Archives

davidsgoals replied to your link: My “Running Gear” Page has been updated

What do you wear for your races?

Nothing but the Kinvara for the past 1 1/2 years.

My “Running Gear” Page has been updated

I’m a little late in reviewing my yearly running goals status for the third quarter, but I did get a little sidetracked by the whole Femur Stress Fracture thing. It is hard to look back at goals that I was not able to meet, but this will be extra motivation for next year:

• Goal #1: Complete 2,000 training miles. My total for 2011 was 1,763, so this will be a pretty big increase. Will take over 166 miles per month to reach this goal. I know it is attainable, but only if I stay healthy and disciplined.

  Up until the last week of August, I was WELL ahead of pace for 2,000 miles in 2012, but not running for the entire month of September, and some of October, has made this goal virtually impossible without serious risk of re-injury. I’m currently at 1,615-miles completed, but will likely only get in 60ish miles in October, leaving 325+ miles to cover in November and December, which is not going to happen while I’m on the “return to running” program. However I’m still 266-miles ahead of where I was on the same date last year.

• Goal #2: Complete my “Quest for 3:15” in a full marathon. This has been a very public goal for quite a while, and I hope to break through in 2012. I would also like to take this a step further in 2012 and break 3:10 which is my Boston qualifying time. I know this is pushing it, but I’m dreaming big. Really want to run my first Boston Marathon in 2013. To do this I will not only have to be disciplined to my running schedule, but will also have to be committed to quality runs, cross-training, diet, and sleep.

  The “Quest for 3:15” was officially completed at the NOLA Marathon on March 4 with a finish time of 3:12:28. However, due to the stress fracture, my fall marathon season has been wiped out, and with it the goal of running a BQ in 2012. I’m hoping that next year both Nathan and I can run a BQ so that we can both experience Boston together for the first time in 2014.

• Goal #3: Finish at least 5 full marathons. I ran my first 2 full marathons in the fall of 2009, and then completed 4 full marathons in both 2010 and 2011. As of now I’m only registered for the Rock N’ Roll New Orleans Marathon in March, but I have also submitted my request to be the 3:45 pacer in the St Jude Country Music Marathon in May and have my eye on a handful of other races. Whether it is as a pacer or participant, I want to do at least one marathon at a slower, conservative pace where I can enjoy it.

  I have completed two full marathons in 2012, but as mentioned above, there are no more marathons on the docket for me in 2012. As for running one at a slower, conservative pace…I was the official 4-hour pacer for the St Jude Country Music Marathon back in April and had a blast!
   

• Goal #4: Officially break 1:30 in a half marathon. I had an unofficial 1:29 finish in the Murfreesboro Middle Half Marathon in 2011 (due to course misrouting), but want to have it in writing in 2012. My best opportunities will most likely come at the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in May or again at the Murfreesboro Middle Half Marathon in October.

  I officially broke 1:30 for the first time at the Oak Barrel Half Marathon in Lynchburg, TN on April 7th with a 1:29:52. I was hoping to take it even lower at the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in May, but the 91% humidity throughout the race was a deal breaker on that front. As for the Middle Half mentioned in the goal, this race was also a casualty of the stress fracture.

This morning I broke the rules. Not the “return to running” rules from my MD, but my own rules about never running outside with lightning in the area. I was scheduled to run with Nathan at 6am today for the first time in exactly 6-weeks. When I woke up around 5:30 the rain was coming down in sheets with lightning cells scattered throughout the passing front.

Nathan texted me about whether or not I wanted to chance it, and against my better judgment I replied:

It turned out to be miserable conditions, but it was still an enjoyable run with Nathan even though I was drenched to the bone and COLD! We completed right at 4.4 miles by doing 3 sets of 10-minute run / 1-min walk (with warmup and cooldown walks). The increase from 5-minute running sets to 10-minute running sets was quite noticeable and my heart rate even got into the 170s. Nathan and I joked about the fact that when we used to compare heart rates after an easy run like that, I would almost always be 10+ bpm less than him (he’s 10 years younger), and would usually be in the 140s at most.

After the run, Nathan posted the following on Facebook:

I’ll get to the “Captain Awesome” reference in a bit, but would have to concur that there are very few people on the planet that could motivate me to run in the conditions we had this morning, other than Nathan. It was extremely nice of him to join me for a “run/walk” when he is in absolutely peak condition (no need to slum it with me), when the weather was nasty, and the day before he will be running the Murfreesboro “Middle” Half Marathon.

As for “Captain Awesome,” several years ago Olivia started calling me “Captain Awesome” after one of the characters on the TV show “Chuck.” Eventually she started using the nickname in public and when she posted things on Facebook. Now it is beginning to spread beyond the confines of our family.

