A Tired Run

Distance: 6.14 Miles
Pace: 10’21″

Why do I find myself still dreading these six miles runs? Five or less - no problem. Ten to thirteen? Exciting, let’s see what we’re made of! Six? Hold up there, I’m not so sure. Why? I think it comes down to two things.

This is my third run in a row for the week. With my long work hours, I am just plain tired. You can see by my pace, I was slower, about a minute per mile slower. What am I going to do when this run is eight? By then I’ll stronger and able to handle more miles while tired.  Maybe that is the point of the third run, to extend my ability to run while exhausted.

Also, my longer runs are a different loop. By the third run of the week I have passed by the same houses three times. I can now tell you which house has one less car in the driveway or who is having visitors. It is getting boring. So what do I do, grin and bear it? Or find another route? Given the time of day, or rather night, and the few roads with sidewalks or street lights in our area, I am hurting for choices. The long runs take me to a neighborhood I visit only once a week. It winds and turns with rolling hills. And it has no street lights.  Though I have a need for a change of scenery, it’s not worth getting hit by a car that can’t see me.

How do you keep yourself motivated to deal with the monotony of the long run?  I have tried music and podcasts.  I hear books on tape work just as well.  I have started noticing that my pace slows with a podcast, and faster with music.  My worry is listening to music for two hours and being trapped in my own thoughts.  My mind, at times, is a scary place.  How do people run with nothing?  Maybe I need to find a local running partner.  Any takers out there?

I have brought on an editor for the site to help out, since my grammar is terrible. I also have some potential guest writers as well, to help expand the scope of the site. That way it is not just a log of my runs and fitness.  If you have any suggestions please leave a comment or email me at rebuildingroberts@gmail.comm

Next Run: 9 Miles (Saturday)
Next Workout:  P90X (Disc 09 & 12) (Sunday)
Next Race: Burlington Race for the Hungry 5K

Suggestions? rebuildingroberts@gmail.com

Another Evening with the Road

Distance: 5.04 Miles
Pace: 9’43″

Now that five miles has become my short run, the need to distract myself from the run with a podcast has melted away.  I put on the soundtrack for the game called Mirror’s Edge.  I have never played the game; from the trailers and reviews I know that it is based on the idea of free running.  The soundtrack was designed around the same idea.  After the second song, the beats per minute pick up, and so did my pace.  During the run I tried to seperate myself from the world before and after my run.

I spent the time thinking about this site and the purpose of these posts.  Is it merely a way to record my thoughts after each run?  Is it a need to fill some narcissistic desire?  Do people read this and get something out of it?  Do I want to discuss the humorous things I see on a run?  I don’t know if I have all the answers, but they are out there somewhere.

Before I started running, I was not living a healthly life.  I could not imagine running a mile, let alone a half marathon.  In high school during gym class, I was one of the guys who walked the mile after the first lap.  I looked at marathon runners and thought they were nuts.  As time has gone by, I have learned running is desire, training, and determination  all wrapped up together.  Those three things define how far you can go.  You determine what you are capable of becoming.  Two years ago I didn’t see the need, or rather the desire, for this.

So how can others get something out of this site?  If this site helps someone just getting into running, or find inspiration for thier own journey to health, all the work is worth it.  So how can I achieve that?  What I have done is opened my ears and eyes.  I have spoken with a few people who read the site and recieved a couple suggestions.  I have heard you, and I am going to start fleshing the site out in those directions.  I have heard multiple people asking for more Gear Reviews, and topics in addition to my running log.  I won’t let up on the logs since that is where is started.  I will see what I can do to get other topics as well.  If you have any suggestions, please comment here or write to me at rebuildingroberts@gmail.com.  Good luck out on the road, and keep on moving.

Next Run: 2 Miles (Wednesday)
Next Workout:  P90X (Disc 01 & Disc 12) (Wednesday)
Next Race: Burlington Race for the Hungry 5K

Suggestions? rebuildingroberts@gmail.com

A quick run and a new PR

Distance: 2.07 Miles
Pace: 9’00″

Ok, that was the final short run before I run the half marathon distance tomorrow.  I am excited and worried at the same time.  It has been over two weeks since I have run over ten miles.  This last run was fantastic.  It was short, but I knew that going in to it.  I pushed myself and didn’t let up until my my legs told me to let off.  I set a new PR for the first mile, and for the entire run distance.  I almost got it under a 9 miute pace.  Yeah, I know for a pro that is nothing, for me, it is fantastic.  I hope to make that seem like nothing one day.

This was the first run I have done listening to music, rather than a podcast, in quite some time.  It is funny what came up on shuffle:

Iron – Iron Kid (Song from Assassin’s Creed Revelation Trailer)
Still Alive – Lisa Miskovsky (Song from Mirror’s Edge Trailer)
The Bomb - Bitter:Sweet (Starts off telling you to be all you can be)
Faster – Janelle Monae (A song that continues to pick up pace telling you to go faster.)

Each song seemed to try to push me harder and harder.  On a short run I can see that working; on a two hour run it may be exhausting or boring.  I am not quite sure which.

So I have decided to include P90X workouts into my routine. I watched the introductory video today, and if it is even half as tough as they make it out to be, this may kick my ass.  Then again, I thought running more than a couple minutes was impressive.  My primary focus of trianing will still be the running.  I am not planning on giving up on my goals.  At the same time I want to improve my overall health, and I believe some strength training will help.  After I complete tomorrow’s run I will lay out the next 12 weeks with runs and the P90X exercises.  Once those 12 weeks are done, I will map out the next 12 and complete out the last of the P90X routines.  Should I call it P180X or P45X?  Either way, I will be working out six days a week.  My only worry is with my work schedule, am I taking on too much?  I will revaluate on week 3, by then I am a quarter of the way in and have a good sense if I can keep it up.

I heard and expression the other day on an appointment, “It is easier to create than it is to maintain.”  It is so true in life and in business.  And the scary thing is, it is also true with weight loss and a workout routine.  This week has proven it to me.  This past week has been three ever decreasing runs, and my weigh in most likely will not be down.  It would be very easy to shelf this whole endevour and fall back into my old ways.  It is easy not to maintain this progress and return to being fat on the couch.  Glory may not always be found along the hard road; it is never found on the easy one.

Next Run: 13.1 Miles
Next Race: Burlington Race for the Hungry 5K