Now that I've finally built up some strength, I decided today would be a good day to tackle the hills of Trexler Nature Preserve. It is easily my favorite place to run. The hills are so challenging, the views are breathtaking and the trail is in great condition. It is definitely a gem.
I know this place is difficult to run on, but it still always seems to come up and bite me while I'm climbing. You'd think I wouldn't be shocked at hills that I've run plenty of times before, but they always seem even more challenging than I recall.
I started at the central range near the main building. It is a steep downhill to begin. I got destroyed very early on with the first uphill. I was only one third of a mile into the run and I already had to start walking. That was humbling. I got running again at the top of the hill.
I managed to make it to the two mile mark before I actually walked again. I was able to run up some of the moderate hills like the one near the bison pen. Shortly after that is the road section. That was good to change surfaces for a bit. Then there's the rocky section. That is fun to scramble over because it isn't too long. Finally, I climbed a bit before turning around at 1.5 miles.
My goal coming in was to run 2 miles, but the legs were feeling great, so I went farther out than I expected. The hills were exhausting, but I was able to recover some in between. I always forget how steep coming back up the road portion is. As I was running it, I remember saying the same thing last year. Then the trail gets even steeper. I managed to start running up the trail, but had to walk at the two mile point.
I actually shut my watch off briefly and was going to walk the rest. I changed my mind and began running again as I got to the crest of the hill. I was able to run over the next hill. I had to walk again when I thought I was at the top of a hill, but it turned out to be a false summit. The downhills are quite difficult at times too. They are so fast.
I again ran part of the last steep hill before walking. I finished up in the parking lot to complete a 5k. That's one third of the Quadzilla distance. Crazy to think about that. The weather was beautiful so this run was amazing.
I ran better than I expected. The knee acted up a little, but overall it wasn't too bad. The softness of the trails is a big help. It was a taxing and great workout. I need to try to get out there even more.
Usually you are supposed to walk uphill and run the rest of the trails. I did that when I had no choice as my body couldn't take any more uphill running. Any time it would allow me to do so, I'd run up them. I need to built up strength and that is the best way to do it.
This is my third run of the week. I'm very happy that I can run with more frequency now. I'll be watching the second day of the District XI track meet today. On Saturday, I hope to join the Breakfast Club group run. I need some other runners to push myself some more and group runs are great for that.
3.1 miles - 33:17 (10:45 pace)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Jacobsburg Mud Run
Sometimes it is fun to just act like a kid again. Every opportunity I have to do so I take. Whenever it rains I love to get out and "play in the mud" with a trail run. It poured this morning, so I just had to head out to Jacobsburg in the afternoon.
Most of the trail at Jacobsburg is actually pretty good and doesn't get too muddy. It was still wet everywhere, but firm in most places. The goal was to get in a comfortable two miles. I wanted to take on some more of the hills too when I had the opportunity. I skipped on them earlier in my comeback, but now it is time to get stronger.
The GPS didn't work too well in the beginning, so I ended up walking a bit to start. Early on, I tried going uphill and actually ended up going back the same way I started. It's been awhile since I ran there much, so sort of got lost. I knew pretty quickly where I was and I backtracked to where I made the wrong turn.
I finally got onto the correct uphill stretch adjacent to Route 33. I came across a cat. That was quite interesting. I don't usually see those while trail running. I handled the uphills surprisingly well. The distance clicked off much faster than it has lately. I must've been having fun. I saw another set of footprints and I only hope he was running through there and having as much fun as me.
Once I got to the top of the hill, I knew the downhill would be a wet section. It is always like a river running down there and today was no exception. The ground was still pretty solid though. I was more concerned about not slipping on a rock than anything else. I wasn't going out far enough to hit the very muddy section. I'll save that for another day.
I wasn't exactly sure where I'd come out at, but I thought I could loop back around. It turns out I was correct. If I didn't have dinner commitments with my parents, I might've run even further since I was feeling quite strong. The second part of the run did have a lot of hills, so I'm glad I opted not to go further. I still had more left in the tank, but the hills definitely took quite a bit out of me.
I finished up after two miles and walked a bit to get back to my car. My time was right around 19:30. I was thinking about how that my 5k times used to be faster than that. Basically if I was on a track, my old self could've lapped my current self in that time frame. That's mind blowing to think how slow I am now. It won't stop me from getting back to that point and beyond, but it made me realize just how far I have to go to get there.
My recovery seems to be much better lately. I wasn't too sore during the run. I started off with little problem and ran with solid form throughout. I stiffened up a bit afterward, but that wasn't all that bad either. Icing is certainly a big help.
