Pleasure Cruising

I started the year thinking I would do a bunch of blogging here about my run life, but as the year has progressed that desire has departed.  Recently I landed on pleasure cruising as my run mantra.  I also have returned to my mix of employing a 40 second rejuvenating walk segment after each mile.  It was a mistake to move away from the RWSs.  I started to lose some things when I did that.  Thankfully I recognized that and have brought them back.  Running is often an experiment of one - and for this one - this is the best mix for me at this point of my life journey.

Week Summary January 11 2016 - January 17 2016

January 11, 2016 - January 17, 2006

The week was solid.  I started the week with a couple days off from work.  I had a goal of getting in a day that inluded more than one outing.  I actually pulled off a double outing day on Tuesday.  It was a busy day that included getting my haircut, paying some bills, and going to the movies.  The weather this week was a bit more on the crispy side.  My strongest outing this past week was the day I did two of the Battlefield loops.  It turned out that my second loop was a new loop peronsal best.  I am hopeful that this coming week will be solid and that I can really get some traction in the momentum department coming into my March marathon.  Scott and I got our traditional bro run in on Sunday.

I almost failed to mention that I found a new mantra this week: #PleasureCruising

Jan 8 2016: 10 Miles

Got out super early this morning and grabbed 10 miles of running in Republic, MO.  I took an out-and-back route on farm roads.  It was super dark this morning when I was out there and therefore I kept that pace pretty gentle to avoid rolling my ankle in a pothole or whatnot.  Enjoyed listening to Game of Thrones on the way out and some Imagine Dragons on the way back.

Jan 7 2016: 5 miles

After two days off [whoops] I got out the door this morning for an enjoyable 5 miles in light rain.  Fun stuff.

Jan 4 2016: 5 Miles

Got out the door this morning and grabbed a 5 mile loop of a run in Republic, MO.  The weather was crispy and refreshing.  I listened to Game of Thrones throughout.  Was suprised to find some hardware in my mailbox when I got home.  Apparently I won a "BIG GUY" award at the Route 66 marathon last November.  In retrospect 2015 was a pretty solid year: (1) 3:38 in North Carolina, (2) 3:40ish in Kentucky, (3) Solid sub-4 marathon in New Hampshire, (4) Completion of another double weekend with that melt down in Maine, (5) Got the Dogwood 50K completion to redeem myself on that course, (6) Big Guy award in Tulsa, and lastly (7) 3rd overall at the You Don't Know Jack 50K.  Time to keep that momentum rolling and to build on it.

Jan 2 14 miles & Jan 3 10 miles

Saturday Jan 2 2016: Logged a solid 14 mile run in Republic, MO.  Enjoyed listening to Game of Thrones on the way out and some Linkin Park on the way back.

Sunday Jan 3 2016: 10 mile bro run with Scott and Bentley in Republic, MO.  Enjoyable outing with plans for a big breakfast after I get this in the log and take a shower.  Super excited about the Vikings game tonight!!!

Jan 1 2016: 6 Miles

Got the new year started off with an enjoyable 6 mile morning run in Republic, MO.  I enjoyed the crispy weather and hit the right layers.  It was fun to see Scott and Susan out there and get a little encouragement.  Looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow morning.

December 31 2015: 4 miles

Logged an enjoyable 4 miles this morning to close out 2015.  Reflecting, I am pleased with a new personal best regarding miles in one year by a total of 747 miles.  In 2010 I logged 2,484 miles.  This year I logged 3,231.  I am optimistic of going even bigger in 2016.  I don't intend to streak the entire year, but I do intend to minimize the zero mile days.

December 30 2015: 6 Miles

Came out of my little hybernation today and snagged 6 miles of running in Republic, MO.  Intending to post my runs here for 2016.  The goals for 2016 include big miles and minimal zero mile days.  Tomorrow is the last day for 2015 miles and I have plans in the morning to grab a couple miles with my wife.  This year's mileage is around 800 miles more than my biggest mileage year.

My Daily Run Streak Blog is Live!

I am posting regarding my daily run outings at the following link:
Daily Runner Rob

Kentucky Derby Marathon 2015 3h:42m:11s

Highlights Video

Runner's High

During the senior year of my high school track season I had a running experience that set the standard for me regarding running.  One evening following an intense interval workout I was feeling inspired to put my running shoes back on and snag some gentle solo miles.  I clipped my Walkman cassette player to my shorts and proceeded to run an out-and-back route from my home in New Hope, Minnesota to Clifton E. French Park in Plymouth, Minnesota.   During that run outing I envisioned myself listening to tunes in a recliner that was gliding through the air.  My fitness was such that it honestly felt like I was barely putting forth more effort than when I was at rest.  What an amazing sensation!

Whenever I attempted a comeback to running between 1992 and 2008 I quickly got discouraged by the memory of that amazing sensation and how it eluded me in relation to my poor fitness.

The last few weeks I have experienced this sensation during many of my run outings.  Without a doubt we are born to run and when we are appropriately fit - running is our home!

February 2015

I came into February with a goal of running a minimum of 10 miles a day.  I attempted to do something similar this past August via an endeavor to run a minimum of 8 miles a day.  In August I experienced a groin muscle strain on the 18th day and had to abandon the goal.  I am excited to report that I accomplished my goal for the month!  I came into the month with a slightly strained hamstring which is now mended.  I did encounter a minor groin pull on February 14th but via keeping my stride short it recovered.  I intend to keep the Double Digit Run Streak going until I head to North Carolina for the Tobacco Road Marathon.

