Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 29th Run (Week 24, Day 27)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 29th Run (Week 24, Day 27)

Click the link above for my run from this morning.

Well, so far, so good. I sent an email to Garmin Customer Support last night with a link to my run. The guy contacted me pretty quickly with a solution. I had to reset my GPS as it had gotten some bad satellite information that the unit stores to make the connection to the satellites faster. That's what I got from the techno jargon he sent back! LOL! Anyway, seemed to work fine today, so I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

Construction on the running/bike trail that runs along the north side of Quiedersbach is forcing me to alter my route back home. Soon, it will probably force me to have to run on a different trail. I'll probably hit the trail that leads to Gelterswoog Lake (pronounced Gell-ters-voog) in the vicinity of the village of Hohenecken (pronounced Hoe-neck-en), which sounds very dirty! That trail is very hilly, but will be a good change of pace. Pretty straight, but it does cross the main street (Barbarossastrasse) a few time on the way out & again on the way back. I don't really like that, as it's pretty dark & we are entering fog season over here.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 28th Run (Week 24, Day 26)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 28th Run (Week 24, Day 26)

Click the link above for my run from this morning.

Okay, so I was in total disbelief when I finished my run today. I decided I needed to start doing what I am supposed to be doing & running a longer midweek run. I figured since I had ran over 5 miles yesterday, I would run 6 today, and get on a 5-6-5-Long Run type pattern. I finished my run right at an hour & I know I did around 6.08 miles because it was the same run I did a couple Saturdays ago. To my dismay, my GPS said I ran 5.7ish miles! What, a whole 1/4 mile short? how'd that happen.

I uploaded the data from my device & took a look. The time is correct, 1:00:04. Awesome, so I was either WAY slow today, or right at my goal pace. So, I look at the map. There is a straight line on the way out of Queidersbach, almost all the way to Linden! The GPS dropped signal for some reason. The part that's kind of making me mad about the whole ordeal, the device seemed to just go into a frozen mode for awhile. I doubt my heart rate is right, or the elevation as they don't look like they should from my previous trends. Looks like I'll be forwarding this link to Garmin customer service today! Hope my GPS isn't going out! Grrrrrr!

Back of the Packers

I found an amazing blog tonight that talked about slow runners like me. I know, some of ya'll are probably thinking I am doing pretty well. Yes, I am shooting for a goal pace of 10 minutes per mile during the marathon, but 26.2 miles is a forever long way!

I would love to be able to put up a 10:00/mile pace for 26.2 miles. If I could do that, I would truely be amazed at my progress & know that God gave me wings to fly the marathon! I am realistically shooting for 10:00.mile for maybe the first 13 miles. After that, I expect quite a bit of taper on my per mile pace. The glory of this is, no matter how fast or slow I run the Paris Marathon, there are a couple guarantees:

1 - I just ran my first marathon... I set a personal record.

2 - If ya'll help, WE will have raised a good chunk of change for cancer research

3 - I can cross this off my list of things I want to do before I die

After trying to do a Google search to find out why when I feel slow I am actually running faster & vice versa, I stumbled across this guy's blog. His name is Jason, and he is a definate motivator for me know!

See, Jason was like me. He was fat & felt fat. He did what he had to do to lose the weight. Jason's now a lunatic who runs ultramarathons... distances of more than 26.2 miles. He ran 12 marathons in a year! That blows me away! New goal for me? LOL!

Anywho, I found a blog on his page that talked about "back of the packers" or people who run slow marathons. I will probably be in that category at Paris, so the story piqued my attention. The article was about a debate that these slow runners aren't really running a marathon cause they aren't pushing themselves. I equate this to running a marathon with an iPod.

See, alot of marathons are outlawing iPods, claiming that the mental portion is part of the challenge of the marathon. I say, you are the challenge of the marathon. Whatever you need to get you through the long hours of running, the sore muscles, and the mental challeges you face while preparing & running a marathon is what you should be doing!  A marathon is not a mythical beast to be conquered, but rather a milestone in someone's life.

Check out Jason's blog & really check out the article about the "back of the packers" by clicking HERE.  Show Jason some love while you're there too!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 27th Run (Week 24, Day 25)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 27th Run (Week 24, Day 25)

Click the link above to see my run from this morning.

HALLELUJA! No more cold runs for me! My Under Armour finally came in yesterday! I now mave my ClodGear Tights, Mock Turtle Neck & Hat, got a free pair of gloves to boot! Woo hoo! Today I ran in it. Felt nice. A little warm since it wasn't as cold out as it has been, or maybe it was as cold, I just couldn't tell it! LOL!