Overall, it was a fun day. It wasn't quite as muddy as I hoped, but I definitely did splash myself. I got a good workout in too and was sweating quite a bit at the end. My splits were amazingly similar. That's very tough to do on an uneven trail. Tomorrow and Thursday I'll be at the District track meet. I hope to run beforehand Thursday and would like to get in some hill sprints tomorrow as well.
2 miles - 19:28 (9:45 pace)
Most of the trail at Jacobsburg is actually pretty good and doesn't get too muddy. It was still wet everywhere, but firm in most places. The goal was to get in a comfortable two miles. I wanted to take on some more of the hills too when I had the opportunity. I skipped on them earlier in my comeback, but now it is time to get stronger.
The GPS didn't work too well in the beginning, so I ended up walking a bit to start. Early on, I tried going uphill and actually ended up going back the same way I started. It's been awhile since I ran there much, so sort of got lost. I knew pretty quickly where I was and I backtracked to where I made the wrong turn.
I finally got onto the correct uphill stretch adjacent to Route 33. I came across a cat. That was quite interesting. I don't usually see those while trail running. I handled the uphills surprisingly well. The distance clicked off much faster than it has lately. I must've been having fun. I saw another set of footprints and I only hope he was running through there and having as much fun as me.
Once I got to the top of the hill, I knew the downhill would be a wet section. It is always like a river running down there and today was no exception. The ground was still pretty solid though. I was more concerned about not slipping on a rock than anything else. I wasn't going out far enough to hit the very muddy section. I'll save that for another day.
I wasn't exactly sure where I'd come out at, but I thought I could loop back around. It turns out I was correct. If I didn't have dinner commitments with my parents, I might've run even further since I was feeling quite strong. The second part of the run did have a lot of hills, so I'm glad I opted not to go further. I still had more left in the tank, but the hills definitely took quite a bit out of me.
I finished up after two miles and walked a bit to get back to my car. My time was right around 19:30. I was thinking about how that my 5k times used to be faster than that. Basically if I was on a track, my old self could've lapped my current self in that time frame. That's mind blowing to think how slow I am now. It won't stop me from getting back to that point and beyond, but it made me realize just how far I have to go to get there.
My recovery seems to be much better lately. I wasn't too sore during the run. I started off with little problem and ran with solid form throughout. I stiffened up a bit afterward, but that wasn't all that bad either. Icing is certainly a big help.
Overall, it was a fun day. It wasn't quite as muddy as I hoped, but I definitely did splash myself. I got a good workout in too and was sweating quite a bit at the end. My splits were amazingly similar. That's very tough to do on an uneven trail. Tomorrow and Thursday I'll be at the District track meet. I hope to run beforehand Thursday and would like to get in some hill sprints tomorrow as well.
2 miles - 19:28 (9:45 pace)
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Another Nor-Bath Night Run
I've only been out running a handful of times since this comeback started, but this was already my third night run. I guess you could say I'm becoming addicted. Actually, tonight I ran the Nor-Bath Trail at night because I didn't have many other options. I didn't get home from an auto race until dusk. By the time I got done unpacking it was already later, so I headed out and started off at 9:15.
I was going to run last night and really wanted to so that I could get my third run of the week in. I found more excuses not to run though than reasons to run on Saturday night. I didn't want to run on pavement and the dirt path around the track is just too rough. Plus, I ate a big dinner and it wasn't sitting with me too well. Basically, I could've run, but why bother to when you aren't feeling up to it. I'm committed enough that I knew I'd run tonight.
The first time out there a couple weeks ago, I ran without a headlamp. I was planning on using my lamp this time. The problem was that it wasn't in my bag when I got to the trail. I didn't think I took it out after the last night run, but I guess I must have.
The lack of lighting made the trail interesting at time. The first problem though was that it took me quite awhile to get a GPS signal. I often seem to have that problem there. I'm not sure if it is the trees or what. I finally got moving though after quite a bit of walking. That wasn't all bad though as it made for a good warmup.
Anyway, back to the light issue. The old rail trail runs through fields. Some sections are open, but other have quite a thick canopy of trees. It was difficult to see during these sections and even a bit eerie. At one point, I came up on two cones. It was so dark that I couldn't make out what they were until I was right on them.
Crossing Airport Road is much better at night, even if it isn't safe. There's little traffic on this portion. Distance seemed to be clicking away so slowly. I thought I was at around 1.5 miles out, but it only ended up being 1.25 miles. You have to be very devoted to your craft to be out there running alone like that in the dark.
