I am back again

Hello there. I am really bad at this blogging and running thing. I've gotten better at the running thing lately, and have decided to bring back the blog as well.

Since I last talked to you, I've moved, making for the third city that will be featured on this blog. I'm in Bozeman, MT ready to go back to school. The area is scenic and should make for some nice running. After a few small runs just down t

he road and back, I tried a longer one. Its a four-mile run. Here's map my run....now apparently with an elevation gain map!

Its not nearly as steep as it looks. Really.

Its actually a fairly flat run. The graph looks scary, but overall, its an elevation gain of about 70 feet over 2 miles. Not to bad. Also, there are mountains. I dont have any pics from the run itself, but this is more or less the view from my front yard. So, yah, mountains.

I have not run up these....yet

Overall, it was a nice run and was great to get back into the swing of things. Expect more updates, as I've decided to run the Bozeman Half Marathon is September. Nice to have a summer training goal. I hope to be better prepared then my last attempt at 13.1 Starting out at 4.2 miles is a good start to the training. Sure, there was some walking (which I am attributing mostly to a cough that I have yet to shake), but it was a good start.

Expect more updates....should be fun this summer!

Feels so good

No, no. This isn't an iPod it. (Chuck Mangione, anyone?) Hello to the four people on Facebook who are fans of "My Sweaty T-shirt" and are now wondering "what is this doing in my feed?" You probably forgot you became a fan of the site. Its ok. I almost forgot I had it. 

This is my running blog. And I've been running again. I recently took a new job that doesn't allow a lot of time or energy for runs, but when I get the chance, I try and take it. This morning was one of those times. Since I don't like to really ease my way into it, I decided to go three miles and throw in one good hill in my return to the streets. I've done this route twice, the first time after a few month layoff.  To the map!

Unlike my runs in Salem, this run features a pretty long straight away, not allowing me to give much detail. So, lets zoom in on the loop portion of this so I can highlight the...well, highlight of the run.

Yeah, boy!

Ah, a nice Hill. Given that Havre is located in "Hill County" there are bound to be a few around. Hospital Hill is where the Jaycee's club does its annual soap box derby races. Its a good hill. Its got a decent grade to it. It will definetly take your breath away. Added bonus, if it does more than that, there's a hospital at the top. Incentive!

It felt good to get back out there again. My legs have some work to do to get into shape, but so far, so good.

Hoping to update more. Good to be back writing here as well!

Thanks, Map My Run, for the failure

First off, I've downloaded this song because its in every Geico ad. I feel like you should watch the video. I'd work out to this.



So, I have been real lazy about...oh, everything lately. So, I decided that with the advent of good weather to break out the bike. I had a ten-mile route planned and was ready to go. Here's the route, thanks to our friends at Map my Run.



This route goes well until we get to about here.




This is when the bike ride gets interesting. This road is not paved. Its not even gravel. Its covered with rocks. I took this picture with my phone to illustrate the rocks. In the foreground is a mini-Krackel bar.




I was NOT riding on this. Did I mention it was down and up a hill? It was.

Now, you'll notice that Bryant Lane connects with the Hotze Road via Henderson Lane. In fact, it does not. It comes to the back of an elderly care center. If you think this is awkward, you basically summed up my opinion. I walked my bike far from any windows and once I got on the parking lot was able to ride out of there. Not sure if anyone saw me, but it was...um...weird.

Now, excuse me, I have to design a new 10 mile route.

Alan

Running...I've been doin' it

Since its been nearly a month since I posted here, I figure lets blog.

I have been running. When I last left off, our valiant hero (me) was running six miles. He was quite studly.

Flash forward to present day and I'm running NINE MILES and am somehow studlier. You didn't think it was possible, dear reader.

TO THE MAP!!




As you can see, its a nice long run in the country. What you don't see is that there is no place to pee. There are houses with people in them that would see since there are no trees to duck behind.

The other thing you don't see are the hills. I didn't think Salem had any. Apparently, that assertion was incorrect. At about mile three there's a short but fairly steep one. Also, from mile six to seven, its one long gradual incline. Wheee!

Anyway, doing this one in about an hour 50 minutes. Not bad. I feel good.

I am studlier...er.

Alan

Six mile run and the dangers of running during festivals

I'm stepping up my march to the Half Marathon, breaking out this six mile route. It comes complete with back road goodness and even some hills, something that I did not think existed in Illinois.

I looked up some back stretches prior to this one too, in an effort to loosen that up. My back had been nagging me for awhile, and it turns out there are some simple things you can do to get it ready to run. I used three primary...uh...positions, for lack of a better word.

1. The Plank

Lie on your stomach. Prop yourself up with your elbows and toes, straighten out your back so its like a blank. (Light as a feather...stiff as a board...haha) Hold the position for 10 seconds, relax, repeat until your back is able to carry heavy set children away from the donut machine about five times.

2. The Bridge

Lie on your back, with feet firmly on ground. Lift your ass in the air (buttocks, for those sophisticated readers I have) and make a straightline from shoulders to knee. Hold for five seconds, relax, repeat.

3. Wall slide

Stand up against wall, with feet 18 inches away from said wall. Slide down the wall until knees are at a 90 degree angle. Hold for a few seconds, then somehow slide back up the wall (I kind of just worked my way up, as wall wouldn't permit me to slide)

Those three worked really well, back trouble was minimal during he run, and it made a difference.

What else made a difference? The Little Egypt Festival, which quarantined off downtown. As I ran down U.S. 50/Main Street, I was feeling pretty good. Tired, but good. And then I came to the barricade.

Now, I could have gone through. I'm a pedestrian after all. But, seeing how I'd have to wait for the inane amount of traffic that occurred at this spot (I think the peoples were trying to get to Hardee's) I decided to run down Westgate to get to Whitaker, which I would take anyway, I'd just join it sooner than I thought.

Of course, this plan turned into epic fail because all the cars that couldn't get to Hardee's were coming my way now. So, on the corner of Westgate and Whitaker, I stood there, waiting to cross the street. I'm not a big fan of the game "Dodge the Traffic" as that game has a tendency to rely on other people having functioning brakes and the reflexes needed to use them. By the time I finally got to cross the street, my aches and pains caught up with me, my rhythm was all out of whack, and I grinded out the last mile to home.

Still made it, despite the quasi-taunts from a car of high schoolers, whom will all undoubtedly be obese in three years. That however, is a rant for another day.

The plan is to try this run again Monday morning, except without that annoying parade. Seriously people, hold festivals when I'm not training for a half marathon.

Running the backroads

In my first ever i-pod it I talked about how I don't actually listen to music when I run. I enjoy the sounds and sense of the run. I got to experience that today, thanks to a newly designed 4-mile run, fresh off the press from Map My Run.


(click to enlarge)

If you remember my previous run routes they're fairly compact and in the city. This deviates from that, and goes outside of town proper. Its a straight forward route, but it takes you away from the sounds of traffic, lawn mowers, and little kids.

When I got to S. Marion (the one near the golf course) it was bliss. Just crickets and birds. Even the cars that did pass were quiet. Something about the area. Since my training is now going to be 4 miles and up, I look forward to using this route more and more.

Many people who look at runners probably don't think to themselves that its a peaceful experience. For me, it can be. Its nice to get away from everything, focus on the road, and tune everything out. My facial expression probably isn't peaceful, but today's run, and especially the middle two miles, were the most at ease I've been in a few weeks. Its like mediation, only in motion.

A new I-pod it to come tomorrow or Monday,

Alan

I'm going to need hardcore motivation

Running in the rain...yeah, it sucks.