Easy workout

Garmin Connect - very tired this morning but had to walk the dog! ended up doing three sets of lunges and mountain climbers which immediately improved the ankle.

Nick Bottoni Tournament

Garmin Connect - My first time at the tourney and it was swell, though I just could NOT stay out of the way sometimes. One girl ran into me and the ball bounced off me twice. It was crazy. Turns out there weren't enough teams for the boys tourney on Saturday so it was jut today. Bath girls won the title over Addison. And one of the semi-finals was Addison1 vs Addison2. All the games were really good. I was struck by the difference in play between the Corning United team vs the others, especially Bath. The CU team seemed to be playing dump-and-chase, sort of like hockey. The other teams were much more adept at looking for someone to receive a pass, and better touch passing as well. At one point they did a really nice pass back-and-forth to get around a defense, and there was some nice triangle play also. How do you teach that to young kids? It was really impressive, considering.

I was the only ref not wearing pants - didn't get the memo! I wore a new pair of NB sneakers I picked up just a couple hours earlier since all I had otherwise was my black outdoor turf shoes. I didn't do much moving so I could have gotten away with the outdoor ones, but I didn't know. At the end of the match we stayed to help clean up and the concession stand let the leftover hot dogs & pizza go for free.

Since this was a fundraiser, I was shocked that there is no website promoting it. Not even a Facebook page! Someone mentioned that there's a tournament listing site, but no one was sure whether or not this tournament was listed. I mentioned via email that I'd be happy to help with that. I also noticed they had fancy trophies - wonder how much they were & where they got them. At any rate, one meeting in the books for SCHSSA (Steuben County High School Soccer Association). They really need to change that name; nothing in it references who we are: referees & officials.

Day 15.2 - 2.6 miles - 23:16mins - 8:57 pace!!!

Wow! My first sub-9-minute mile in quite a while! I did NOT want to run today. I was up late, I ran yesterday, it was a wicked long weekend, etc... But I told myself that these are the days when I have to be disciplined and it will pay off in the long run. With my weight dropping continually, I need to continue to train, too.

So I dropped the kids off and hemmed & hawed, stopping to buy a water & powerbar since I'd forgotten mine, and drove around a bit going back & forth in my head about running or going to work, having to change, where to run, etc... Finally I parked at Kinsella park, changed, and got warmed up.

I decided to go with a t-shirt under a long-sleeve shirt, a combo which works well on these chilly & windy mornings when I forget my jacket. I work my NB sneakers and my Brooks shorts. I started at the park & ran up Canada Road to the intersection w/ South Hamilton street. At first I was jogging in a 4/4 breathing pattern and when I realized what I was doing, about 2 minutes in, I upped it to 3/3 and my speed picked up, too.

The first mile was about 8:40 if I recall & calculated correctly. That was surprising when I looked at my watch. I knew there was a big hill at Healthworks so I just tried to keep a steady pace going. Around the Walmart entrance by Spring Pond I noticed my shorts were chafing my left inner thigh. I tried to move the shorts up, down, sideways, etc... but nothing helped for long. I considered stopping but I recalled the words from "Once A Runner" that says all runners deal with pain eventually - there's no finessing it. Those words kept me going.

The hill outside Healthworks was indeed tough, but for the most part I kept my rhythm the same only switching to 2/2 near the very top. I didn't slow down on the downside, keeping the pace up and just using the easier workload to regain some energy and then I was able to really pick up the pace when things flattened out again. As tired as I was during the run, when it was over, I felt like I could have gone longer / faster. Tomorrow is an off day and since Annie is away on Friday & Saturday, I'm planning to run on Thursday & Friday mornings. Gotta keep up the good work!

Day 14.2 - 36 mins - 3 miles on Highland Hills

I wanted to run long today, but the baby woke up just as I was heading downstairs - the little bugger! I tried to get him back to sleep but he cried which woke up Annie and then it was either argue or just get out of there. I had to really bundle him up because it was only 31 degrees when we started - below freezing!!!

