12 miles. I just like to say it out loud, or see it on a the page. That's what I ran on Saturday. Afterwards, I felt great. I still feel great.
In my last post, I mentioned my goal to run 20 mile weeks continuously. This past week I ran 24.34 miles and burned a total of 4224 calories. That's almost a whole Big Mac!
Seriously, I feel like an athlete again. Today I ran a 5k after work to get some miles in and set a personal best of 29'49". I try to use the shorter runs to improve on speed while my long runs test endurance and muscle stamina. I usually slow down a bit when completing a long run so I know I have enough in the tank to finish.
My beloved music professor from college once told me, "don't let all the horses out of the barn at the beginning of a piece of music". The same holds true for a long run. Start slow and you will finish strong. Start to fast, and you'll be struggling at the end.
This weekend is the Rodes City Run, a 10k through downtown. I'm looking forward to completing another race and working closer towards my goal.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Anthem 5k and the 20 mile week
I ran in my first competitive race last Saturday, the Anthem 5k. I had a fever, cough, and was suffering from a diverticulitis attack, but I ran. Every step felt like a knife in my gut and I had no energy. Despite the physical setbacks I finished the race in 38'15", much slower than my usual 5k time. I ran though, and finished, and that makes all the difference.
I'm amping up my weekly miles in preparation for the mini-marathon. For further motivation, I've challenged my sister to a run off on nike.com. Using our Ipod sensors, we can track the miles we run on the Nike website leading up to the mini. So far its a tight race. As of this evening I have 41 miles and Kim has 37. But my sister is a bit crazy, and can reel off miles quickly if properly motivated. Loser has to treat the winner to a massage after the race.
So my goal is to run a minimum of 20 miles per week. Some weeks I may approach 30 depending on my long run. For the first time in a long time I feel like an athlete. I'm getting leaner and feel stronger during my runs. In fact, when shopping last Sunday I purchased a size L T-shirt for the first time in many years. Robin said I look like I did in college which was a huge confidence booster.
I find my thoughts dwelling towards my father more and more. This entire ordeal has connected me with him past the Alzheimer's disease. Today, I wore my father's old silver cross while I ran. He was a man of profound faith, despite having suffered some terrible tragedies during his life.
When I came inside, Anja asked why I was wearing the cross.
"Because it was my father's"
"But why do want to wear it?" she pried again.
Robin interjected, "Because it makes daddy feel closer to his father, just like when you wear daddy's t-shirts to bed".
The little things bring us closer. The smell of a shirt, or the knowledge that this silver ornament once danced on my father's chest. Some people feel morbid wearing the clothes or personal effects of someone that is ill or already dead. I don't. It's comforting and feels familiar. Like a warm blanket.
The cross may be my new superstition, and being an Italian we LOVE superstition. It serves as a reminder of the man that inspired all of this.
After all, this is the run for Dad.
I'm amping up my weekly miles in preparation for the mini-marathon. For further motivation, I've challenged my sister to a run off on nike.com. Using our Ipod sensors, we can track the miles we run on the Nike website leading up to the mini. So far its a tight race. As of this evening I have 41 miles and Kim has 37. But my sister is a bit crazy, and can reel off miles quickly if properly motivated. Loser has to treat the winner to a massage after the race.
So my goal is to run a minimum of 20 miles per week. Some weeks I may approach 30 depending on my long run. For the first time in a long time I feel like an athlete. I'm getting leaner and feel stronger during my runs. In fact, when shopping last Sunday I purchased a size L T-shirt for the first time in many years. Robin said I look like I did in college which was a huge confidence booster.
I find my thoughts dwelling towards my father more and more. This entire ordeal has connected me with him past the Alzheimer's disease. Today, I wore my father's old silver cross while I ran. He was a man of profound faith, despite having suffered some terrible tragedies during his life.
When I came inside, Anja asked why I was wearing the cross.
"Because it was my father's"
"But why do want to wear it?" she pried again.
Robin interjected, "Because it makes daddy feel closer to his father, just like when you wear daddy's t-shirts to bed".
The little things bring us closer. The smell of a shirt, or the knowledge that this silver ornament once danced on my father's chest. Some people feel morbid wearing the clothes or personal effects of someone that is ill or already dead. I don't. It's comforting and feels familiar. Like a warm blanket.
The cross may be my new superstition, and being an Italian we LOVE superstition. It serves as a reminder of the man that inspired all of this.
After all, this is the run for Dad.
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