Scroop & Freds Route

Did a nice little run with my father in law. He has a route that him and my brother in law use to run a few times a week. I loaded up "Map My Ride" (just used it as a run, it works both ways) on my iPhone and decided to map it. I have used my Nike Plus Sport Band for this run before but I did both this time.

We actually don't start in front of the house we walk a few blocks then run to the end of a culdesac and start from there. Check out the map below.

This is the Nike Plus info. I sprinted at the end and had a nice speed burst on the "log"

Lacin' up again.

Went running with my wife today, I gave her a small nudge and pushed her along, she did really well.  She stepped it up in the end and I was impressed.  

My running goal?  I need to shave two minutes off my 2 mile time, which is currently around 17:30.  In high school, I used to be able to run about 14-15:00 2 miles, although I ran 3 for XC.  I know, it's been a long time since high school, but I think I can do it.  I just have to commit.

I found an exact plan for shaving 2 minutes off on Military.com.

So, I'm going to work at doing that.  Now is the question of when to run?  I ran in the morning before, early before work, and I kinda liked that, but that was mostly because it got hot outside and I didn't want to do it in the evening.  We'll see.

Check out the plan:

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October 11, 2008

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Running Poem

Yeah, I know it doesn't rhyme.  I wrote this a while ago.

Running.

feet pounding.

heart beating.

lungs pumping.

oh, another runner.

head up.

fix stride.

straighten form.

wave hello.

pass.

lose form again.

drudge on.

Running.

My Shoes

DSCF2591
Originally uploaded by scrappapervlog

Hitting the pavement once again.

I went running yesterday, finally back out there.  Thought that I would take it kinda easy, nothing hard at all, but I still got a good workout out of it.

I just ran down to the water and back, a good 2 mile loop total.  Half way through though, that pain I had before, in my calves, came back, but only in my right calf muscle.  Weird huh?  

But I did stretch a good bit before I went out, so maybe I should have stretched that right one better!

Oh, but it felt good to run again.  I went mountain biking this past weekend and wore out my quads on the hills so I didn't know how I would feel running so soon.  I just need to get it out of my system and I'll be good.

Well, I thought I'd give you an update on my running so click the link below to see it in more detail, and you get out there too!  

[my run]

Just about ready.

I'm still recovering, probably longer than I should have, but I've been busy.

This past weekend my parents came into town and them myself and my wife all went cycling.  I think we did around 12 miles(?).  I'll have to check again.

We just took our time, riding from Old Town to lunch in Georgetown and taking little stops wherever we wanted.  

My legs were feeling totally fine the entire time though.  I know it's a different set of muscles but we'll see how I feel today or tomorrow.

I plan on lacing up the shoes again to see if I can get some more miles under my feet before things get busy again.

More friends and relatives are coming down this weekend so I'll have to get in those runs in and loaded soon.  

My wife is also out of town this week so running will keep me from getting too bored!  If I'm left to my own devices, I don't think I'll last very long.  I end up just eating chips watching TV or playing XBOX or something.

Hopefully, I'll stay motivated till I get off tonight so when I get home, I'll just stretch and be out the door.  Oh, after letting the dog do his thing first.

Rest time

I think I started things off a little too hard. 

My calves are killing me!  I'll have to tone it down a little bit.  Certainly need to stretch more!

So I think I'm going to take some time and recover properly, I just don't want to lose any progress I've made.  

It's probably better than I really slow down, you can't just go out and run long distances after not running for a long time!

The Rhythm

While running in the past, I have noticed something. I haven't gotten yet, but I remember what it was like years ago.

It's when I find my rhythm and I become a machine. Not the kind of machine that makes me able to run fast or long but things just click.

It's usually after at least 4 or 5 miles and it's when I'm feeling pretty tired. I'm just chugging along, feeling worn out and all of sudden it feels like I just float outside of myself and don't feel a thing.

It's like I become a train, my arms and legs just moving in perfect unison and I don't feel a thing. That's the machine.

Like I said before, I don't get really any faster, it just feels like I'm outside of myself and I am running in third person. Almost like a movie, and then my soundtrack is whatever I was just listening to on my iPod earlier.

I wonder if other people have this "machine" moment. I think everyone has a time when they are running that it all lines up and you just feel perfect.

For me, those times are rare. Not every run and certainly not at any specific time but I love it when it happens.

With me starting to run again, I'm looking for that moment, that rhythm. So far, my longest run has only been about 8 miles, and I didn't feel it then, though I thought I was going to die!

I might as well talk about my latest long run. So, I ran 8 miles. That's a big step for me because the last one I ran was 4 miles.

Both times had a few stops to walk and rest and stretch, but I'm sure I'll get into a non stop long run in no time.

Nike Free Video

The last video upload (post below) was not working for me, I'll add a new one here:


Nike Free from Mike Petrucci on Vimeo.

Nike Free

See the video at NikeFree.com

Nike Sport Band

When Nike made the iPod attachment that you plug into your Nano and it will keep track of your running stats (mileage, speed...) I thought that was awesome!  I wanted to get one so bad, I just didn't have a Nano, well my wife did, but I wanted her to use it, and I wasn't going to give her my 60GB!

Well, I never got around to getting the Nike + iPod attachment and I just started seeing the Nike Sport Band.

Gosh, that thing looks awesome!  It's got all the features I want and looks simple and comfortable.

Also, it is probably much easier for me to run with the Sport Band on rather than my current watch!  I have a Suunto Vector and as much as I love it, sometimes while running or biking it gets in the way.

Well, later today I am going to my local running store to see what they carry and wife and wallet willing, I'll be walking, no, running away with some new shoes and the Nike Sport Band.

I can't wait to be tracking runs online!

1st Blog Post

I hate the first post...

Anyway, here it goes.

I started running again.  Now that we moved, my wife has started running with our dog and that in turn has gotten me motivated to run again!  

I used to run in high school, cross country.  I think my fastest time during high school was 21 something and my fastest time in college (just for fun though) was 19:47.

But I've been mountain biking and running has taken a backseat.

I ran with my wife today, not sure of the mileage or time, just for fun, but man that got me thinking... I love running!  I need some new shoes though.

I've also never been one for Nike but I think I want their Nike Everyday+ shoes and the new Nike Sport Band.  I wanted the one for the iPod but this one will be better!

Well, that's good for now, I'm going to add some links and info so check back often for updates.  Thanks for stopping by!