From a running and working out perspective, this week has been terrible for me. I've had a very busy week at work, which required me to go in early on three different days. I've also been dealing with the great basement flood of 2007 from last Sunday. I'm also on 2nd shift (my final week, hooray) which always makes trying to train interesting. The end result of all this is that I haven't run a single mile or made it to the gym all week. The weekend doesn't look much better as I will probably spend the majority of my time ripping up ruined carpet and digging up pipes in the backyard.
I have already decided that next week I will get a fresh start. I am back on 1st shift (for a two-month period), and things in general should be calmed down significantly. I am getting back to running, back to working out, and back to eating well. I am committed to getting the ball rolling. I am going to try and accomplish some type of workout this weekend, but I'm not sure how that will go with all that I have happening.
I definitely need to get back to a solid regimen again. Marathon training will begin for me in July, and when that time gets here, I want to be in good condition so that I'm not struggling through the early weeks of the training.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The "Spark"
Over the course of the last few days, I have come to a realization about myself and my feelings toward other people. It isn't a particularly revolutionary or life-changing realization; it's just interesting. I now realize that I am drawn to people that have what I refer to as "the spark".
It's somewhat difficult to explain the spark sufficiently, but I will do my best. The spark can manifest itself in different ways in different people. Sometimes it's that very strong internal drive people have to succeed and excel. Sometimes it's a person's innate intelligence and sharp wit. Other times it's vigor, the strength of a person's character, or even what some others might refer to as "having an attitude". There are probably dozens of further examples, but hopefully by now you essentially understand what I'm trying to capture.
When I first started at my current company, coworkers of mine would often say to me, "stay away from _____, they're miserable," or "you don't want to have to deal with _____, they're a real pain." I took the warning under advisement, but decided that I wanted to give the people a chance and make my own call as to what they're really all about." Many of the people that I was warned about now report to me, and as it turns out, most of them are among the people that I regard very highly and always look to as my "go-to" people. I have a developed a very good working relationship with two of these people, and find that they are the two people that I most enjoy working with out of the 41 people in my department. The other day I was pondering all of this and it dawned on me: they have the spark! That is why I feel so strongly about them. I started to think about all of the other people throughout my life that I have had similar feelings about and I recognized that the spark really does seem to be the common thread. When I see that spark in people, I am just really drawn to that quality in them and I can relate to those people more easily.
Like I mentioned earlier, this realization is nothing earth-shattering, but it always feels good to learn something new about yourself and make that sort of connection. It really helps to bring things together and provide you a basis for understanding other aspects of your personality down the road.
It's somewhat difficult to explain the spark sufficiently, but I will do my best. The spark can manifest itself in different ways in different people. Sometimes it's that very strong internal drive people have to succeed and excel. Sometimes it's a person's innate intelligence and sharp wit. Other times it's vigor, the strength of a person's character, or even what some others might refer to as "having an attitude". There are probably dozens of further examples, but hopefully by now you essentially understand what I'm trying to capture.
When I first started at my current company, coworkers of mine would often say to me, "stay away from _____, they're miserable," or "you don't want to have to deal with _____, they're a real pain." I took the warning under advisement, but decided that I wanted to give the people a chance and make my own call as to what they're really all about." Many of the people that I was warned about now report to me, and as it turns out, most of them are among the people that I regard very highly and always look to as my "go-to" people. I have a developed a very good working relationship with two of these people, and find that they are the two people that I most enjoy working with out of the 41 people in my department. The other day I was pondering all of this and it dawned on me: they have the spark! That is why I feel so strongly about them. I started to think about all of the other people throughout my life that I have had similar feelings about and I recognized that the spark really does seem to be the common thread. When I see that spark in people, I am just really drawn to that quality in them and I can relate to those people more easily.