Originally, I was hoping that maybe I could stretch this run to a new 2012 long of 4 miles. I was hoping to run to the 1.75 mile or 2 mile mark and then see how far I could come back. My plans changed rather quickly though when I came to almost 1.5 miles. I started to smell a skunk and its odor got stronger. I decided the risk of getting sprayed by a skunk I couldn't see wasn't worth trying to bang out another half mile each way. Therefore, I head back towards home. I figured if I really wanted to, I could do a short out and back.
As I approached 2.25 miles, my leg finally started acting up a bit. It is definitely recovering better because it didn't bother me in the beginning this time. Once it started giving me problems this time, I knew I wouldn't be pushing on to 4 miles.
I had to use the bathroom and luckily I didn't have to be too discrete about it on this dark and deserted trail. That cost me a few seconds and might've prevented my pace for going under 9:30 per mile. Regardless, I decided to push it at the end. I don't need to run hard too often, but it is good to finish runs strong every now and then. At the moment, it is more important for me to built up a nice base though.
I would've liked to have gone a bit further, but I'm satisfied with completing three miles. I'm recovering better now than I was a week ago and I'll be able to run with more frequency. It won't be too long before three miles is an easy day. The first few weeks seem to build up slowly, but once you get a good base started the miles come quickly as does the improvement. The soreness goes away too. I'm starting to become a real expert on this comeback stuff.
I stretched and iced afterward in hopes of keeping my strong recovering going. I want to get back out there and run. Not sure where I'll run next, but I'd like for it to be on Tuesday. I could go to the Finish Line group run, but they do run on roads (which I'm not sure I'm ready for yet) and sometimes go quite far. On the other hand, group runs push me like nothing else. Recovery may determine whether I do that. I'd also like to get to Trexler Nature Preserve sometime this week to get beat up on the hills for the first time. That's one place where my lungs will likely go before my legs do, although the hills will kill both. Regardless, it should be a good week of training.
3 miles - 28:37 (9:33 pace)
I was going to run last night and really wanted to so that I could get my third run of the week in. I found more excuses not to run though than reasons to run on Saturday night. I didn't want to run on pavement and the dirt path around the track is just too rough. Plus, I ate a big dinner and it wasn't sitting with me too well. Basically, I could've run, but why bother to when you aren't feeling up to it. I'm committed enough that I knew I'd run tonight.
The first time out there a couple weeks ago, I ran without a headlamp. I was planning on using my lamp this time. The problem was that it wasn't in my bag when I got to the trail. I didn't think I took it out after the last night run, but I guess I must have.
The lack of lighting made the trail interesting at time. The first problem though was that it took me quite awhile to get a GPS signal. I often seem to have that problem there. I'm not sure if it is the trees or what. I finally got moving though after quite a bit of walking. That wasn't all bad though as it made for a good warmup.
Anyway, back to the light issue. The old rail trail runs through fields. Some sections are open, but other have quite a thick canopy of trees. It was difficult to see during these sections and even a bit eerie. At one point, I came up on two cones. It was so dark that I couldn't make out what they were until I was right on them.
Crossing Airport Road is much better at night, even if it isn't safe. There's little traffic on this portion. Distance seemed to be clicking away so slowly. I thought I was at around 1.5 miles out, but it only ended up being 1.25 miles. You have to be very devoted to your craft to be out there running alone like that in the dark.
Originally, I was hoping that maybe I could stretch this run to a new 2012 long of 4 miles. I was hoping to run to the 1.75 mile or 2 mile mark and then see how far I could come back. My plans changed rather quickly though when I came to almost 1.5 miles. I started to smell a skunk and its odor got stronger. I decided the risk of getting sprayed by a skunk I couldn't see wasn't worth trying to bang out another half mile each way. Therefore, I head back towards home. I figured if I really wanted to, I could do a short out and back.
As I approached 2.25 miles, my leg finally started acting up a bit. It is definitely recovering better because it didn't bother me in the beginning this time. Once it started giving me problems this time, I knew I wouldn't be pushing on to 4 miles.
I had to use the bathroom and luckily I didn't have to be too discrete about it on this dark and deserted trail. That cost me a few seconds and might've prevented my pace for going under 9:30 per mile. Regardless, I decided to push it at the end. I don't need to run hard too often, but it is good to finish runs strong every now and then. At the moment, it is more important for me to built up a nice base though.
I would've liked to have gone a bit further, but I'm satisfied with completing three miles. I'm recovering better now than I was a week ago and I'll be able to run with more frequency. It won't be too long before three miles is an easy day. The first few weeks seem to build up slowly, but once you get a good base started the miles come quickly as does the improvement. The soreness goes away too. I'm starting to become a real expert on this comeback stuff.