Run was pretty good this morning, felt slow, but was faster than I have been in a week! Hmmm... I am seeing a trend here. When I feel slow, I am actually fast. When I feel fast, I am utterly slow. Weird. Anyone out there know why that is? I guess I have new material to look up on The Grid tonight!

Have a good one folks, celebrating the gifts God has given you!

Wanna Join Me?

Running, while mostly a solitary, competitive event, has long been known for joining groups of people together who share the common intrest of running.  Be it for health, raising money, or for out right competition, running has been bringing people together for years.

I am not a competitive runner... anyone who has seen... well, heard me... clomp & clammor out of Queidersbach & back (that's you Luigi!), shooting snot rockets & sweating worse than any celebrity paired to be on stage at the same time as Kanye West!  I guess I fall into the solo category for neccessity right now.  I can't carry on a conversation long while I run as I still huff & puff quite a bit while I run, but I can see me becoming more of a social runner.


Any search of the interweb will probably yield a runners club in or around your city.  If not, there are some that are strictly online, but I think they are more along the lines of the more serious runners, some, like the Marathon Maniacs, actually require you to show proof that you have run several marathons and other criteria.  I'm not there yet, but I will reserve the right to join the Maniacs, based on how I feel after Paris!  LOL!

To keep things new on my trail to Paris, I am signing up for 5k & other events.  My first event is November 9th, 2009.  I will be running a 6 miler (10k) for charity... yes, Livestrong.  The event I will be running is called World Run Day.

World Run Day was founded in 1999 by Long Island Runner Bill McDermott.  World Run Day is intended to promote the sport of running and charitable giving on one special day each year. Starting with just 100 runners worldwide, runners connected and impacted their communities in a positive way. As a result, World Run Day was the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths, nationalities, and benefited their favorite charities. Soon group events formed in different cities such as World Run Day - Philadelphia, World Run Day - London, World Run Day - Sydney, etc. (even "World Run Day - Afghanistan" was celebrated during wartime). The event was designed to allow every runner, whether with a group or running individually, to be a part of the day.  You can find out more about World Run Day & the events in your area, by visiting their website HERE.

While there, sign up to run with me on November 8th, even if we can't run in the same place, at least we can be running for the same event!  If you can't run, why don't you drop on by my Livestrong Donation site & make a donation to help those who are in the race for their life against cancer.  You can find my Donation site below.




Saturday, October 24, 2009

Weekly Data Points

For the Data-heads:

Count: 4 Activities

Distance: 20.78 mi
Avg Distance: 5.20 mi
Time: 03:29:23 h:m:s
Avg Time: 00:52:20 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 2,788 ft
Avg Speed: 6.0 mph
Avg HR: 160 bpm
Calories: 3,956 C
Median Distance: 5.47 mi
Max Distance: 6.33 mi
Median Time: 00:54:39 h:m:s
Max Time: 01:03:26 h:m:s
Avg Elevation Gain: 697 ft
Median Elevation Gain: 699 ft
Max Elevation Gain: 1,134 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,846 ft
Avg Elevation Loss: 712 ft
Median Elevation Loss: 732 ft
Max Elevation Loss: 1,093 ft
Max Avg Speed: 6.0 mph
Max Speed: 11.0 mph
Max Avg HR: 162 bpm
Max HR: 179 bpm

Not bad for a weeks work!  LOL!

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 24th Run (Week 25, Day 24)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 24th Run (Week 25, Day 24)

Click the link above for my run from this morning.

Well, I was shooting for 7 miles today, but my body told me to turn around and start back home. Nothing like a sick kid at home to demotivate you to run... especially when she sleeps in your bed the night before a long run and plants her foot in your neck! Poor little girl is pretty bad off with being sick right now... hopefully it will pass soon.

1 second off my goal pace of 10:00/mile, but I'll take that any day of the week! LOL!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Lets Talk About Nipples

First of all, you should be ashamed of yourself for thinking like that!  This is a runner's blog, not a pornographic website!  Now that the reprimand is out of the way, imagine if you will, you are running and all of a sudden, you feel a burning sensation on your chest in your nipple area.  It progressively worsens and the next time you look down and you see red spots on your shirt.  By the end of your run, you look like this!  It's chafing & that's not my bag baby! 

As I discussed in a previous blog, cotton is the worst material you can run in.  Moisture + cotton = friction.  Friction + skin = chafing!  Not a fun equation, and bloody nipples do not make for a great finish line picture!  Bloody nipples are a real issue in the running world, but it is avoidable.

There are several ways to help prevent the dreaded bloody nipples.  High tech & low tech methods are out there, and hopefully I can shed some light on these for you, but first, a personal story.

Hello, my name is Chris, and I suffered from chronicly chafed nipples.  Not just as a runner, but even before.  My wife used to joke around and say she was going to buy me some "pasties."  These are basically stickers that are made for women when they wear evening wear when they cannot wear bras.  They are supposed to prevent accidental exposure by keeping those areas covered.