Like I mentioned earlier, this realization is nothing earth-shattering, but it always feels good to learn something new about yourself and make that sort of connection. It really helps to bring things together and provide you a basis for understanding other aspects of your personality down the road.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Flooded Out
My wife was walking down the stairs into the basement this morning to put in a load of wash when I heard her exclaim, "Oh my God, there's water in the basement." My first thought was that a pipe had leaked or something relatively minor. That was until I went down the stairs and looked for myself. I don't remember exactly what I said at the time, but I'm pretty sure that it's not suitable for publication.
The sump pump in our basement had failed, and all the many dozens of gallons of water that would normally get pumped into the storm drain outside had come cascading through our basement. Half of our basement is finished into a family room and the other half is unfinished. Our washer and dryer are on the unfinished side and we also use it for storage. The finished side is carpeted and contains quite a few electronic devices including a big-screen TV. There were spots on the unfinished side that contained close to three inches of water. The finished side wasn't quite as bad, but the carpet kind of made it difficult to really tell. All in all, the basement was a sopping and soggy mess.
We called a plumber and fortunately they were able to get there within an hour and install a new sump pump because the water was still rising in the basement. We had a bunch of snow last week that recently melted, and it rained pretty much all day Friday and Saturday. Our water table is high in this area anyway, so the sump pump is pretty much all that keeps the rising groundwater at bay. After we got the new sump pump running, the standing water quickly receded. Then the real fun began. We spent most of the day using a wet/dry vac to soak as much water as we could out of the basement. The carpet down there is still soaked, and I fear that we will need to pull it up and discard it to prevent mold and mildew from forming. I have both of our dehumidifiers running full bore, and have two fans going in an effort to keep air circulating down there. I just hope that it's not a futile effort. We won't know the full extent of the damage for several days until we dry out all of the boxes that got wet and try out all of the electronic devices. The worst part is that I don't think our home owner's insurance will cover it. IMO, insurance is the biggest ripoff that there is in this country. You pay in and pay in and pay in some more for years never making a claim. Then, something bad happens and you need their help. Oh well, sorry, your policy doesn't cover that. You should have paid the additional X dollars per year for the optional coverage. Too bad.
At any rate, after several hours of bailing out the basement, I really needed some stress relief. It was beautiful outside today so I went for a quick 4-miler. It helped somewhat, but I was still really uptight when I got home. Later on, we went to my parents' house for dinner (they came over right away today and were right there beside us helping to clean up). I barely said a word at dinner as I was still trying to process all that had happened earlier and what still lay ahead. After dinner, I went upstairs alone with my iPod and just sat in my old bedroom listening to music for an hour or so. The alone time was really helpful as I was able to sort out my thoughts and feelings. I came to realize that the basement situation could have been much worse. Our furnace wasn't damaged, and the flooding didn't cause any electrical problems that could have led to a fire. No one was hurt, and our situation isn't 1/10000000th as bad as all of those poor folks in Louisiana and Mississippi that got flooded out the other year by Katrina. As always, my Mom and Dad were there for us when we needed them and did absolutely everything that they could to help out. There aren't two better parents or people in this world; of that I am certain. The whole situation somehow brought Lisa and I a little closer together as adversity often does.
Tomorrow, we continue the battle of cleaning up and drying out as well as dealing with the insurance company. Whatever happens, I am going to keep in mind that it could have been much worse and remain thankful for all that is right and good in my life.
Some pictures of the "Great Basement Flood".
The sump pump in our basement had failed, and all the many dozens of gallons of water that would normally get pumped into the storm drain outside had come cascading through our basement. Half of our basement is finished into a family room and the other half is unfinished. Our washer and dryer are on the unfinished side and we also use it for storage. The finished side is carpeted and contains quite a few electronic devices including a big-screen TV. There were spots on the unfinished side that contained close to three inches of water. The finished side wasn't quite as bad, but the carpet kind of made it difficult to really tell. All in all, the basement was a sopping and soggy mess.