I stretched and iced afterward in hopes of keeping my strong recovering going. I want to get back out there and run. Not sure where I'll run next, but I'd like for it to be on Tuesday. I could go to the Finish Line group run, but they do run on roads (which I'm not sure I'm ready for yet) and sometimes go quite far. On the other hand, group runs push me like nothing else. Recovery may determine whether I do that. I'd also like to get to Trexler Nature Preserve sometime this week to get beat up on the hills for the first time. That's one place where my lungs will likely go before my legs do, although the hills will kill both. Regardless, it should be a good week of training.
3 miles - 28:37 (9:33 pace)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Back to Leading the Group Run
I recovered very well from my last run. There's still some soreness in my legs, but it isn't as bad as last week. A lot of icing definitely helped. Even all the running around I did at the track meet and 5k didn't bother it too much.
I would've liked to have run on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I just didn't have time. The extra days off certainly didn't hurt. There's no rush to do too much. I decided I would come back to the group run today. I figured I'd only do about two miles, but I could at least open the clubhouse up and run a little.
The turnout for the group runs has been very poor since we started them back up this spring. Most weeks, we've been lucky if anyone even showed up. Today no one did other than the other run leader Akshay. Him and I ran a nice and easy two miles and then he continued on for a bit.
The weather was quite chilly. I went with a long sleeve shirt. I knew that was questionable, but didn't think I'd run long enough for it to matter. It actually didn't, but I was sweating quite a bit at the end.
I wanted to get some hills in, so we ran from the clubhouse up towards the police academy. Those hills were definitely slow, but I didn't struggle too much with them. It did take a lot out of me though and before a mile and a half I was exhausted. We ran over the first bridge and looped back until I hit two miles. Akshay walked back with me until the bridge by the clubhouse. Then he continued on running. We were just over a 10 minute pace per mile, but I decided not to push it to go under.
I was sore right afterward, but not too bad a few hours later. I did some stretching and now I'm icing it. I just have to keep concentrating on recovery until I get stronger. Then I can afford to slack a bit.
I wish I knew why our group runs are struggling so much. Apparently people said they wanted them, but none are going that great. Saturday is better than the weekday ones were. I think part of the problem is that people see the low turnout and don't come back. We at least had a nice little core in the fall, but they haven't returned this spring.
On Wednesday evening, I took photos for the first Summer Series 5k. They were well received on the facebook page. I guess I'll be doing that from now on. Jill asked me if I would write a weekly workout on the LV Running Scene newsletter. That would be great. I'd love to contribute to her website, but I just don't know what to write about. It seems like everything has been said all ready. Anyone who has been subscribing to Runner's World for years understands this.
Tomorrow I may or may not run in the evening. That depends how much walking we do at the auto race that I'm camping at. If I'm not sore, I might give it a go. I'll definitely try again on Saturday evening. I like running there at night, especially along the access road in the back. The small airport is somewhat lit up and the road is mostly dirt.
All in all I've had a better week than last. I've run smarter and recovered better. Once I can kick this soreness completely, my training will skyrocket. I just have to be patient.
2 miles - 20:10 (10:06 pace)
I would've liked to have run on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I just didn't have time. The extra days off certainly didn't hurt. There's no rush to do too much. I decided I would come back to the group run today. I figured I'd only do about two miles, but I could at least open the clubhouse up and run a little.
The turnout for the group runs has been very poor since we started them back up this spring. Most weeks, we've been lucky if anyone even showed up. Today no one did other than the other run leader Akshay. Him and I ran a nice and easy two miles and then he continued on for a bit.
The weather was quite chilly. I went with a long sleeve shirt. I knew that was questionable, but didn't think I'd run long enough for it to matter. It actually didn't, but I was sweating quite a bit at the end.
I wanted to get some hills in, so we ran from the clubhouse up towards the police academy. Those hills were definitely slow, but I didn't struggle too much with them. It did take a lot out of me though and before a mile and a half I was exhausted. We ran over the first bridge and looped back until I hit two miles. Akshay walked back with me until the bridge by the clubhouse. Then he continued on running. We were just over a 10 minute pace per mile, but I decided not to push it to go under.
I was sore right afterward, but not too bad a few hours later. I did some stretching and now I'm icing it. I just have to keep concentrating on recovery until I get stronger. Then I can afford to slack a bit.
