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

Quarterly Results - 2007 1st Quarter

The first quarter of 2007 is coming to a close. Here is how I am doing.

January - 39.80 miles - 15:26 a mile

February - 24.32 miles - 13:06 a mile

March - 35.73 miles - 11:27 a mile

So for the year I have run 99.85 miles. Pretty good. Of course that number will begin to jump significantly with the training. I like the progression of my time. Top be fair, the 15:26 a mile in January includes the marathon time. That is not a true representation of my time.

Looking forward to my April runs.

:-)Charlie

New Goals

I have re-evaluated my race schedule for the year, and made one important decision.

I have entered the Chicago Marathon! Yes, Sunday October 7, 2007, I will run 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicago. This year is the 30th Anniversary of the event, so they have opened the registration to 45,000! WOW! I will be one of them.

So here is how 2007 looks -

May 20 - Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon
June 23 - Proud to Run 10K
August 12 - Chicago Distance Classic
October 7 - Chicago Marathon
November 22 - Turkey Trot

I think that's enough for 2007.

So now the training really begins. This time around I am looking for a training program. While I can train on my own. I found it hard to be motivated. I also think I could benefit from having running partners.

So now the running year starts for me.

Yesterday I ran 5K on the treadmill at the gym. I did a decent 36:06. Slower than I have been doing, but I felt good.

:-)Charlie

Today - 3.34

Today was a 3.34 mile run. I ran from home to the Andersonville area of Chicago. My legs were not 100% as I stood for 12 hours on Friday and Saturday at the Shamrock Shuffle Expo. I worked, so I was standing. Kelly knows what that kind of standing does to me.

I was very glad I didn't run yesterday's Shamrock Shuffle. It was a warm sunny day. After standing for the better part of 24 hours, I would have been in pain running.

I still felt it today, hence I did not run home, I took the bus. Better to save my legs for another day.

All is set for the Green Bay Half Marathon. I am registered, and will be running with my cousin Polly. Looking forward to it.

:-)Charlie

Flying!

Today was a really good long run. I ran 6.32 miles in 58:42. According to the race calculator, that is 9:17 a mile. It didn't feel like I was going that fast. And to be honest that is a little faster than I ever would run in a marathon...at least at this point.

I have been working on the treadmill increasing my speed. So I am glad to see it had picked up. Ideally in a marathon I would like to be running around 12:00 a mile. I will take what I can though.

My route today took my up to Evanston, IL - home of Northwestern University, and my birthplace. It is a lovely community, and I am enjoying running through it.

:-)Charlie

Ethembeni School

I want to take a few moments to talk about Ethembeni School.

Established in 1984, Ethembeni School serves 300 physically disabled and visually impaired children from all over Kwazulu-Natal, Kingdom of the Zulu (South Africa), educating them to reach their highest potential and to become independent and responsible citizens of the community.

The name Ethembeni means “Place of Hope” and the motto Phila Ufunde – Live and Learn. At Ethembeni 300 beautiful children live, learn, and give us joy and hope.

At Fleet Feet Sports we sell Balega socks, the best socks I have put on by the way. Balega sports charitiable efforts for this school. When I learned this, I started to do some research about the school. Most of you do not know in my younger college years I worked with disabled people. It is such an amazing experience to work with this population.

Our stores are selling bracelets and necklaces made by the kids. The money raised is to help the school buy a bus. While I think that is a great idea, I had a different idea.

It costs $1,000 to sponsor a child in the school for a year. The money pays for tuition, supplies, room and board, and medical services. Since I work in a running store, with runner, why not get everyone to dedicate a race to raising the money so a store could sponsor a child. My manager loved the idea, and took it to the general management. They loved the idea as well.

There is a change to the plan though. We get free registrations to various races in the area, so the money which would have gone to pay for a runner's registration will go into a fund, so each of the three stores can sponsor a child. We are also proposing a Balega day, where proceeds from the sales of socks on one day would go towards this fund.

I am very excited about this. Earlier I wrote about running with a noble purpose. I really see this effort as part of that. I am glad Fleet Feet Sports is going to participate.

For more information on the school go to - http://www.ethembenischool.org/

:-)Charlie

Being Mortal

Yesterday was sunny and 60 - of course I was going to run outside. My legs and ankles had felt stiff all day, but off I went. This morning I am in quite a bit of pain. Not sure what is going on, I knew I was tired from standing all weekend. So I am assuming that is what started this.