We called a plumber and fortunately they were able to get there within an hour and install a new sump pump because the water was still rising in the basement. We had a bunch of snow last week that recently melted, and it rained pretty much all day Friday and Saturday. Our water table is high in this area anyway, so the sump pump is pretty much all that keeps the rising groundwater at bay. After we got the new sump pump running, the standing water quickly receded. Then the real fun began. We spent most of the day using a wet/dry vac to soak as much water as we could out of the basement. The carpet down there is still soaked, and I fear that we will need to pull it up and discard it to prevent mold and mildew from forming. I have both of our dehumidifiers running full bore, and have two fans going in an effort to keep air circulating down there. I just hope that it's not a futile effort. We won't know the full extent of the damage for several days until we dry out all of the boxes that got wet and try out all of the electronic devices. The worst part is that I don't think our home owner's insurance will cover it. IMO, insurance is the biggest ripoff that there is in this country. You pay in and pay in and pay in some more for years never making a claim. Then, something bad happens and you need their help. Oh well, sorry, your policy doesn't cover that. You should have paid the additional X dollars per year for the optional coverage. Too bad.
At any rate, after several hours of bailing out the basement, I really needed some stress relief. It was beautiful outside today so I went for a quick 4-miler. It helped somewhat, but I was still really uptight when I got home. Later on, we went to my parents' house for dinner (they came over right away today and were right there beside us helping to clean up). I barely said a word at dinner as I was still trying to process all that had happened earlier and what still lay ahead. After dinner, I went upstairs alone with my iPod and just sat in my old bedroom listening to music for an hour or so. The alone time was really helpful as I was able to sort out my thoughts and feelings. I came to realize that the basement situation could have been much worse. Our furnace wasn't damaged, and the flooding didn't cause any electrical problems that could have led to a fire. No one was hurt, and our situation isn't 1/10000000th as bad as all of those poor folks in Louisiana and Mississippi that got flooded out the other year by Katrina. As always, my Mom and Dad were there for us when we needed them and did absolutely everything that they could to help out. There aren't two better parents or people in this world; of that I am certain. The whole situation somehow brought Lisa and I a little closer together as adversity often does.
Tomorrow, we continue the battle of cleaning up and drying out as well as dealing with the insurance company. Whatever happens, I am going to keep in mind that it could have been much worse and remain thankful for all that is right and good in my life.
Some pictures of the "Great Basement Flood".
Saturday, March 24, 2007
re: How to Find Races to Run
I received a comment on my last blog posting, and I'm going to use this post to respond. The comment read:
Alex said...
Hey Kevin, just stumbled on your blog through GOTD. I too am a runner and am relatively new to the area (I live in South Jersey). SO what I was wondering, is where are you running these races? Philly (im hoping) as I'd love to get in on some of them this season. I don't run full marathons, but have gotten myself up to running just about 1/2 marathon distances now and would love to find some 10k+ races to get in on.Thanks and great blog.
Very nice to "meet" you Alex. I will post some links to some race websites and provide some additional information that will hopefully be helpful to you.
http://www.runnersworld.com/channel/0,7119,s6-239-0-0-0,00.html?cm_re=HP-_-Homepage%20Channel-_-Races%20And%20Places&location=_*topnav*
The above link is to a race finder on Runner's World's website. You put in the city, state, and distance, and it finds races in your area. The link for Philly is:
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/racefinderresult/1,7149,s6-239-283-284-0-0-0,00.html
For marathons, the place to go is:
http://www.marathonguide.com/
Not only can you find marathons in any state in the U.S., in Canada, or overseas, but many people post their comments about how good or bad a race is on the website as well.
Some websites I use for races in my area:
http://lrrclub.org/localraces.htm
This is a calendar on the Lancaster Road Runners Club website that contains races in the Lancaster County, PA area, but there are links to the Berks/Reading area, York area, and Harrisburg area as well.
http://pretzelcitysports.com/
This site has races in the Quakertown and Pottstown areas close to Philly.
http://www.yorkroadraces.com/calendar.htm
This site mainly contains links to races in the York County area, but there are some Baltimore and Delaware races as well.
http://www.nvrun.com/calendar.html
This site is all about races in the Nittany Valley/Centre County area up in and around State College.