I zig-zagged down the hill to first street and back up to our house. From the house to Lexington and then right onto 3rd, down Hamilton, left onto the alley between 3rd & 2nd all the way down to Field, then right onto 2nd back to Hamilton, left onto Cintra lane, then right onto Field and right down 1st to Hamilton. There I turned around and went on the same route, but it was mostly up hill this time. The stroller was a pain - it wouldn't stay straight & I kept having to use both hands to get it back on track. Brennan, of course, fell asleep pretty quickly, just to tick me off.

The NB 1224's continue to feel better and better. I wore tights, knit hat, mittens, and a jacket and I needed it! It wasn't a great run or a bad run, just a run. At least it was 37 minutes long so I know I worked off a few calories. I was 217.8 this morning -- can 215 be far behind?

Day 13.5 - 26 mins - 2.8 miles

Still recovering from flu / cold so I haven't run since Monday. It was also a rough couple nights with the kids lately, too. I have been having breakfast before my runs because I've been running after dropping off the kids and just before work. Today I had some banana, yogurt, cottage cheese, and an energy bar.

It was a quick morning so I actually hit the road just before 8am. I ran the beartown loop in my Fitness Gear shorts, NB 1224's, a t-shirt, and a fleece - I think that's the first time I ever wore that fleece for running. I started w/ my Nike hat, but removed it shortly into the run as I was too hot. I felt really slow at the beginning but coming down the backstretch towards the Fire Department, I felt great. My pace had picked up a bit even though my breathing was in 2, out 3, I was able to keep the pace up for .5 miles. I ran past my intended stop point and was starting to feel pretty fatigued in my quads when I stopped. I didn't feel the acid build-up in my muscles, but I didn't want to push myself too much. I did have to slow down a couple times to cough or blow my nose - it was annoying. It felt great when i got done, though. My weight was down to 216 yesterday and back up to 217 this morning, but I expect there is a chance for me to be down to 215 by the time we go to MA tomorrow. I ate fish for lunch even :-)

Day 12.3 - Wednesday - Creekside 1.9miles

I thought I was running 2 miles, but after completiong, turns out it was only 1.9. I was wicked tired / sleepy because Brennan has a newfound appetite for midnight waking. I ran in shorts, t-shirt, Adidas hat, and my NB sneakers.

I've learned that I LOVE running w/ a hat on which is weird - it feels like it helps me focus and I don't squint at much.

I started at the FD, ran onto Creekside and did the loop back to Forest. I intentionaly tried to run faster, especially at the beginning and completed the first 1.1 miles (corner by Peaches-n-Cream) in 9:04! I then took a few slow down breaks and picked it up when returning to Forest and happily, I kept my breathing at 3/3 almost the entire time. After I got to the Creekside intersection again I then sprinted at about 80% to a driveway that I thought was 2 miles but obviously, I was just short. I have lax games tonight & tomorrow so I'll be doing my hill workout on Friday and maybe an easy jog on Saturday.

Day 12.1 - Monday - BFC - 4.4 miles

Didn't hit the road until 8:30am - shorts, no jacket, my blue Nike hat, and a long-sleeve shirt. Really throwing things crazy, I wore my NB sneakers instead of my Asics. I started at the fire dept, went right up Forest, left towards Walmart, and back up the Beartown hills - but not ending at the Fire Department. I then took a left onto Creekside and ran what I thought was a 2-mile route back to the FD, but it ended up being 1.8. I ran the Beartown 2.6 miles in 24:49 and the 1.8 in 17:06 for a total time of 41:55 which is a 9:32 pace. Not bad over 4 miles at this point. I'm dissappointed though because I thought I was running 5 miles. I felt great during the run and was glad to get out there as I'd taken off Saturday AND Sunday.

My left shin was hurting on the inside but it went away when I switched sides of the road and ran WITH traffic. I also spent some extra time warming up doing jumping jacks and lower-leg rotations - something I should definitely continue.

Day 10.7 - Sunday - Canada Road

I took a couple days off to rest the knees & calf muscles. I was still a little sore on the run, but I pushed on because my weight was only 219! Yeah, I'm in the teens!!!