It all serves as a reminder of my foot/ankle pain. Of course I always know my foot issues are there, and will be the rest of my life. The pain though, is a nasty reminder to me, and I hate it.

Still I ran 3.6 miles. Today - rest!

:-)Charlie

Hill and Speed

Today I hit the gym. I hopped on the treadmill for hill and speed work. My overall goal is to improve times at my races this year. I think by cranking thiings up a bit I can. My goal was torun 30 minutes. I did 2.81 miles. Not bad.

I ran on a 2.0 incline. In this instance it means the largest hill I woudl run would be at a 2% incline. I felt good with my run.

Working towards a long run goal of a 6 mile run. Can do it!

:-)Charlie

Cross Train

Today was a cross train day. I have to say I felt really good afterwards. Because it was my first one in a long time, I did not push myself. I did 5 minutes on the elipitcal, then I used the weight machines for about 30 minutes, then I ran for 15 minutes.

After the workout I felt very energized and ready to go.

:-)Charlie

Two Simple Miles

Yesterday I hit the treadmill for a quick 2-mile run. It was a good one. My time was 24:09. Pretty good. Today I head back to the gym to cross train. I have not lifted a weight in months. The idea today is to take it slow and easy.

Last night I had dinner with a friend. I like broccoli. We had Thai(not a fave of mine, but I was a good sport). I had a BBQ Pork with broccoli. They gave me a ton of broccoli. It was tasty. Always good to get some veggies into the system.

:-)Charlie

No Mood

Hello all. Sorry for not posting this week. To be honest there was nothing to post. I either have not been able to run, or was not in the mood. My goal is to start fresh tomorrow.

One thing to chat about...distance. Here is something to know.

5K =3.1 miles
8K = 4.97 miles
10K = 6.2 miles
Half marathon = 13.1 miles
Marathon= 26.2 miles

It could be no one has explained that to some of you, and I want you to know. Why? It seems to be a pet peeve of many runners when we talk about a race, and someone gets the distance wrong, or just calls it a marathon.

Charlie: Yeah...I have a 5K this weekend.
Dude: Yeah? How is long is the marathon?

You may giggle, but I get that, and so do many of my fellow runners. No matter how many times we try to explain, it goes in one ear, and out the other to some. So now you know.

:-)Charlie

A Noble Purpose

Running with a noble purpose. This is something Steve Runner talks about on his Phedippidations podcast. This is when you run for a cause. Frequently at various races around the country you see Teams in Training. These people are raising money to fight Leukemia & Lymphoma.

There is a segment of the running community which does not care for the charity runners. I am not one of those people. I firmly believe in charity running. In the past I have raised money for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and CARE. I believe that if you receive a benefit from running, raising money is simply passing it forward.

I agree with Steve Runner, we should run with a noble purpose. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. It can be collecting a few dollars from friends for a charity. If you don‘t want to raise money, raise awareness. Put the name of a charity and its website on your running shirt. Every little bit helps.

I would like to share some charities I am very fond of, and maybe you would like to adopt them as yours. Also if you have a charity you are fond of, please feel free to share it here.

CARE – www.care.org
AIDS Foundation of Chicago – www.aidschicago.org
Grameen Bank – www.grameen-info.org
Heifer International – www.heifer.org
Half the Sky – www.halfthesky.org
Hagar International – www.hagarproject.org
Health Equity Project – www.healthequityproject.org
Marathon Kids – www.marathonkids.com

There are many more I support. The point is there plenty of worthy charities and organizations who could benefit from your noble purpose.

Charlie

Not My Day

Today was not my day. I had issues all day. Everything came to a head when I ran outside. It was sunny and in the 40s. I was going along, and then it happened....I tripped on the sidewalk and fell. My left knee has a scrape, but I think I will live. I have never fallen during a run. Of course no one bothered to ask if I was ok. Grrrrr.

I did manage to run 4.5 miles. That is pretty good. It was a slow and plodding run. I was not happy with the way I ran, but was happy that I ran.

In the land of good news....my cousin Polly is busy training for the half marathon we are doing in May. Yesterday she sent me a training plan, and I told her I thought it would work for her. I think she will beat me...lol.

:-)Charlie