That about does it for the sites that I visit regularly. Alex, hopefully you will read this. Leave your email address in a comment and I will get back to you.
Alex said...
Hey Kevin, just stumbled on your blog through GOTD. I too am a runner and am relatively new to the area (I live in South Jersey). SO what I was wondering, is where are you running these races? Philly (im hoping) as I'd love to get in on some of them this season. I don't run full marathons, but have gotten myself up to running just about 1/2 marathon distances now and would love to find some 10k+ races to get in on.Thanks and great blog.
Very nice to "meet" you Alex. I will post some links to some race websites and provide some additional information that will hopefully be helpful to you.
http://www.runnersworld.com/channel/0,7119,s6-239-0-0-0,00.html?cm_re=HP-_-Homepage%20Channel-_-Races%20And%20Places&location=_*topnav*
The above link is to a race finder on Runner's World's website. You put in the city, state, and distance, and it finds races in your area. The link for Philly is:
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/racefinderresult/1,7149,s6-239-283-284-0-0-0,00.html
For marathons, the place to go is:
http://www.marathonguide.com/
Not only can you find marathons in any state in the U.S., in Canada, or overseas, but many people post their comments about how good or bad a race is on the website as well.
Some websites I use for races in my area:
http://lrrclub.org/localraces.htm
This is a calendar on the Lancaster Road Runners Club website that contains races in the Lancaster County, PA area, but there are links to the Berks/Reading area, York area, and Harrisburg area as well.
http://pretzelcitysports.com/
This site has races in the Quakertown and Pottstown areas close to Philly.
http://www.yorkroadraces.com/calendar.htm
This site mainly contains links to races in the York County area, but there are some Baltimore and Delaware races as well.
http://www.nvrun.com/calendar.html
This site is all about races in the Nittany Valley/Centre County area up in and around State College.
That about does it for the sites that I visit regularly. Alex, hopefully you will read this. Leave your email address in a comment and I will get back to you.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
No Race and Not Much of Anything Else
I ended up not running the Laurel Switchbacker 10K up in State College last weekend. First, the weather forecast wasn't all that favorable. Second - and more importantly - I had to go in to work on Saturday. We were running production, and we did some interviewing early in the morning so I had to be there. Between the interviewing and the production coverage, I ended up being there 10 hours. The extra money is cool, but I would rather not have spent my entire Saturday (9 am to 7 pm) at work. Oh well.
The weather here has been crazy. Last Wednesday, it was about 75 degrees outside. I went running in shorts and short sleeves and was HOT! When I stepped outside, I couldn't believe how warm it was. Unfortunately the warm weather was short-lived. By Thursday there wasn't much snow left around anywhere except where there had been huge piles earlier in the winter. Wouldn't you know that on Friday the temps dropped down into the 30s and we had about eight inches of snow. It's like deja vu all over again. What a change two days can bring. It is supposed to warm up into the 60s next week, so hopefully the snow will all disappear again. I have only been running and weight training sporadically. I know that once the weather improves a little I will be more motivated. That and when I get off of 2nd shift. Those hours just don't agree with my running and working out. I always feel like there is no opportunity for me to get to the gym or go for a run (even though in reality there is; I'm just not regimented enough in my time-management). That's just me I guess.
I plan to get back on the running and weight training horse again this coming week. I did go to the gym today and had a really good, hard workout. I don't feel that I have lost much strength. That's one thing that I've never had too much trouble maintaining is a base of strength.
There are two upcoming races on the horizon. At some point I need to decide which race I want to do as they're both on the same day. One is the Sauder Egg Run (8K), which is a local race. I used to run it frequently back in the day. It's generally a pretty nice race, and the weather tends to be pretty nice that day. It's on April 7th, which is the day before Easter. The other race is Tussey Teaser #2 - the Tussey to Whipple 11 miler. It encompasses legs 1, 2, and 3 of the Tussey Ultra course. It's held on April 7th as well.