I parked at the Small Fry Football park and ran up to route 417, then right towards Walmart, then right again down Daniel Zenker Drive, and right again past Healthworks. I wasn't up to 30 minutes so I turned up Canada road again. It ended up being 2.9 miles I think which I was happy with in the end.

I wore my NB sneakers and my InSport tights which weren't that great. My Nike shirt was a good choice, too. I didn't get onto the road until 7 am so it was much warmer than normal.

day 10.4 - Thursday - Highland Hills

Finally down to 220 today!!!!!!

Didn't run until 8am this morning because it was cold and I was up a little late. After dropping off the boys I went home - I thought of running at Sullivan Park, but I didn't want to walk into the building in my tights - TMI, ya' know?

So I ran from the house down Lexington and took a right onto 3rd, then a left onto Hamilton (downhill), and then a left onto 2nd. Then zigged back down Lexington and went right onto first down to Washington using the Alley to come down the little intersection between Bridge, Denison, and Sunset. I ran up Sunset - with a headwind no less - to Field, left onto Field uphill to Cintra Lane and then down the alley to Lexington. Up Lexington with a right onto first continuing to Field...eventually I ended up in front of the Balcerek's house at 30:10 and at about 2.7 miles.

I ran in my NB sneakers, & nike tights & jacket. I was cold in the wind but eventually had to remove the hat & mittens because of overheating. I plan to run again on Saturday. Now it's a few hours later and I'm preparing for the varsity lax game at the stadium. Surprisingly, my legs are feeling better and I've been fueling well. I didn't do much stretching this morning, but I've been trying to make up for it in the office.

Day 9.2 - Tuesday - Jones Road

Just got back from VA last night and stayed up late, but my body wouldn't let me sleep in today. I had an easy run in my NB1224's along Jones road. As usual I parked at the Fire Dept and ran up and back. It felt a lot easier than my last run out there, but I think I covered about the same distance. My weight was up to 223.4 after the trip which wasn't too surprising, though I did do a good job of staying away from junk - didn't eat a single piece of cake!

During the run not much bothered me until about the 18th minute when my left shin - I know the spot - which I hadn't felt all run, suddenly was stabbingly painful for 2 strides, and then it went away. It felt fine thoughout the day so maybe it finally "popped" itself back into place. I'll find out tonight as I have a game to ref.

Day 6.7 - Sunday late morning

Didn't run until 7:30am this morning and it was a very hard, tiring run. Two minutes in I wanted to stop. Maybe because I ate poorly yesterday, or stayed up late, or because I was up four times in the night - whatever the case, it wasn't an easy run. I also started out with too much clothing and was too warm, but when I turned around I realized I had been running with the wind and I was glad to have the hat & gloves going into the breeze.

I ran w/ tights, supporter, Army jacket, and my NB 1224's. It was comfy. I should get my new Asics this week and I'm anxious to give them a try. Tomorrow I'll probably go w/ my Brooks one last time before the new pair arrives. The schedule for week 7 is pretty whacked - supposed to run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday. Friday & Sat aren't a problem, but I'm reffing on Tuesday and I think that's going to be too much. Unfortunately, w/ Annie leaving for Germany on Saturday afternoon, I don't think there's any way for me to offset the schedule. It means running 4 days in a row plus one refereeing night, but if Monday is hard, maybe I'll get someone else to ref for me.

Day 5.6 - Saturday afternoon

Actually, not sure if Saturday has been day six or day seven in past posts, but from now on, I'll try to remember that the "running" week starts on Monday so indeed, today was the 6th day of the week.

Today I ran around 2 or 3pm because of the hectic birthday & playdate schedule. I had it pretty easy, really, as Annie did all the running around. Because it was so late in the day I didn't know where to run to avoid traffic and on my way out to Forest Drive I settled on Old Canada road which turned out to be perfect. The jogging stroller affected my stride a bit, but the mileage was comparable. I used my NB 1224's without the RRS inserts and my legs don't feel nearly as tired as the other day. My calves & shins were painful at the start, but probably because I just spent 10 minutes crouching while giving Brennan his bottle.