Daily Run Streak Day 325
Double Digit Run Streak Day 31
February miles: 327
2015 miles: 582
Streak miles: 2,350.7

02/01/15: 10 miles
02/02/15: 10 miles
02/03/15: 10 miles
02/04/15: 10 miles
02/05/15: 10 miles
02/06/15: 10 miles
02/07/15: 10 miles
02/08/15: 20 miles with Scott
02/09/15: 10 miles
02/10/15: 10 miles
02/11/15: 10 miles
02/12/15: 13 miles
02/13/15: 10 miles
02/14/15: 12 miles
02/15/15: 10 miles with Scott
02/16/15: 21 miles
02/17/15: 10 miles
02/18/15: 12 miles
02/19/15: 10 miles
02/20/15: 12 miles
02/21/15: 10 miles
02/22/15: 15 miles
02/23/15: 10 miles
02/24/15: 10 miles
02/25/15: 10 miles
02/26/15: 20 miles
02/27/15: 10 miles
02/28/15: 12 miles

Week Worth Writing Home About

The week of February 16th 2015 through February 22nd was one I was super pleased with.

Monday February 16 2015: 21 miles

I had the day off on the 16th and it was a perfect day for a winter wonderland run adventure in Republic, MO.  The only thing that prevented me from keeping it rolling was the fact I did not bring any fuel or h2o with me.

Tuesday February 17 2015: 10 miles

Wednesday February 18 2015: 12 miles

Wednesday running featured challenging road conditions, - 3 D F weather, and a beautiful sunrise.

Thursday February 19 2015: 10 miles

Enjoyable outing with chipper legs.

Friday February 20 2015: 12 miles

Friday's run included an extention to one of my out-and-back routes and I was pleased with it.

Saturday February 21 2015: 10 miles

Sunday February 22 2015: 15 miles

I was pleased to conclude the week with a 15 mile outing.  I experienced some of my most enjoyable miles this week.  Most of my runs this week were out-and-back routes and I would often listen to the audio version of the book "Born to Run" on the way out and  I would listen to the new Imagine Dragons album "Smoke + Mirrors" on the way back.

I have recently been doing a Double Digit Streak within my Daily Running Streak and this week I have been thinking that I will try and keep this Double Digit Streak going longer than I had originally envisioned.

Daily Running Streak Day 319
Double Digit Streak Day 25
2015 Running Miles: 510

Tobacco Road marathon countdown: 21 days.

Week: 90 miles!

Momentum Recovered

I came into 2014 desperate to get back momentum in my running life.  In retrospect my running life started falling apart following my career change in August 2012.  My new job took two hours of daily free time away from me in comparison to my former career in social work [commute and mandatory lunch].  It is amazing how fast fitness can deteriorate.  I got a taste of this reality when I participated in the Dogwood 50k with Scott Griffith on October 21st, 2012.  My mile consumption for the few weeks prior was pitiful and I paid the price.  I was super proud of Scott getting his first 50k finish whereas I experienced my first 50k DNF [I am registered for the 2015 Dogwood 50k with plans of redeeming myself].

I did manage to complete the Memphis marathon in December 2012 but it was super rough.  I ran the first half with my wife and then battled through a few waves of fatigue to barely put a marathon completion and a marathon state in the log.

In March of 2013 I experienced another 50k DNF at the Chicago Lakefront 50k.  It was one of those events that I put on the schedule hoping that it would provide the motivation for me to get out the door on a regular basis.  I arrived at the event knowing that I would need to employ plenty of walking to get a completion.  An impending snowstorm took away the option of me walking it in when the run went out of the legs after twenty miles [we needed to get on the road before the storm destroyed the roads]  My bro Scott Griffith got his second 50k finish that day and I logged another discouraging DNF.

The remainder of 2013 included the ongoing battle to recover consistency.  Following a solid month of logging decent miles in July including a 38 mile long run on the Frisco Highline Trail I signed up for the nine hour and 11 minute Patriots Run and started dreaming of participating in another 100 mile event.  

On September 7th I successfully got registered for the 2014 Umstead 100 [an April 2014 event].  The Patriots Run, a few days after my registration, turned out to be another dud performance.  It was 93 Degrees and I quickly opted out of unnecessary suffering and merely logged a 15 mile training run.

I basically had seven months to train for the 2014 Umstead 100.  I would throw together a good week and then take a day off and before I knew it I had taken three days off and my progress seemed to reset.  I arrived at the Umstead 100 with great fear and trembling - knowing that my fitness was seriously lacking for such a huge endeavor.  Looking back it is actually impressive that I covered the 50 miles I did on that day.  That was my longest run since completing the Mother Road 100 on November 14, 2010.

Driving home from North Carolina I resolved that it was time to employ a daily running streak.  If I got myself out the door everyday it seemed likely I could recover the momentum that was absent from my running life over the last couple of years.   I started the daily running streak officially on April 10th, 2014.

Today, February 15th, 2015, my daily running streak is still alive at 312 consecutive days.  And I am happy to confess that I have recovered my running momentum.  During the streak I completed a double marathon weekend and I did it with solid evidence of fitness [October 11th, 2014 - Hartford, CT: 3h:51m:10s and October 12th, 2014 - Newport, RI: 4h:10m:04s].

I am coming into Spring marathons chomping at the bit to be let loose on my scheduled marathons: (1) Tobacco Road in Raleigh, NC on March 15th, and (2) Kentucky Derby in Louisville, KY on April 25th.