I would really like to make the trip up to Happy Valley and run TT#2 as I have also been talking to a realtor up there about looking at some hunting land/cabins in the Centre County area. When I go up to do one of the Tussey Teaser races, I am going to meet up with him later in the day and drive out to look at some places. I want to have my own place in the mountains within the next few years. I need someplace to escape to on weekends. Preferably someplace where I can enjoy the outdoors and do some hiking, scouting, shooting and trail running. I want a place within an hour to an hour and a half of State College so that we can stay there on the nights before the football games that we attend. Sproul and Rothrock State Forests are in the area, and there are some very nice parcels of land available. There are also state game lands aplenty in the area for hunting. Lisa and I have talked about just buying the land now, and camping out on it until we decide to build a cabin on the land. That's a cool idea, but I asked her if she realizes that there are coyotes, bears, and even the occasional mountain lion roaming around up there. I don't know that I can see her being comfortable sleeping in a tent. I'm not sure that I am totally comfortable either, but I would be armed so that helps. It wouldn't be easy for a .40 S&W to take down a bear, but 10 Hydra-Shok hollow points at close range would probably do the job.
I really am looking forward to warmer weather. I need to kick my training into a higher gear and take off about 10 pounds before bikini season.....yea right! I'm ready for bikini season now LOL. No, I am serious about the 10 pounds, but not the bikini. If I was a triathlete, I would probably wear a Speedo, but that would be the only way you would ever see me in one of those. I have a friend who has done Ironman triathlons, and he doesn't even wear one of those to swim except when competing and training very seriously. Some things just aren't meant to be displayed prominently IMHO. I am excited for spring and summer. There have been some recent developments at work that might mean that I'll be done with shift work within the next few months. It would be nice to have consistent hours. If my start time is late enough, I might start running and working out in the mornings before work. We will see.
The weather here has been crazy. Last Wednesday, it was about 75 degrees outside. I went running in shorts and short sleeves and was HOT! When I stepped outside, I couldn't believe how warm it was. Unfortunately the warm weather was short-lived. By Thursday there wasn't much snow left around anywhere except where there had been huge piles earlier in the winter. Wouldn't you know that on Friday the temps dropped down into the 30s and we had about eight inches of snow. It's like deja vu all over again. What a change two days can bring. It is supposed to warm up into the 60s next week, so hopefully the snow will all disappear again. I have only been running and weight training sporadically. I know that once the weather improves a little I will be more motivated. That and when I get off of 2nd shift. Those hours just don't agree with my running and working out. I always feel like there is no opportunity for me to get to the gym or go for a run (even though in reality there is; I'm just not regimented enough in my time-management). That's just me I guess.
I plan to get back on the running and weight training horse again this coming week. I did go to the gym today and had a really good, hard workout. I don't feel that I have lost much strength. That's one thing that I've never had too much trouble maintaining is a base of strength.
There are two upcoming races on the horizon. At some point I need to decide which race I want to do as they're both on the same day. One is the Sauder Egg Run (8K), which is a local race. I used to run it frequently back in the day. It's generally a pretty nice race, and the weather tends to be pretty nice that day. It's on April 7th, which is the day before Easter. The other race is Tussey Teaser #2 - the Tussey to Whipple 11 miler. It encompasses legs 1, 2, and 3 of the Tussey Ultra course. It's held on April 7th as well.
I would really like to make the trip up to Happy Valley and run TT#2 as I have also been talking to a realtor up there about looking at some hunting land/cabins in the Centre County area. When I go up to do one of the Tussey Teaser races, I am going to meet up with him later in the day and drive out to look at some places. I want to have my own place in the mountains within the next few years. I need someplace to escape to on weekends. Preferably someplace where I can enjoy the outdoors and do some hiking, scouting, shooting and trail running. I want a place within an hour to an hour and a half of State College so that we can stay there on the nights before the football games that we attend. Sproul and Rothrock State Forests are in the area, and there are some very nice parcels of land available. There are also state game lands aplenty in the area for hunting. Lisa and I have talked about just buying the land now, and camping out on it until we decide to build a cabin on the land. That's a cool idea, but I asked her if she realizes that there are coyotes, bears, and even the occasional mountain lion roaming around up there. I don't know that I can see her being comfortable sleeping in a tent. I'm not sure that I am totally comfortable either, but I would be armed so that helps. It wouldn't be easy for a .40 S&W to take down a bear, but 10 Hydra-Shok hollow points at close range would probably do the job.
