One month nearly done...

So running has been going a lot better than blogging.  I have maintained a good pace over the last few weeks and currently stand at 76 total miles for the month, with 2 days left.  I'll probably end up totaling 82 miles, which is just under the pace I need to keep for 1,000.  Nothing else exciting to report.  This blog is terrible...

Back from Syracuse...

So another decent week of running is in the books.  I logged another 19 miles last week (Mon: 4, Tu: 2, Wed: 4; Thu: 2, Fri: 3, Sun: 4) and I'm feeling confident about my goal.  My legs are still the weak link, but not nearly as bad as the previous week.  It must be due to consistently running 4 miles or less.  Perhaps the 5-mile mark is some sore leg threshold that will just plague me if I choose to run that far.  Oh well....

I was unable to run outdoors this week, which usually allows me to go for a longer distance.  We traveled to Syracuse this weekend to visit the Zook family and the weather was not optimal for running outside.  The temperature at 8 a.m. on Sunday was -2...and that's with no wind chill!  So I went to a local Gold's Gym and ran on the treadmill.  Of course as my brother-in-law Greg was driving me to the gym we saw a pack of people running outside, to which he proceeded to challenge my manhood.  I'll be the first to admit it, I'm a wimp.  In my opinion, running in such cold temperatures is stupid and I hope those idiots we saw all got frostbitten (?).  Not really...

Nonetheless, it was a good week running despite the traveling, so I rewarded myself with some processed meat links smothered in mustard, onions, and relish.  I usually don't indulge in hot dogs unless I go to a baseball game (I know, kinda corny), but we went to a place that had previously been featured on Man v. Food (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1Qm8wqW36Y).  Which means I proceeded to ingest all of the calories I had burned running during the week.  They also had Saranac on tap...

Until next week...

Eating a Mixed Double (1 Frank and 1 Coney in one roll) at Heid's in Liverpool, NY.

So far, so good...

So the first week of my quest to run 1,000 miles in 2012 is over...this is going to be tough.  I think I did fairly well this week running a total of 19 miles (5.2 Mon, 1 Tu, 3 Wed, 3 Fri, 6.8 Sat), but it was a struggle.  The real issue thus far has been my leg strength.  I'm thinking that my legs will adapt to the longer distances within the next couple of weeks, and that I  won't be so freaking sore afterwards.  I've been trying to stretch on a consistent basis, but it's usually the last thing you want to do after running, especially in the morning.  Unfortunately, I do think I'm going to have to just deal with my ankles being extremely stiff every morning.  After repeated ankles sprains over the years playing basketball and soccer, I don't think there's any major therapy or modifications I can do to mitigate the ankle soreness.  I don't think wrapping them will do any good since I'm just running straight forward.  I do need to do a better job of icing both ankles down after long runs, but that takes time and I'm impatient (see above about stretching). 

I have not yet established a set structure for running each week, and really just want to let my body tell me what I can do.  I did not anticipate running as far as I did this past Saturday, but I felt good after 5 miles and decided to push it a little longer thanks to a timely change on the iPod to Europe's Final Countdown.  I did cramp up, so perhaps I wasn't quite ready to take it that much further.  I'm aiming to do 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, rest, 4 this week.  I'm not going to have the time for a really long run this week, so a more consistent schedule seems to be the solution.  I hope that not having but one rest day doesn't create any issues. 

I've been disappointed with my TV options running in the morning on my treadmill.  I used to like the CNN early morning show, but they have revamped it with longer features and commentary.  I want the quick hitting headlines as I start the day, which the previous version of the show had (they also told you what the "national day" was, which was usually entertaining/baffling), not some talking heads going back and forth about the usual political nonsense the media love to focus on during every other minute of the day.  And Sportcenter is just unwatchable after the first 5 minutes.  Oh well...

Until next week..."may the wings of liberty never lose a feather" -- Jack Burton 

    

Not a bad start...



Such a scenic view this morning.

My main resolution for 2012 is to run 1,000 total miles (treadmill, trail, road, etc.).  I've been running rather steadily for the last year and a half and have really enjoyed the progress I have made, but have been unable thus far to get sufficiently motivated to attempt/train for anything greater than a 10k. So I thought that creating a year-long mileage goal could perhaps provide the motivation to attempt a half marathon at some point this year.  The thinking is that in order to achieve the overall 1,000 mile goal, I'll be forced to consistently run about 20 miles each week, which would likely be sufficient training to attempt the half.  But, if I decide to not attempt the half marathon, I would still be working toward accomplishing the 1,000 mile goal.  
This blog, which I'm aiming to update at least once a week, will serve two purposes: 1) It will allow me to share my experiences as I attempt this challenge, and 2) will ultimately hold me accountable for the goal I have set.  I hope that those of you who follow this blog will find enjoyment with my experiences, but also push me when I inevitably slack off.

So today began the quest.  It started off fairly well with two laps around Centennial Lake in Columbia, MD, which equates to 5.2 miles.  I had not run more than 3 miles since October, so I'm extremely happy with the relative ease it took to run this morning.  I did need a little boost after the first lap, but Europe's Final Countdown provided the appropriate motivation.  Legs were a little sore afterwards, but my wind was great considering the cold.  I wanted to make a good statement with the first run just to boost my confidence for the overall goal and this did the job.

I plan to run a few miles tomorrow morning on the treadmill, which the majority of my running will consist of.  I just haven't found the drive to run outside at 5 a.m. I will likely check back in this Sunday with a recap of the rest of the week.  Talk to you then.