However, instead of getting annoyed at the occasional ribbing, I’ve decided to just embrace it … since it is a pretty accurate description 😉

I’m kidding….

On a serious note….Good luck tomorrow Nathan. Go crush my Half Marathon PR!

Beast Mode…ON!

Last night after our mid-week worship service at Bellevue Church of Christ, Josh joined me again for the final run/walk in “Step 2” of the “Return to Running” program:

1. 4 min run / 2 min walk x 4
2. 5 min run / 2 min walk x 4
3. 10 min run / 1 min walk x 3
4. 15 min run / 1 min walk x 3
5. 20 min run
6. 25 min run
7. 30 min run

We had a leisurely effort through the dark streets of Bellevue, and again my leg felt great. It was a very enjoyable run with my friend. I’m a bit frustrated with my elevated heart rate, but I guess this is to be expected after taking a 5 1/2-week break from running.

With Step 2 in the bank, today was a rest day from running, though I did get in 75-minutes of aqua jogging at the YMCA. This means that tomorrow will begin “Step 3,” and I’m actually supposed to run with Nathan!! Very much looking forward to getting back on the road with him. I’m also excited that Step 3 will include 30-minutes of actual running.

Beast Mode…ON!

Today was my best run since returning from the stress fracture, and it was made even better by the fact that I had somebody to run with! My friend Josh was nice enough to join me this afternoon, even though I still have to take walk breaks in my “return to running” program. Josh is gearing up for the Murfreesboro “Middle” Half Marathon this weekend, and is obviously in much better shape than I am, but was very patient throughout the run/walk.

We did a somewhat out-and-back route on the Harpeth River Greenway in absolutely perfect conditions, and it was very enjoyable. In total we completed almost 3.75-miles in just over 36-minutes with an average pace of 9:46 per mile (with walk breaks). 

Once we finished the run I headed to the YMCA for an additional 45-minutes on the elliptical machine to supplement my running.

Beast Mode…ON!

Having completed Step 1 of my “return to running” program on Saturday, today marked the beginning of Step 2, which includes:

• Warmup – walk
• 5-min run / 2-min walk x 4
• Cooldown – walk

I ran in the late afternoon on the Harpeth River Greenway, and felt fantastic. My heart rate is still higher than I’m used to, but my legs are really itching to just keep going past the 5-minutes. However, I’m determined to follow the instructions and be smart, because I don’t want this to happen again.

In total I finished 3.5-miles in 33:45 at an average pace of 9:39 per mile (with walk breaks)

Beast Mode…ON!

I generally love the colors of the Saucony Kinvara 3 that came out earlier this year, but was a bit disappointed that the original choices did not include one with a predominately red upper (My favorite color). Well, in November there will be 3 new options each for Men and Women, and one of those for Men will be RED (Picture Above)!

Even more motivation to get my mileage back up, because I NEED these! 🙂

Update:

New Colors Men:

• Black / Slime
• Blue / White / Orange

New Colors Women:

• Green / White / Orange
• Pink / Purple / Citron
• Purple / Pink

Today was a busy, but good, exercise day that consisted of a 30-minute Run/Walk, 1-hour of elliptical, and 1.5-hours of aqua jogging. My 30-minute Run/Walk marked the end of “Step 1” on my “Return to Running” program:

1. 4 min run / 2 min walk x 4
2. 5 min run / 2 min walk x 4
3. 10 min run / 1 min walk x 3
4. 15 min run / 1 min walk x 3
5. 20 min run
6. 25 min run
7. 30 min run

This means that tomorrow will be a rest day, and then I should start “Step 2” on Monday. It’s slow going, but at least I felt great again today. I am noticing that my heart rate is a LOT higher when running than I’m used to, but I guess that’s to be expected after a 5 1/2 week break.

In total my Run/Walk was 3.05-miles in 31:08 with an average pace of 10:13 per mile.

Beast Mode…ON!

Even though I will not be able to run the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon in early November as originally planned, my wife was able to talk with the race director and get me switched to the half marathon. This was a bit of a surprise to me since the half is already sold out.

I did ask my MD about this on Wednesday, though I was pretty sure it would not be possible to switch. He told me that running the marathon would be a big risk, but that doing the half should be perfect. Since I have his approval, I’m thrilled that it worked out.

So, not only does this give me something to train for, but it also means that were are back to having a “Team Agee” race weekend with Olivia and I doing the half and Kate doing the Kid’s Marathon. On top of this my dear friend Nathan is running the full, and my parents are also coming with us. Should be awesome!

