Wagons and such

Okay - so I ran my half-marathon* and totally neglected this blog afterward. For this, I apologize.

To update:

I am still running. In the interest of full-disclosure, I should mention that I am running less. What peaked at about 35 miles per week now hovers around 15. I know - I'm actually sort of embarrassed about it.

But I'm back on the wagon. I've got a new schedule and intend to run some 10Ks and then another half-marathon later this fall/winter. As for now, it's time to get on the road for a 105°F, 8:30pm four-miler.

*After Chang's, I ran the NYC Half Marathon in March. I had a good time but did not have a good time, if you know what I mean. No regrets, though!

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Improvement!

My Garmin reads 2:10:03 - I'm still waiting for the official chip time, but it appears I finished well ahead of my previous half-marathon pace. Good news!

One thing I learned about Chang's - it's CROWDED. I spent most of my pre-race time waiting in line to use the restroom and most of the race dodging people. I had a great time, though.

My splits look like this:

Mile 1 - 10:12
Mile 2 - 10:00
Mile 3 - 9:56
Mile 4 - 9:52
Mile 5 - 9:54
Mile 6 - 9:33
Mile 7 - 9:28
Mile 8 - 9:34
Mile 9 - 9:51
Mile 10 - 10:05
Mile 11 - 10:02
Mile 12 - 9:52
Mile 13 - 10:21 (not sure what happened here)
Last .1 - 9:09

I was happy that I ran a mostly steady, controlled race. I would have liked to keep myself in the 9's through mile 11, but I'm pleased with how I did.

UPDATE: Final chip time - 2:10:02.

Next up: NYC Half Marathon in March!

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I've got Muscle Fever

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), also sometimes called muscle fever, is the pain or discomfort often felt 24 to 72 hours after exercising and subsides generally within 2 to 3 days.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness

Earlier this week, I decided it might be a good idea to start lifting weights. I guess I figured wrong, because my muscles are killing me. I only did a few upper-body exercises, but the last two days have been torture - it even kept me from getting a run in tonight. I'll have to make it up tomorrow and push my long run (which, at six miles, isn't so long anymore) to Sunday.

I'm sure there's a place for weight training in this new active lifestyle. I just hope it doesn't hurt so much next time!

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I'm a bad blogger

I've neglected this blog way too much - no more! Some updates:

-Full marathon plans are kaput. A few weeks back, I set out on a 17 mile run and, after 14, each step felt like a little slice of death. Too much, too fast? I think so. My new plans include running the P.F. Chang's half and keeping my new, healthy habit afloat.

-I've lost 20-23 pounds (depending on the day) during my training. This is good news! Must keep it up.

-For Christmas, my wife gave me a Garmin GPS watch which, in one week, has completely changed my life. Not kidding. The ability to track my heart rate and pace was immediately useful.

That's about it. Fundraising for BBBSAZ is winding down - I'll keep this blog going to talk about all my future running endeavors.

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2:19:47

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Long-overdue update

"It never gets easier, you just get faster." - Greg Lemond

There's a bunch of variations of that quote and it's actually about cycling, but I think it holds true here.

The past few weeks have been a blur of running, running, and more running. Last Saturday, I plodded along for 12 miles. No small feat for someone like me. This week has been full of tough, short runs, and I thought that maybe I had hit a wall. Timed myself tonight and, nope, I'm just running faster than I used to. Not fast, mind you. Just faster.

At any rate, 13 miles this weekend - that's half marathon territory. Whodathunkit?

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A note about fundraising

Running news: I did nine miles this morning. It was hard.

But I really want to talk about fundraising and the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBSAZ) organization. So far, I've raised just shy of $600 - that means I'm approaching 50% of my total goal of $1300. Pretty good! I've got a couple months left to raise the rest and I don't expect that I'll have much difficulty. We'll soon be tailgating some home ASU games to trade beads for donations, among other things.

I mention all of this because it's easy to lose sight of why I'm running in the first place. I got involved with BBSAZ on a whim - I'd always wanted to volunteer and figured it would be a good fit. In the past six months, I've gotten to know the coolest kid. He's just an all-around good dude. I hope that, as our relationship grows, I can have a positive impact on him. That's what I signed up for.

I'm running so that BBBSAZ can help another rad kid find a mentor. Nine miles is tough, but it doesn't match the day in, day out of an entire organization working toward that goal.

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