a knob for brightness » run

Dusting off the cobwebs

Greg — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:55:39 +0000

The MAFW picnic rides were cancelled today due to rain. I was really looking forward to my first brick workout in a long, long time and was pretty disappointed when the rides were cancelled. On the way home I suddenly realized that Ironman Wisconsin was going on today, so I decided to do an “indoor brick” on the CompuTrainer and the treadmill. When I pulled the tri bike off the hooks in the basement I noticed that it still has the IMWI and Tri-Bike Transport stickers on the frame, both tires were completely flat and the bike was covered in a thick layer of dust. I don’t think I’ve been on that bike since the race. So I pumped up the tires, and loaded up the IMWI course on the CompuTrainer. I also noticed that the workout room had cobwebs hanging from the corners and most of the light fixtures. I supposed that was fitting as my workout room and my body appear to be in the same shape.

I rode for an hour at a nice aerobic pace, then hopped on the treadmill for a planned 20 min run. After about 13 minutes the achilles started to ached so I cut the run short (15 min). It’s a long way from being Iron Fit, but I’ve dusted off the cobwebs, literally and figuratively.

I’m In!

Greg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:11:10 +0000

Getting back in the game: “You have registered for the Nov. 21st – Philadelphia Half Marathon: http://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/

Time to start training!

The lost year

Greg — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:41:02 +0000

Fitness wise, I’ve lost an entire year. I made some attempt to train and race through the 1/2 marathon in April, but after that I didn’t do much at all. This was mostly due to total mental block, but increased work stress, heavy school loads and a slow-to-heal-injury played into the mix.

Now that vacation is over, and I’m healing up fast I’m considering signing up for the 1/2 marathon in Philadelphia. I’ve got a copy of Hal Higdon’s training plans and it looks do-able, though possibly a bit of a stretch considering my current lack of fitness. I’m meeting with the doctor tomorrow for a follow up from my PRP 6 weeks ago. If it looks like my achilles is healing up well, then I’m going to go for the November race.

Spring is just around the corner

Greg — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:45:04 +0000

I finally decided that I needed to kick my own ass out of my funk. The weather forecast all week called for a spectacular day for Sunday, so that became my target. If I could just make it through to Sunday I’d be ok.

So this morning I slept in a bit, ate a big healthy breakfast, and then got out for a nice & easy bike & run. For some reason I wanted to ride the dirt roads through the horse farms of Bedminster, which means I needed to swap the slicks for knobbies on the Surly. Normally that’s a big PITA, but this morning I was in the flow and everything went smoothly.

I made it up and over Schley Mtn easy enough, and when I came across the River Rd. Park bridges, I came across this lovely sight:

There was a small field of these flowers poking through the underbrush in a sunny patch along the bike path. That one image made me smile through the rest of the ride.

I got home with a bit over 21 miles, switched to my VFF’s and headed out for a quick brick run. This was the 1st time I’ve been outside in the VFFs so I kept the run short. They felt pretty good on the sidewalk, but really GREAT on the mushy grass. I could really feel my toes trying to paw into the turf. My run HR was a bit higher than normal, but that was to be expected after the long time off.

A good week

Greg — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:46:32 +0000

23 miles running, with some fartleks and hill work tossed in, plus three P90X workouts (Chest/Back, Plyo, Arms). Next week I’ll be stepping up to big-boy work: 31 miles running w/more fartleks and more hills, 5 P90Xworkouts (Chest/Back, Plyo, Arms, Kenpo, Back/Legs). I’m anticipating a very sore and tired Greg this time next week.

I’m also hoping that my shock/fork will come back from Push Industries soon. Conditions were excellent this week for winter MTB. I don’t want to pass up more great opportunities for off-road, off-season riding.

School started back up yesterday. Two management classes this semester. Leadership in Technical Teams, and Strategic Planning. Both instructors are very engaging and are leaders in their field, the texts look pretty good and our classes are now split up into two smaller groups. Our team was adjusted a bit. There are three original team members and one new Spring 2010 student joined our group. So now we have two women and two men in our group, and appears to be a solid group.

Steady On | Futility Closet

Greg — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:29:35 +0000

Now this is cool… Show up at an ultra in overalls, and then kick everyone’s backside….

Cliff Young

via Steady On | Futility Closet.

When the run intersects the bike…

Admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 22:31:00 +0000

Today’s long run was 2:45 Z1-Z2. I knew that I’d need to run 16-17 miles, so I headed out to do a “lake loop”. This route used to be a favorite 60 min bike ride. I’ve done this loop enough to know exactly where I need to be at any point on the bike. I’ve never, ever done any part of it on the run, but as I chugged along, I started to figure it out.

“I’ll get to Far Hills in :45″
“I’ve got to get to the top of the hill on Willow by the halfway”
“I need to be make the turn onto Liberty Corner Rd by 2:00″

I hit some, but not all of the time marks. Still it ended up as a GREAT run. Scenic, low traffic and challenging. Everything one wants in an early spring run. Plus, corned beef dinner cooking when I got home. BONUS!

Lovin’ the long run

Admin — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 22:19:00 +0000

It may take me a while to get motivated and get out the door, but once I start moving, I remember how much I really enjoy the long run. The pace is easier than most of my runs, and it gives me time to think and reflect on the week. After the first 15 or 20 minutes, I’m in a groove with the tunes (I always keep my iPod on ‘shuffle mode’), and I can feel my head starting to clear out. At times (like today) the feeling is quite a bit like popping to the surface of a very deep lake. My mood is high, my head clear and I’m cruising along with almost no effort.

Today’s long run was a bit of a “little Billy” run. I wasn’t planning on the route I took, and in fact had intended to go in a different direction. But after the first 30 minutes along a familiar route, I decided to make some changes. I ran down Evergreen into Bernardsville, then headed straight into Little Italy, down Bernards ave and up Liberty onto Pill Hill. After the long downhill, I turned UP Meeker Rd, and finished that brutal climb. Then out to Annin Rd, to Whitenack, and back through Cantebury. If I hadn’t made a wrong turn and had to backtrack a bit, it would have been a PERFECT 1:45 run. As it was, I came in at 1:50:51 and 11.18 miles.

Admin — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 01:52:00 +0000

Have I said how much I hate intervals? On the bike they are bad enough, but running on the treadmill, they suck like a black hole.

Today’s serving of pain was a 60 min run, at 10 min insert 7×3 min Z4 with a 1 min jog. I did the intervals at just over a 7:00/mile, with the 1 min jog at just over a 10:00/mile. The whole festival ended up at just under 9:00/mile. Right at my goal pace for NJM.

I’m a dead man.

Back on the road

Admin — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 21:09:00 +0000

After being a total slacker since last Saturday, I finally got out for a run today. 2:00/12.4 miles. 1st hour was on the road, doing the normal loop. I had planned to stop back at the house to use the bathroom and head back out for the 2nd hour, but with all the ice and snow on the sidewalks & roads, I was spending too much time too close to traffic. So I hopped on the treadmill and finished the run.

While I was running, I was thinking why my consistency is so bad. Good intentions seem to always end up falling short, then into a week of sloth. Perhaps a touch of bi-polar or something.

I need to make a pact with myself. Only focus on today. Tomorrow will take care of itself.

Speaking of tomorrow, it’s President’s Day and no workee! WooHoo!