It was day 3 of 4 on Step 1 of my “return to running” program (4-min run / 2-min walk x 4), and by far the best run I’ve had since starting back. Earlier today I did an hour of aqua jogging at the YMCA, since my running schedule is nowhere near enough to keep my fitness up. While it is still monotonous, I am learning to appreciate it as great, non-impact cross-training activity.

After an awesome dinner with my parents at Bonefish Grill (and FroYo at Sweet CeCe’s), I went out about 9pm for my Run/Walk, in what turned out to be a steady rain. I smiled a little to myself thinking that I went from “aqua jogging” in the pool to “aqua running” outside. I felt really good during the running segments, and my right-leg felt great with no discomfort at all. Even though I’m essentially starting over, it feels awesome to run with no pain, stiffness, or soreness in my right leg after dealing with it for over a month before being forced to stop in late August.

With the walking segments, I finished just over 3.1-miles in just over 32-minutes at an average pace of 10:16 per mile.

Beast Mode…ON!

Just finished another run in Step 1 of my “return to running” program (4-min run / 2-min walk x 4), and this time I got to do it with my daughter Kate. She is running miles for the Kid’s Marathon at Chickamauga next month. I guess one benefit of this program is that it will allow us to run together some over the next few weeks.

This run also went well, with no pain in my right leg. However, I am quite sore after last night’s inaugural run, even though there was only 16-minutes of actual running. This is quite humbling considering that just over 5 1/2 weeks ago I was cranking out 55 to 60-mile weeks. I’m also noticing that my right quad is really right, but my MD said that I would have some tightness or aching during my first few runs back. I’m definitely jittery, getting a slight panic every time I feel twinge anywhere in my leg.

In total we finished right at 2.75-miles with warmup, cool-down, and the walk breaks at an average pace of 11.37 per mile.

Beast Mode…ON!

Well, last night marked my return to running after 5 1/2 weeks off due to a femoral (femur) stress fracture. It was only 27-minutes total, with 16-minutes of actual running, but it felt AWESOME! The biggest victory from last night is that I had NO PAIN!! It’s going to be a LONG process, but I’m so glad to be back on the road.

My “return to running” program consists of the following schedule:

1. 4 min run / 2 min walk x 4
2. 5 min run / 2 min walk x 4
3. 10 min run / 1 min walk x 3
4. 15 min run / 1 min walk x 3
5. 20 min run
6. 25 min run
7. 30 min run

My instructions are to do each step for 3 to 4 consecutive days, and to take a day off before moving to the next step. Once I get to step 7, I can begin doing speed and tempo work again, and can start increasing my non-stop running time by 5 minutes, every 3 to 4 days. Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be back to my normal weekly mileage.

Again, I appreciate everyone’s support.

Beast Mode…ON!

Well, here I am in week 5 of injury recovery from a femoral (femur) stress fracture, and thought I would share some more random thoughts….

• As much as I despise doing the stationary bike, elliptical machine, and aqua jogging, it has been a whole lot better since I was released to do the elliptical. All of them are still monotonous, but being able to alternate between three, instead of two, has been much better.
• I’ve mentioned before that since my injury I’ve been reading novels like crazy. Well I had completed one in the entire year leading up to the stress fracture, and am now about to finish number 10 since then (5 1/2 weeks).
• I’m sorry that I’ve not commented more on the posts of others during the injury. Reading about running has been very hard while I’ve been on the bench, but I really do want to read all about everyone’s races this weekend, especially @Davidsgoals who is doing his first marathon in Chicago!!!

P.S.

• Almost Forgot….I’M BAAAAAAAACK!! Got the clearance from my doctor this morning. Plan to resume the “Quest for Boston” later tonight. Will be a slow process getting back up to my regular mileage, but I can’t wait to hit the road. Thanks to everyone for their support throughout this process. I appreciate it!

inthewright replied to your post: Injury Recovery – Notes From the Bench

Two things. 1) I also miss running with you, especially since it will be getting dark and cold soon, and most of my runs are lone wolf these days. 2) You should just buy a penthouse downtown with your very own lap pool. 🙂

Sounds good…Are you offering to contribute to the “downtown penthouse” fund?

• Lord willing I will be able to start the “return to running” program a week from tomorrow. I have my next follow-up visit with the MD on 10/3, and if the x-ray looks ok I’m expecting him to turn me loose. This program will be mentally tough, because it will take 2 to 3 months to get back to where I was previously, but I can’t wait to hit the road/trails again.

• I knew that running was my emotional outlet, but didn’t realize how much of an impact not running would have on my overall mental state. Some of the cross-training that I’m doing helps, but it’s not the same as running.

