April Numbers

So here is where things stand at this point.

January – 39.80 Miles 15:26 per mile
February – 24.32 Miles 13:06 per mile
March – 33.73 Miles 12:07 per mile
April – 37.98 Miles 11:54 per mile

As you can see, I am getting faster. These are average times. So there are times I am zipping along, and times I am kind of pokey. I am comfortable with the under 12 minute miles. My goal is to keep that up over a marathon. I think that will serve me best.

My May goal is to do over 40 miles and stay around the 11:50 a mile time.

Charlie

Ankle Pain

My right ankle has been stiff for a couple of days, but I thought I was good enough to go running today. Off I headed towards the lake. I ran 4.11 miles, and was in a lot of pain. I walked home. The ankle pain created leg pain.

I can hear some of you saying, "What were you thinking?" Well I thought the ankle stiffness would work itself out. I was wrong. Now I am limping.

I was glad to be out in 80 degree weather though. A FAB day in Chicago.

Tomorrow...I think I won't run.

:-)Charlie

Pushed Ahead

I woke up with really stiff ankles this morning. Still I headed out on a 3-mile run. Once I was running I felt ok. I did the 3 miles in 35:06:69. Decent time.

Counting down now to the Green Bay Half Marathon - 23 days! Woo Hoo!

:-)Charlie

Who is Ryan Hall?

I am sure most of you have never heard of Ryan Hall. Neither did I until February.

http://www.mensracing.com/athletes/interviews/2007/ryanhall020107.html

"Ryan Hall, 24, once again caught the attention of the athletic world by setting a new American record of 59:43 at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon on January14. "

His blazing speed in the half marathon led him to make last Sunday's Flora London Marathon his first. There was a lot of speculation about could he win his first time out. So how did he do?

Hall hung with the lead pack, and finished in 2:08:24. It is the best American debut marathon time, breaking the old record set by Alberto Salazar and Alan Culpepper (2:09:41). Hall was in the lead at the 21 mile mark. His inexperience in this distance is what did him in. I am willing to bet he will correct that and become a great American marathoner - Lord knows we could use one. Hall was in the top 10, always a good showing for an American.

So where have I been? Flu and a visit by Q kept me off the road last week. The flu kept me from running. Trying to get back into it this week. The Green Bay Half Marathon is less than a month away.

Charlie

Brooks Dyad 4

As I have mentioned Brooks set me up with a pair of running shoes. I wear the Brooks Dyad 4, and I have to say I love this shoe. I run really well in it. The shoe feels like it was made for my feet. Granted, it is a 2E, and I wear a 4E, but it is a wide 2E, and feels great.

It is a heavier shoe than I have worn, but that doesn't seem to be a problem with my running. In fact I feel I am running better than I have. So if you have a neutral foot strike, I really recommend this shoe.

:-)Charlie

Happy Easter

I hopped along the bunny trial this morning to Loyola, and did a couple laps around the track and back. Today was a 2.33 mile trek. My29:03 time was pokey, but it was ok. I was feeling very stiff this morning.

When I got home, I made some oatmeal with dried cherries mixed in. YUM!

Happy Easter everyone.

:-)Charlie

5 Miles...and More to Go

Today was a good 5-mile run on the treadmill. I really worked hard at this run. I used a series of hill programs to get me going today. I ran the 5 miles in 58:13. That's a good pace for me. I was pretty tired at the end, but felt good.

So far this has been a good running week. Ideally I would like another good run on Easter Sunday. Of course we are expecting snow tomorrow. Not sure what conditions will be like. We'll see.

:-)Charlie

Items for the Day

I have a new favorite breakfast – granola with soy milk. Soy milk are two words I never thought I would say, let alone like. But Silk has a Vanilla soy milk I like, and I use it with granola in the morning. It makes for a tasty, healthy breakfast. Add a banana to it, and that is one heck of a good time.

Last night I ran a good 3 miles on the treadmill. My time was 34:13. I was pleased with that. I was using a hill/random setting, and was putting out little effort. So overall it was a good workout for me. While I am not a fan of treadmill running, I do like using the hill settings, as it provides a challenging run for me, that I can’t get in Chicago – no hills.

I am still looking at marathon training programs. They all cost close to $200 which seems like a lot to me these days, but at the same time, it is a worthy investment. We will see what I do.

:-)Charlie

A Decent Run

Well I learned something important today - a pedometer is pretty accurate. I estimating my miles based on Mapquest. I was right on with most of them according to the pedometer, except my long run last week. It wasn't 6.32 miles, it was 4.32. So I did not run a sub-9 minute mile. Still that's ok. I don't know what I would do if I really went that fast.

So I will make adjustments to my charts.

Today I ran the 4.32 miles in 55:06. I was not gunning for time. Not every run needs to be fast. Something I keep reminding myself. It's the miles that count.

:-)Charlie