I wish I knew why our group runs are struggling so much. Apparently people said they wanted them, but none are going that great. Saturday is better than the weekday ones were. I think part of the problem is that people see the low turnout and don't come back. We at least had a nice little core in the fall, but they haven't returned this spring.
On Wednesday evening, I took photos for the first Summer Series 5k. They were well received on the facebook page. I guess I'll be doing that from now on. Jill asked me if I would write a weekly workout on the LV Running Scene newsletter. That would be great. I'd love to contribute to her website, but I just don't know what to write about. It seems like everything has been said all ready. Anyone who has been subscribing to Runner's World for years understands this.
Tomorrow I may or may not run in the evening. That depends how much walking we do at the auto race that I'm camping at. If I'm not sore, I might give it a go. I'll definitely try again on Saturday evening. I like running there at night, especially along the access road in the back. The small airport is somewhat lit up and the road is mostly dirt.
All in all I've had a better week than last. I've run smarter and recovered better. Once I can kick this soreness completely, my training will skyrocket. I just have to be patient.
2 miles - 20:10 (10:06 pace)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
My Future
Well first off the good news before my rant. I did a lot of icing after yesterday's run and the legs feel good. After running around at the high school league track meet today and tomorrow, I'll really know just how good they are. I just want to be able to run again on Thursday. Now onto the rest of the story.
My mom and I had the argument the other day that we have every couple months. It's about my future and where I'm headed. When I lost my job in early 2009, I couldn't have been happier. I was thinking about quitting because I just didn't enjoy being an engineer and I still couldn't grasp the concepts. I was unable to relate the math with the real world situations that engineering required. I couldn't actually quit my job because I had no other options. Getting laid off was a big relief.
I prayed for God to lead me in the right direction. He brought me back to running a few months later and a few months after that I started working at a specialty sporting goods store in Philadelphia, City Sports. I enjoyed that job more than any other I ever had. It was simple with little pressure. I enjoyed interacting with fellow runners and athletes alike. I'm not necessarily the best salesman, but when it involves something I love, I can go on and on. It was also fun learning about all the new products. Of course the discounts on those products was nice too. The only problem was that it didn't pay much more than minimum wage.
That was the big problem and the starting point of my regular argument with my mom. I had to move home two years ago because I couldn't afford to live in Philadelphia on those wages. Unfortunately, I've had health problem since then and haven't been able to work at all. When I do get healthy enough to work, I plan on working in retail again. I'd love to work at Aardvark or the Finish Line. I might end up at the new Under Armour store, New Balance store or maybe one of the big box chain stores.
Of course my mom is mad that I left the world of decent pay and she feels my college education was a complete waste. She's also not thrilled I'm back home at 31. I get that. I just wish she'd get me. When I was an engineer, I was lazy and did enough work to get by. It's just hard for me to work hard on something I don't enjoy. On the other hand, it is hard to outwork me in my passions. I'm sort of an addict in that way. When I used to cover high school basketball for our website in my free time, I'd watch about 12 straights hours of games every weekend and then spend every spare moment writing about it. I must've worked 60 hours a week on this in addition to my regular job. That was all for no money and I ended up dishing out my own money to do that.
I took on running in the same way. I worked harder in my retail job than I ever did as an engineer. Of course I worked hard in my training too. Perhaps most important of all is what I have done with my free time during these unhealthy periods since I moved home. I've been getting involved in a ton of stuff. I've run with a bunch of different groups and began networking with a lot of people in the running community. I've written some about running, done photographing and I'm getting involved with the Lehigh Valley Road Runners as much as I can. Most importantly, I'm having fun doing it all.
I don't know where all this is going to end up. I might become a writer or photographer or a coach or maybe I'll even open up my own running store some day. The thing is I'm working towards giving myself options. I'm thinking that maybe I'll either do the photographing or coaching thing on the side in addition to working retail. That would give me the extra money that the retail job doesn't provide.
My mom doesn't get any of this though. She looks at it short term and says "you can't make a living doing that." I know it will be a struggle short term, but in the long run, I'll be successful. I'll put everything I have into my running endeavors. I just don't quite know yet what direction they will take me. Not only will I be successful, but more importantly I'll be happy in the end.
The other frustrating thing is that my mom acts like there are all these other great jobs out there. She's accepted that I'm not going back to engineering. Somehow she thinks that there are just all these great jobs that pay well and are just waiting for someone with no skills and no qualifications. Even if that was the case, I don't want to do something that I don't enjoy. I've had enough of that.
I'm in a position where I don't have a wife or kids, so it isn't like I need one of those jobs to support my family. I should even be able to support myself on near minimum wage now that I'm in an area that is cheaper to live. I won't be living the life of luxury, but that doesn't bother me.
