at these mileage goals. First, 4 kids and a wife. Second, 4 different sports teams, scouts and church. Third, own or operate 3 businesses and various pieces of properties. Fourth, I do not like winter or getting up early. 

These goals are not lofty but hopefully will increase as summer approaches. I am mainly focusing on 4 things, cycling, running, core and yoga. Cycling, core and yoga come fairly easy. Running on the other hand is a different beast. I do not enjoy it at all. I feels like torture. This coming from a soccer player 31 years of his 37 years. Stranger, I even keep up with several distance running bloggers. 

Feb Goals

• On the feet....20 miles
• On the dirt seat.....40-50 miles
• On the road seat....50-60 miles
• Core Work....14 days
• Yoga....1-2 times a week

So far my totals are

• 2 miles
• 15 miles
• 0 miles
• 1
• 0

25 days and counting.

Here Goes Nothing

I am on a personal journey to attempt the Hotter n Hell 100 Trifecta. It includes a 13 mile Mountain Bike Race on friday, 100 mile Road Ride on saturday morning and half marathon trail run on sunday morning. 

This blog is intended to make me accountable for doing the necessary work to complete my goal. Basically, I am talking to myself.