• When I think about my natural abilities as a runner, I was not blessed with a low resting heart-rate, high VO2-Max, or high maximum heart rate. My “talents” mostly revolve around discipline, hard-work, and pushing through discomfort. With my cross training activities, I can obviously still focus on discipline and hard work, but the type of discomfort I’m pushing through is much different than with running. It is mostly trying to overcame an overwhelming sense of boredom (aqua jogging, stationary bike, elliptical machine, etc).

• One of the things I miss the most is running with Nathan. He is a great friend and christian brother, and we had a great summer training together. I know that he’s going to kill the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon, and I hate that I will not be running with him.

• I also miss running with my group. It was good to see several of them on Saturday spectating during the Women’s Half Marathon.
• I like to read, but usually only ready 2 or 3 books a year, and certainly not very fast. However, I’m now on my 7th novel since the injury (4 weeks). Not sure what happened there 🙂

• As for aqua jogging, the pool is awful. I can’t imagine being in a place where I would CHOOSE to make swimming my primary form of exercise, unless I lived near open water. Here are some of my observations about the pool:

  – I’m convinced that the chemical to water ratio of most indoor pools is about 95/5 

  – The older ladies own the pool (water aerobics), and will run you over if you get in their way. 

  –  You are slave to someone else’s schedule. Sure you can aqua jog, provided the pool is open and its not (1) swim team training (2) water aerobics (3) lightening outside and there are not 500 people in the pool. A couple of weeks ago I saw 5 people attempting to swim laps in two lanes. Crazy.

Well, there it is. Hope everyone is having a great week.

You have no idea how much I appreciate the support and encouragement!

seechrisrun replied to your post: Injury Recovery – 2 Week Follow-Up Visit with MD

I know the frustration. I missed a few months with back/hip issues and had to give up my Boston entry. After it was all over, I had learned to appreciate running more and be a better and smarter runner. Keep your head up. It will get better.

catchthemontherun replied to your post: Injury Recovery – 2 Week Follow-Up Visit with MD

Man that sucks, didn’t realize you were hurt. It’ll come back quick, but I think its harder mentally when someone says “you can’t run for x days”

bostonmarathon2012 replied to your post: Injury Recovery – 2 Week Follow-Up Visit with MD

Damn!, I am sorry, getting hurt is one of my big fears. hope your recovery stays on track

lifewithkim replied to your post: Injury Recovery – 2 Week Follow-Up Visit with MD

I know this is so hard. Still praying for you.

runningmyownrace replied to your post: Injury Recovery – 2 Week Follow-Up Visit with MD

I’m sorry- I know it really stinks. I was out 5 weeks this spring but cross trained with biking, etc. and had to slowly ramp back up just adding a mile at a time. After I came back I noticed no difference in my paces or fitness. You can do it!

lagirlontherun replied to your post: Injury Recovery – 2 Week Follow-Up Visit with MD

you are still beast mode – just recovery beast mode! prayers of swift recovery to you.

Had my 2-week follow up visit with my MD today regarding the stress fracture. While the first visit was fairly positive, this one was a little different.

The injury is healing well, but now that it is showing up on a standard X-Ray, It looks like all races are probably out for the rest of the year. He said that we’ll make a final decision on the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon (November) at the next visit in three weeks.

No running at all for at least 3 more weeks, then 2 to 3 months to get back to where I was mileage wise.  On a positive note, I am now allowed to do weight training, walking, and elliptical. 

I know I haven’t posted much lately about my injury recovery, but honestly I’m having a hard time mentally dealing with it, and writing about it has not been easy.

However, I am still fighting like crazy to keep my fitness up as much as I can, even though I HATE the pool (I’ll probably have a nice long rant post about the pool sometime soon). Also, in the grand scheme of things this is NOTHING, and I continue to be extremely blessed!

Thanks to everyone for their continued support! Keep “Beast Mode” going out there, and good luck to everyone on your fall races.

inthewright replied to your photo: Enjoying a cup of the best coffee in Nashville…

What is your heart rate doing after 2 hours of aqua jogging?

I honestly have no idea. It is such a surreal feeling. Even though I was completely exhausted at the end, it’s hard to gauge heart rate since I’m not sweating and my core temperature doesn’t increase. I probably have about the same amount of fatigue right now (hours later) as after a long run on the road, but don’t have the “creaky” feeling in my legs like I’m used to. Just strange.

One thing I forgot in my post this morning was an experience while “aqua jogging” at the Green Hills YMCA yesterday afternoon. I had been going for about 40 minutes when this teenybopper lifeguard comes over to me and says….

“Sir…you’re more than welcome to keep doing whatever it is that you are doing, but I wanted to let you know that there will be a water aerobics class starting in this section in a few minutes. Feel free to join in with them if you like. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

At that moment I wanted jump-up and pull him into the pool. More fuel for the fire!