I really am looking forward to warmer weather. I need to kick my training into a higher gear and take off about 10 pounds before bikini season.....yea right! I'm ready for bikini season now LOL. No, I am serious about the 10 pounds, but not the bikini. If I was a triathlete, I would probably wear a Speedo, but that would be the only way you would ever see me in one of those. I have a friend who has done Ironman triathlons, and he doesn't even wear one of those to swim except when competing and training very seriously. Some things just aren't meant to be displayed prominently IMHO. I am excited for spring and summer. There have been some recent developments at work that might mean that I'll be done with shift work within the next few months. It would be nice to have consistent hours. If my start time is late enough, I might start running and working out in the mornings before work. We will see.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Headin' Indoors
As promised, March came in like a lion. After some really nice weather last week, it turned pretty nasty over the weekend with temps in the 20s and the windchill making it feel like it's 10 degrees outside. I need to run three miles today so I decided to stay after work tonight and put in three miles on the treadmill instead of running outside. I've done all of my runs outside the past couple of weeks so I don't feel too guilty about wimping out and staying inside tonight. I'll make sure to challenge myself with a good "hilly" run including a lot of steep inclines.
My planned trip up to Happy Valley this weekend may be in jeopardy as they're predicting snow and very cold temps for the end of the week. There is also a pretty good chance of rain on Saturday. I don't know that I want to drive two plus hours to run a 10K in cold and rainy conditions. I will keep an eye on the weather and the conditions outside and adjust my plans if necessary. The Sauder Egg Run (5 miles) is coming up in four weeks as is the Tussey to Whipple 11 Miler (Tussey Teaser #2). After that, there are plenty more races to come.
I had a really good workout at the gym yesterday before coming in to work. I can really tell that I'm getting stronger. My lifts are starting to jump up in leaps and bounds from week to week. My increasing endurance due to running is also allowing me to circuit train pretty intensely without ever being out of breath. The running and weight training definitely work well together. Improving the one aspect really seems to fuel improvement in the other.
I'm on 2nd shift this month, and that usually means a real struggle to get going and accomplish much in the way of running or working out before coming in to work. I was happy that I was able to get myself motivated to go to the gym yesterday before work. I am going to shoot for the same tomorrow. I won't have a lot of rest after running late tonight, but I should be fine.
My planned trip up to Happy Valley this weekend may be in jeopardy as they're predicting snow and very cold temps for the end of the week. There is also a pretty good chance of rain on Saturday. I don't know that I want to drive two plus hours to run a 10K in cold and rainy conditions. I will keep an eye on the weather and the conditions outside and adjust my plans if necessary. The Sauder Egg Run (5 miles) is coming up in four weeks as is the Tussey to Whipple 11 Miler (Tussey Teaser #2). After that, there are plenty more races to come.
I had a really good workout at the gym yesterday before coming in to work. I can really tell that I'm getting stronger. My lifts are starting to jump up in leaps and bounds from week to week. My increasing endurance due to running is also allowing me to circuit train pretty intensely without ever being out of breath. The running and weight training definitely work well together. Improving the one aspect really seems to fuel improvement in the other.
I'm on 2nd shift this month, and that usually means a real struggle to get going and accomplish much in the way of running or working out before coming in to work. I was happy that I was able to get myself motivated to go to the gym yesterday before work. I am going to shoot for the same tomorrow. I won't have a lot of rest after running late tonight, but I should be fine.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Super Saturday Seven-Miler
I was originally planning to go to the gym today and do my long run for the week tomorrow, but it was pretty nice outside today so I decided to flip-flop the two days. I ran seven miles; taking it pretty easy and just trying to keep my pace comfortable. I felt fairly good. I can still tell that I'm not accustomed to running long distances, but I am steadily getting back into distance-running shape.