My main goal is to be happy working and doing the things that I enjoy in life. If that is the case, I'll be able to give my all in it and it will lead me down a successful path. It won't happen overnight, but I'm in the right mindset now and will get to where I want to be. I just wish people would understand that. You'd thing the ones that know you for over 30 years would get that, but apparently not.
My mom and I had the argument the other day that we have every couple months. It's about my future and where I'm headed. When I lost my job in early 2009, I couldn't have been happier. I was thinking about quitting because I just didn't enjoy being an engineer and I still couldn't grasp the concepts. I was unable to relate the math with the real world situations that engineering required. I couldn't actually quit my job because I had no other options. Getting laid off was a big relief.
I prayed for God to lead me in the right direction. He brought me back to running a few months later and a few months after that I started working at a specialty sporting goods store in Philadelphia, City Sports. I enjoyed that job more than any other I ever had. It was simple with little pressure. I enjoyed interacting with fellow runners and athletes alike. I'm not necessarily the best salesman, but when it involves something I love, I can go on and on. It was also fun learning about all the new products. Of course the discounts on those products was nice too. The only problem was that it didn't pay much more than minimum wage.
That was the big problem and the starting point of my regular argument with my mom. I had to move home two years ago because I couldn't afford to live in Philadelphia on those wages. Unfortunately, I've had health problem since then and haven't been able to work at all. When I do get healthy enough to work, I plan on working in retail again. I'd love to work at Aardvark or the Finish Line. I might end up at the new Under Armour store, New Balance store or maybe one of the big box chain stores.
Of course my mom is mad that I left the world of decent pay and she feels my college education was a complete waste. She's also not thrilled I'm back home at 31. I get that. I just wish she'd get me. When I was an engineer, I was lazy and did enough work to get by. It's just hard for me to work hard on something I don't enjoy. On the other hand, it is hard to outwork me in my passions. I'm sort of an addict in that way. When I used to cover high school basketball for our website in my free time, I'd watch about 12 straights hours of games every weekend and then spend every spare moment writing about it. I must've worked 60 hours a week on this in addition to my regular job. That was all for no money and I ended up dishing out my own money to do that.
I took on running in the same way. I worked harder in my retail job than I ever did as an engineer. Of course I worked hard in my training too. Perhaps most important of all is what I have done with my free time during these unhealthy periods since I moved home. I've been getting involved in a ton of stuff. I've run with a bunch of different groups and began networking with a lot of people in the running community. I've written some about running, done photographing and I'm getting involved with the Lehigh Valley Road Runners as much as I can. Most importantly, I'm having fun doing it all.
I don't know where all this is going to end up. I might become a writer or photographer or a coach or maybe I'll even open up my own running store some day. The thing is I'm working towards giving myself options. I'm thinking that maybe I'll either do the photographing or coaching thing on the side in addition to working retail. That would give me the extra money that the retail job doesn't provide.
My mom doesn't get any of this though. She looks at it short term and says "you can't make a living doing that." I know it will be a struggle short term, but in the long run, I'll be successful. I'll put everything I have into my running endeavors. I just don't quite know yet what direction they will take me. Not only will I be successful, but more importantly I'll be happy in the end.
The other frustrating thing is that my mom acts like there are all these other great jobs out there. She's accepted that I'm not going back to engineering. Somehow she thinks that there are just all these great jobs that pay well and are just waiting for someone with no skills and no qualifications. Even if that was the case, I don't want to do something that I don't enjoy. I've had enough of that.
I'm in a position where I don't have a wife or kids, so it isn't like I need one of those jobs to support my family. I should even be able to support myself on near minimum wage now that I'm in an area that is cheaper to live. I won't be living the life of luxury, but that doesn't bother me.
My main goal is to be happy working and doing the things that I enjoy in life. If that is the case, I'll be able to give my all in it and it will lead me down a successful path. It won't happen overnight, but I'm in the right mindset now and will get to where I want to be. I just wish people would understand that. You'd thing the ones that know you for over 30 years would get that, but apparently not.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Keeping It Short
My recovery went fairly well after the 3.5 miles at night on Saturday. The ice bath, foam roller and stretching were a big help. Some soreness lingered into today, but it wasn't as bad as last week.
I decided to head out to Louise Moore Park and run an easy mile today. I've been doing too much too soon, so I need to scale back. The goal is to run shorter distances, but with more frequency. I hope to get in at least three runs in this week, if not four.
Louise Moore is a nice and easy loop. There aren't hills of any significance. The trail is fairly soft and one loop is just under a mile in length. It was cloudy and drizzling as I headed out, but the temperature was perfect.
