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!

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

I do not recommend limping 3 miles

I went out for a run on Sunday, and it could be called a miserable experience for several reasons.

1) Wind. Running in the cold sucks. Running in the cold with wind? More so. Running into said win? There is no adjective to describe the suckiness of that.

2) I got the hiccups at one point. Yeah, running when your diaphragm decides to suddenly involuntarily contracts (thank eMedicine!) is a blast. Really helps getting into a rhythm.

On top of that, my foot was bothering me. It had been doing this at the end of my runs as of late, and I thought it was just fatigue from repeatedly putting a lot of pressure on my foot over a two hour period. Running can be a strenuous thing and these things are almost expected.

However, this time...the pain started at mile 2.5. I tried to gut it out, but nope. I decided that it simply was not going to happen today, I may have decided this a bit late. Decide for yourself, using this handy map.




I don't know how long it took me to get home. A while is a good way to put it.

I went to the doctor today. X-rays negative. Hooray! Maybe its tendonitis. Boo! Let's see what the interwebs have to say about tendonitis.

Walking or running up hill, i.e. golf courses or marathon running can be the catalyst for tendonitis in the foot.

Treatment: Cease all sporting activities and try and stay off your feet as much as possible.

I have physical therapy on Wednesday. We'll see what happens. I hope I can run the half marathon in two weeks...but we'll see.

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

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

Follow up 1-miler

Overcast day today in Salem, but I managed to drag myself out of bed early (for me) and get in a one mile run.



Just a loop and an easy one at that. Not much in the way of hills in this town. Despite my soreness, I felt pretty good and maintained my pace of before. It was good enough to get me a little sweaty, which is a good feeling in the morning.

Time to hydrate, shower and head to work.

The first run

Sundays, I work morning at a radio station. This entails waking up at 4 am. However, I also get to go home at 12:30. Sometime between there I decided to go for a run today. The sun was out and it was a good temperature, around 60 out. Light breeze made it pretty comfortable outside.

After work, I came home and I wanted to go then. Stretching, while necessary, is something I don't look forward too. Prep is something I just don't enjoy. I'd rather have my pasta now. None of this boiling noodles stuff.

I stretched anyway, even downed some glasses of water, and stepped off.

Here's the route:



As a former cross-country runner, I don't like linear paths. This route isn't the most efficient, but it was tweaked to get to the 2-mile mark. I didn't really know what to expect in the run. I figured my calves would bitch at me during it (they always do) and I would not have been surprised if I walked for a bit.

Then I got to mile 1. Halfway done with it. I hadn't walked. I wasn't going fast either, but no walking. I told myself I was halfway through. I didn't care if my legs were tired. I was going to finish this thing off.

The last mile was not pretty. I'd classify it as a struggle. But, I did not walk. I did have to stop at an intersection because of a van, but I got right back to running right afterwards.

Finally, 20 minutes after I left my house, I stepped back onto the porch. 10-minute miles aren't anything to be proud of, but considering my lack of inactivity in recent times, I was pleased. It’s a start, and a good one.

We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I'm thinking a walk might be in order to loosen up the legs without pushing them to hard.

Until then,

Alan

Map My Run

One of the things that got me excited to go running again was a website. Map My Run

Map My Run allows you to...well, uh...map your run. It uses Google Maps and allows you to plot your course, gives you a distance on your course, and gives you a whole host of options. I'm planning on a run when I get of work here and I'll give you a closer look at how the site works.

In the meantime...check it out and enjoy plotting your courses!