Tomorrow I will go to the gym and hit the weights. After lifting, I will do some cardio; probably somewhere between 45-60 minutes depending on how I feel. Next week I taper for the 10K race on Saturday. Hopefully the weather next weekend is similar to the end of this week. Sunny and seasonable with only a slight breeze.
It won't be long before the race season kicks into high gear. The Sauder Egg Run (5-miler) is Easter Saturday April 7th. I haven't run that race in a few years as I'm usually either tapering for a marathon at that point or still recovering from one. This year I will probably run it and use it to gauge my fitness level. Once May arrives, there are a couple of races in the area every month. By that time, I should be in really good shape. It will be nice to be peaking right as the weather turns warmer and there are races to run. I'm not saying that I'll run too many, but I will definitely do a few. It should be a fun spring.
Tomorrow I will go to the gym and hit the weights. After lifting, I will do some cardio; probably somewhere between 45-60 minutes depending on how I feel. Next week I taper for the 10K race on Saturday. Hopefully the weather next weekend is similar to the end of this week. Sunny and seasonable with only a slight breeze.
It won't be long before the race season kicks into high gear. The Sauder Egg Run (5-miler) is Easter Saturday April 7th. I haven't run that race in a few years as I'm usually either tapering for a marathon at that point or still recovering from one. This year I will probably run it and use it to gauge my fitness level. Once May arrives, there are a couple of races in the area every month. By that time, I should be in really good shape. It will be nice to be peaking right as the weather turns warmer and there are races to run. I'm not saying that I'll run too many, but I will definitely do a few. It should be a fun spring.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Didn't Let Fatigue Get the Best of Me
I was so drained when I got home from work today. I didn't feel sleepy as much as just exhausted in general. Getting up at a little after 4:00am for work just doesn't agree with me as I'm not a morning person. I came home from work and was getting my running stuff together and preparing to change and go for a run when this wave of debilitating fatigue just swept over me. I just felt like I had to lay down for a bit. Of course, I fell asleep, and usually once that happens I am pretty much down for the night. This time however, I woke up after about a half an hour. A short time later, I was out the door and running a 4-miler. I wouldn't say that my nap completely refreshed me, but it gave me the boost I needed.
It was actually not bad outside today. The temperature was probably in the low 40s, and there was only a slight breeze. I didn't leave the house until close to 6:00pm so I wore my Illuminite windbreaker and hat so that I would be visible to any passing motorists. I had originally planned to only run three miles, but once I got out there and was warmed up, I decided to make it four miles instead. I felt a little more controlled on my run tonight than I did two nights ago, but I am noticing a lingering soreness/fatigue in the lower part of my calves. I know that this is just due to not running for so long, and will get better as my conditioning improves.
I will probably only run once more this week. It will probably be on Sunday as I'd like to give my legs a two-day break from running. I will go to the gym tomorrow and lift weights. I will probably do about 45 minutes of cardio as well. I am going to play Saturday by ear. I'm thinking that I will most likely go to the gym again, but it really depends on how much else is going on that day.
It was actually not bad outside today. The temperature was probably in the low 40s, and there was only a slight breeze. I didn't leave the house until close to 6:00pm so I wore my Illuminite windbreaker and hat so that I would be visible to any passing motorists. I had originally planned to only run three miles, but once I got out there and was warmed up, I decided to make it four miles instead. I felt a little more controlled on my run tonight than I did two nights ago, but I am noticing a lingering soreness/fatigue in the lower part of my calves. I know that this is just due to not running for so long, and will get better as my conditioning improves.
I will probably only run once more this week. It will probably be on Sunday as I'd like to give my legs a two-day break from running. I will go to the gym tomorrow and lift weights. I will probably do about 45 minutes of cardio as well. I am going to play Saturday by ear. I'm thinking that I will most likely go to the gym again, but it really depends on how much else is going on that day.
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