Even though most of the soreness was gone, I still struggled early. Because of my knee problems, I barely lifted my legs and my form was awkward. It probably doesn't help to be running with such poor form. The big issue with running such a short distance is that my legs are stiff through most of the run. After about a mile, they came around on Saturday. When I hit a mile today, I was done.
My legs weren't just sore, they never were sharp at all today. Even when they stopped bothering me, they just had no pop. I was kind of hoping to run the mile under 9 minutes, but I would've had to push too much to do so today. Now is not the time to do that. I need to proceed with caution.
The run did seem like it was over before it started. My legs started getting sore on the ride home. I bought an ice wrap product at the store today and that seems to be working good so far. One of the big issues with my legs is that I can't find a way to stretch where it hurts. When I've had IT band problems, I've been able to do that and that was a big help.
Tonight I'm going to a lacrosse game and tomorrow and Wednesday I'll be at the high school league track meets. On Wednesday evening, I'll also be at the LVRR's first 5k of the Summer Series. Since my photos were so well received from the half marathon, I figured I'd photograph that too. All this will probably make it a little tough to recover. I might even carry my ice wrap with me.
Tom created a facebook group today to start doing more night runs. It is such a great idea. I suggested running at Merrill Creek in New Jersey. That's about a 5.5 mile loop around the lake. It would be cool at night. The big problem is that it is technically closed at night, so we'd have to get permission. I'm trying to come up with routes that would create a loop. That way people could stop at their cars to refuel after each loop or quit running altogether. Then we wouldn't need as much support as we did the other night. Regardless of how we do it, it should be fun.
I'm also strongly considering running the Freedom to Liberty run. It's a four miler at the beginning of June. It starts at Freedom HS and goes to Liberty HS. I'm having exploratory surgery shortly after that and might be out of commission for awhile afterward, depending on what they find. It will be fun to get my butt kicked by all the speedy high school runners too. I like that running helps causes, but I'm especially fond of races that help out high school programs.
I'm hoping to get another short run done either Wednesday or Thursday. It will be no more than a mile and a half. My Saturday night run at NJMP will be no more than two miles. I need to take it easy for awhile. Once my body adapts, my progress should be rapid. I just need to recover well enough to get more runs in each week.
1 mile - 9:42 (9:42 pace)
I decided to head out to Louise Moore Park and run an easy mile today. I've been doing too much too soon, so I need to scale back. The goal is to run shorter distances, but with more frequency. I hope to get in at least three runs in this week, if not four.
Louise Moore is a nice and easy loop. There aren't hills of any significance. The trail is fairly soft and one loop is just under a mile in length. It was cloudy and drizzling as I headed out, but the temperature was perfect.
Even though most of the soreness was gone, I still struggled early. Because of my knee problems, I barely lifted my legs and my form was awkward. It probably doesn't help to be running with such poor form. The big issue with running such a short distance is that my legs are stiff through most of the run. After about a mile, they came around on Saturday. When I hit a mile today, I was done.
My legs weren't just sore, they never were sharp at all today. Even when they stopped bothering me, they just had no pop. I was kind of hoping to run the mile under 9 minutes, but I would've had to push too much to do so today. Now is not the time to do that. I need to proceed with caution.
The run did seem like it was over before it started. My legs started getting sore on the ride home. I bought an ice wrap product at the store today and that seems to be working good so far. One of the big issues with my legs is that I can't find a way to stretch where it hurts. When I've had IT band problems, I've been able to do that and that was a big help.
Tonight I'm going to a lacrosse game and tomorrow and Wednesday I'll be at the high school league track meets. On Wednesday evening, I'll also be at the LVRR's first 5k of the Summer Series. Since my photos were so well received from the half marathon, I figured I'd photograph that too. All this will probably make it a little tough to recover. I might even carry my ice wrap with me.
Tom created a facebook group today to start doing more night runs. It is such a great idea. I suggested running at Merrill Creek in New Jersey. That's about a 5.5 mile loop around the lake. It would be cool at night. The big problem is that it is technically closed at night, so we'd have to get permission. I'm trying to come up with routes that would create a loop. That way people could stop at their cars to refuel after each loop or quit running altogether. Then we wouldn't need as much support as we did the other night. Regardless of how we do it, it should be fun.
I'm also strongly considering running the Freedom to Liberty run. It's a four miler at the beginning of June. It starts at Freedom HS and goes to Liberty HS. I'm having exploratory surgery shortly after that and might be out of commission for awhile afterward, depending on what they find. It will be fun to get my butt kicked by all the speedy high school runners too. I like that running helps causes, but I'm especially fond of races that help out high school programs.