Aside from that, it was fine. The tights & Nike jacket w/ short sleeve shirt were the perfect combo as there was a headwind at times that required me to zip up all the way, but on the way back I was so hot I nearly took the jacket off. My weight is still at a 224 or 225 plateau but I got some more nutritious food and will start taking Fish Oil supplements - hopefully that will help, too. I do keep reminding myself as well that I'm still not at the point of my runs where weight loss should occur - I need to be running longer and faster to make that happen.

Day 5.5 Friday Afternoon

Not a great run - a lot on my mind and the baby kept me awake until 2am - hence, no morning run. Turns out when I went to the Y around lunch, I didn't have my tights and although it was windy, the clothes I had were too warm otherwise so I ended up running on the track. There weren't a lot of people there, but they kept getting in my way which really screwed up my rhythm. But I did the run and feel good about it. I didn't refuel very well - chicken wing and meat lovers pizza. Too much fat, but I was obviously not well prepared for the afternoon. Hopefully I can run on Saturday morning and get back to normal.

I used my NB 1224's again, this time without the RRS cush insoles and I had no problems. Started getting wicked tired around the 22 min mark but otherwise, not significant to report. I spent quite a few minutes stretching and even remembered my heel raises afterwards. My shoulder is feeling better since I started stretching / rotating it on occasion, too.

Day 5.3 - after 1 week delay

I ran today at 11am in Big Flats just before lunch with Annie. As previously mentioned, I took a week off because of me & the baby. Things looked better this morning and the weather was beautiful. Annie had to head to work early so I had to get all 3 kids ready so I didn't run in the morning.

It was warm enough that I didn't need my tights - bummer - and I was actually a bit too warm with my long sleeve shirt and jacket. Thank goodness I was in shorts. The run was actually quite tiring to my legs which I can't ever recall happening. I was using my New Balance 1224's, but I had the RRS Cush Runner inserts inside - perhaps the extra cushioning sapped my strength. I'll hopefully find out on Friday when I run again. I'm refereeing tomorrow night (scrimmage) so I'll also take Thursday off and then get back on schedule Friday & Saturday. Today I ran 14 minutes and walked 1. I was a few minutes late to meet Annie, but she was a good sport about it thankfully. On Friday I'll run 14 minutes again and on Saturday it's up to 15 mins.

3.3 - Afternoon run at the YMCA

Long couple of days this week with the database issue at work, so still a bit off schedule. Today I ran at 4pm instead of in the morning. It was nice enough that I could have run outside, but I chose to stick w/ the YMCA track. The place was a madhouse w/ kids, but I still got a good workout in - 5x 5 min run, 1 min walk. The last minute I sprinted, breathing in every two steps. It was quite the rush :-) I probably shouldn't have done that, but it felt good. I used the NB1224's again and they were great. Walk tomorrow and then run Friday & Saturday.

3.2 - off schedule, but back on track

This is off schedule, I know, but I ran today. It was supposed to be a walk day but hey, I hadn't run since Saturday and I was itching to get back into it. I used my New Balance 1224's and they were great as expected. Why did I ever try Under Armour????

The cycle today was 5 repeats of run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute. I ran just under a 10 minute mile consistently throughout the workout. As I recall, this is the same sort of pace I was running back in the early 2000's - I used to run 8 miles at a time, ya' know. My weight is steadily improving and I'm happy to say I'm at 225.4 this morning - I think yesterday was 224.8 so no big deal and actually, pretty good since I hadn't exercised in so long. Sleep is definitely key. Brennan wasn't very good last night, but I went to bed early enough that I overcame it.

Today, a bagle w/ cottage cheese for breakfast w/ 8 oz of apple juice. At work I've been snacking on 4 x Polly-O 2% cheese sticks, some 100% whole grain wheat thins and an orange. I've got another orange and a pint of strawberries for later / lunch.

The schedule has me running the same cycle tomorrow. My shins didn't bother me this morning and I only felt them a few times so hopefully this won't be a problem.