I stand corrected...

Well, I was just planning on taking it easy today....maybe mow the yard, do some shopping with the family, and pretty much lay low. But, my lovely bride decided to get outside and go for a 3.6 mile walk this morning....and I could definitely tell by my mood that if I didn't get out and do something too I would be miserable. With all the junk I ate yesterday I was a little hesitant to go for a run, but it was so nice this morning that I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I had a GREAT 4 mile run...it felt awesome. I feel much better now. It's amazing how much a good run impacts your mood....(ask my wife).

Eat, Drink, and be Merry

It's so much more fun to celebrate your birthday when you've worked hard to be able to enjoy some good food and drinks! Today I turn 30 years old....I have to admit, a few years ago if someone would have told me that I would be able to run a half marathon I would have laughed...a lot. I'm probably in the best shape of my life right now. While it is certainly painful to say goodbye to my 20's, I'm happy to say hello to my 30's about 75lbs lighter than I was on my birthday last year. But, I learned a very valuable lesson last week. 75lbs ago I could consume a lot more tasty beverages than I can consume now. I was also consuming more beverages on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, I still love to consume....but, I need to be more careful. Plus, I definitely noticed the effects of consuming beverages all week long in the gym.

I had a pretty decent week of working out:

Monday: 5.5 miles, abs
Tuesday: 6.42 miles, chest
Wednesday: 7.x miles, abs
Thursday: 30 min elliptical, 5 min stairmaster, back, lats
Friday: 10 mile run outside....tough run....need to bring water with me now that it's getting hot outside
Saturday: bday!! golf
Sunday: mow the yard :)

Last week:

Monday: 4.7 miles, chest
Tuesday: 5.x miles (I forgot...), abs
Wednesday: 6.5 miles, back, lats
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: 30 min elliptical, pushups, dips, bday celebration!
Saturday: Recover

EoW Report

11.5 miles yesterday! I was only planning on doing the 10 mile route that I had mapped out, but at about mile 7 I saw Traci heading my way down the road in our vehicle. At first I thought something was wrong, but then she told me that she was going to finish the run with me!! I was pumped! The only problem was that I had just reached the bottom of a very big hill....and Traci had to drop the kids off at her parents' house...which was up the hill. So, I turned around and went up the big friggin hill, which added about 1.5 miles to the run. But, it was worth it because I had a blast finishing the run with Traci - she did AWESOME!!! I am unbelievably proud of her!! Lookout Steamboat here she comes!!!

The new 10 mile route wasn't too bad. There was a lot of great scenery, but at times I had flashes of the movie Deliverance running through my head as a ran along the Mackinaw river out in the middle of nowhere. That was slightly scary, but I pressed on. The other bad part was that there is about a half mile of dirt/rock road on the route...which really hurt my right foot. I think I landed on a rock the wrong way and every step afterwards hurt...but, I pressed on again.

Overall, I had a pretty solid workout week. I finished the week with a stroll through the trails at Wild Life Prairie Park....after a tasty Mother's Day brunch.

Monday: 3.5 mile run, chest
Tuesday: 5.7 mile run, abs
Wednesday: 20 min elliptical, 10 min stairmaster, back & lats
Thursday: 6.5 mile run
Friday: light pushups, crunches, & dips (I need to start working my arms and shoulders more)
Saturday: 11.5 mile run
Sunday: Pushed a double stroller through the trails at Wild Life Prairie Park...

I need to work extra hard this coming week in order to prepare for all the bad stuff I will be consuming at my bday gig on Friday...

“In life as in dance: Grace glides on blistered feet” -Alice Abrams

When I was in the Army we used to do these things called road marches. These were not your typical frolicking along, singing cadences, strolling through the park marches. The longest one we did was around 20-25 miles...with a backpack weighing around 40-50lbs, a weapon in your arms, and combat boots...not hiking boots, not running shoes, not grandma's slippers....combat boots. They sucked. The backpack and weapon weren't too bad....the boots were painful. When we first started doing them in basic training I always wondered why we had to stop along the march and change our socks. No matter how long the march was, we had to get in the practice of changing our socks. Then, after returning from a march that wasn't too long, I realized the importance of good feet care. For as long as I live, I'm confident that I will never forget the image that I saw that day in our barracks. A buddy of mine walked past my rack (bed) and I just happened to glance down at the floor to see that he was leaving a trail as he walked....a trail of bloody footprints. Yep, each step he took left a bloody image of the bottoms of his feet on the linoleum floor of our barracks. His feet were in bad shape because he didn't take care of himself. I'll never forget it...and because of that, I'll never forget about the importance of taking care of your feet.

Unfortunately, I was blessed with really soft feet....so I get blisters very easily. In fact, the bottoms of my pinky toes typically go from blister to callus and back to blister. It makes long runs interesting, but I'm learning to deal with it.

Socks, shoes, ointments are critical.

My favorite socks so far are the Nike Zoom Tab Non-Cushioned Low Cut (http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?country=US&lang_locale=en_US&l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-207376#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-179715/pgid-179714)

I'm sure I can find something better, but these are what I'm currently using for long runs. I wear a pair of Addidas coolmax socks for short runs.

My current shoes are New Balance 1063. I also have a pair of specially made orthotics that I wear due to flat feet, a previously broken 5th metatarsal, and a few other fun issues. I love New Balance running shoes...I wear a size 13 extra wide and it seems that NB has the most options in my size. They also seem to last a long time.



Here's a glimpse at my current strategy for keeping my feet in decent shape:

Before Run: I will usually cover my pinky toes and any callused area in Aquaphor. If I have a really painful blister I will also wrap the toe in Moleskin. I'll finish up by rolling a drying agent over the bottoms and tops of my feet. The drying agent helps keep my feet from getting too wet, which can lead to additional blisters or continued irritation of the existing blisters. It's also helps my feet stay smelling so fresh and so clean...clean.

After Run: After I shower I rub Urea Cream on my damaged toes followed by more drying agent. I will usually do this once more before bed.

The Urea Cream and drying agent are prescription only. The Aquaphor and Moleskin can be found in lots of places. I've also substituted Vaseline for the Aquaphor.



So there's my remedy...what do you do?

Next weekend's route!

Drink Water!

9 miles today....I felt dehydrated for most of the run. I have got to start drinking more water (and probably less beer). When I was in the Army 'drink water!' was often shouted when it was time for a quick break. I need to remember the friendly advice of my drill sergeants and start drinking more water.

Overall this week was a pretty solid 'get back at it' week.

Monday - 3.5 miles, chest, abs
Tuesday - 5.41 miles
Wednesday - 20 min elptical, lats & back
Thursday - 6.50 miles
Friday - REST
Saturday - 9 miles
Sunday - ?? (probably rest, combined with some random pushups and situps...)