I'm hoping to get another short run done either Wednesday or Thursday. It will be no more than a mile and a half. My Saturday night run at NJMP will be no more than two miles. I need to take it easy for awhile. Once my body adapts, my progress should be rapid. I just need to recover well enough to get more runs in each week.
1 mile - 9:42 (9:42 pace)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Fun Night Run with the BCR
This was the first of hopefully many Breakfast Club Runners night runs. Tom has a 12 hour night race coming up next week and wanted to get a long run in at night. A group of over ten of us ran varying distances, some as far as 25 miles. Since I'm just coming back, I only completed 3.5 miles. It was a difficult week for me in terms of recovery. I hoped to do a mid week run, but my legs were sore all week, even when I rested. The 3.5 miles last week at a face pace combined with all the walking I did over the weekend just beat my legs up. I was sore around my ankles and on the inside of my lower knees near the kneecap.
When I saw the concept of a night run, I couldn't pass it up. I love the night and running at night. I wish I was in better shape so I could've done the entire thing. Since I was only going to do a short leg, I agreed to crew as long as I was provided the supplies.
Tom got everything organized. We had a bit of a hiccup in that the cooler was so big it wouldn't fit in my car. I went home and got my parents SUV instead. That worked out well.
The run started from Scott Park in Easton. I agree to meet the group about nine miles out in Freemansburg and then run a short out and back. Since Angie didn't want to do the whole route, she started with them and finished up with me. The remainder of the group ran to Sand Island.
When I pulled up to wait for the group. I could tell things might get interesting. There were some loud people across the canal. They sounded drunk and at first I thought it was a group of teens partying. It turned out to be some drunk fishermen. Luckily, two of them left before our little group arrived. A couple pulled up to fish in the canal. I thought things would be dead, but apparently the Freemansburg Canal is the place to be on a Saturday night.
The one drunk left was a riot. He kept yelling stuff too us. He was such a mess that he actually feel off his bike at one point. Thankfully, he came by bike and not by car.
I was waiting for about hour for the group to come. It was really cool when they did approach with all their headlamps. That's one neat thing about night running. I saw the same thing only to a larger extent on the night trail race that I ran last fall.
After a brief rest at the SUV, we all got going and it was finally my chance to run. The inside of my knees really hurt early on. The uneven nature of the trail made it kind of tough. Right as we started, it began to rain. It was a light mist, so it actually ended up being kind of refreshing. It was bit annoying seeing it in front of your headlamp though.
There were a few wet sections that made for some puddle hopping alone the path. With the company of others and the fact that I couldn't see my watch easily, the run flew by. I decided to turn around with Angie at about the 1.75 mile marker. Even though I was feeling good, I didn't want to push it.
Coming back the time flew by as well. I had plenty of good conversations with Angie and we think we even saw a deer. Luckily, the drunk wasn't actually a problem when we got back. We relaxed at the SUV for a few minutes and waited for the rest of the group that was going to Sand Island. It took them longer than we expected.
The drunk was still wandering around, but not posing any problems. He was too wasted to do anything if he wanted. The group took another short break. Some of them had actually parked at Sand Island and got a ride back. I took a couple group photos and then drove Angie back to Scott Park. I'm actually glad I didn't have to wait around there for everyone else to finish. That would've taken awhile.
This was a fun run and I hope we do more. My legs weren't bothering me too much. Maybe the slower pace helped. Of course they weren't killing me too much last week during the run either, but then I couldn't recover well all week. I didn't stretch, use the foam roller or ice enough last week. This week I used the foam roller and soaked in an ice bath when I got home. They are painfully uncomfortable, but usually do the trick. I guess I'll see later in the week if it works.
Tomorrow will no doubt be an off day. Maybe some strides and drills or short hill sprints at best. I'm just going to work on running more often this coming week. I need to do shorter 1 or 2 mile runs like 4 days during the week. It might be tough with the high school league track meets coming up. Next weekend, we'll be camping in New Jersey for an auto race. I usually get it a fun night run there. There's a dirt path around the track, so it is a lot like tonight's run. The difference obviously being that I have no company.
It was a great run and nights like this really make it worth it. When I trained in Philly in 2009 and 2010, I did it all on my own. Combining socializing and training is so much more rewarding. I also know that it'll get me back to where I want to be and beyond much faster in addition to adding new friends. I look forward to many more group runs this summer and beyond.
3.5 miles - 35:56 (10:17 pace)
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