I'm sure these would help, but they are about 2" across.  WAY more than I need to cover.  LOL!  So, when I started running heavily in Korea, I had to find something as I would come in from the gym and have the dreaded blood spots on my shirts.  I asked a few friends what I should do... some of them ran track and stuff in high school, so hopefully they would have something for me.  The most I got was to try wrapping an ACE bandage around my chest before I ran every day.  Not really as easy as I'd like.  Yes, I'm lazy!


So, I went to the BX on base to try to figure out what I could do.  I was looking for pasties to be honest, but they didn't have any, but I did find some waterproof tape that I figured I'd try out.  So, basically, what I do everyday before I go on my run is cover each nipple with a small piece of waterproof tape, and it prevents the rubbing by my sweat soaked shirt.  This is probably the lowest tech method you could try.  This works surprisingly well.  What I did learn though, don't just pull the tape off as soon as you get finished!  OUCH!  Wait until you are in the shower & use the heat & from the water to help ease the removal!

Obviously, one of the higher tech methods is the use of Technical Shirts.  These shirts, like Under Armour, are made of moisture wicking material that transports the sweat from your skin, to the exterior of the shirt for rapid evaporation.  In fact, I use the Under Armour Technical Shirt, I prefer the compression gear, and the tape methods together.  I have yet to get bloody nipples after I started this practice.  Under Armour, while not the cheapest, is one of the better brands that I have seen talked about in the forums.  Several companies make "hydrophobic" Technical Shirts, even some that are really cheap & considered generic.  It's all about what works for you as a runner.


The last method I will cover is what I would call a medium tech method.  It's called Body Glide.  Body Glide is a deodorant stick type balm material.  You can put this on your skin before runs and it helps prevent chafing & blisters.  Now, I'm not exactly sure what this stuff is made of, but according to their website, this deodorant type stick is rubbed on before you begin your exercise and it penetrates the skin and and creates an invisible, comfortable barrier against friction and moisture - without clogging pores or trapping perspiration; feels ‘dry’ to the touch.  Check out their website HERE.  I bought a 2 pack as they were on sale on Amazon.com a month or so ago.  I have tried it on a spot on my heel and it prevented a blister from getting any worse.  It was dry to the touch, so I can say that that part is a true statement.  I haven't gotten much past 6 miles on my runs, and I think this is probably what it is designed for, so I will follow-up after I try it. 


I equate this to seeing a movie about Steve Prefontaine, one of the greatest runners in history, where before a run he used a stick of deodorant under his arms, then used the same deodorant stick on his inner thighs.  It was kind of gross when you think about it, but using deodorant is not all that uncommon.  According to Madetorun.com, using deodorant when you are out of whatever type of runner's glide product you are using, is not only acceptable, but encouraged by their staff.  As they put it,
Personally I’d rather my nipples be fresh and non-odorous than chafed and bleeding!
I tend to agree... no matter if it's your first or 100th marathon finish, bloody nipples are no way to celebrate!  By the way, Steve Prefontaine has the most pimp-tastic mustache & sideburns I have EVER seen!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 22nd Run (Week 25, Day 23)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 22nd Run (Week 25, Day 23)

Click the link above for my run from this morning.

Pretty okay run... a little faster than yesterday, but still off my goal pace... by 3 seconds, so I can't really complain about that! LOL!

If anyone knows someone in Paris, or near the Paris area, I'd like to speak with them. Please let me know!

John Bingham is My Hommie!

You're probably not familiar with John Bingham.  I just met him tonight... well, met is probably the wrong word.  He writes for Runners World magazine, and I just read the best little article I think I have read in a long time!  I had to jump on here & share it!  By the way, meet Mr. Bingham!  --------------->

All of the following is from his article, and I claim NO credit for it's awesomness!



Rising to the Challenge
A Marathon is a test of strength that can take you to new heights

By John Bingham

John Bryant's riveting book "The Marathon Makers" recounts the story of the 1908 London Olympics - the first time the marathon was officially 26 miles, 385 yards - when the race leader, Dorando Pietri, stumbled five times in the stadium and was carried across the finish line.  When I met Bryant last year - where else? - a marathon expo, I asked him why, 100 years after the first 26.2-mile marathon, the distance is so popular with runners of all speeds.

"It has become the great urban Everest," Bryant said.  Like Everest, the marathon stands as a challenge to all who confront it.  The difference, as Bryant points out, is that completing a marathon is both "conceivable & achievable" for all runners.

Conceivable & achievable.  At some point in most of our lives we develop a long list of goals & dreams we'd like to accomplish.  Eventually, those of us with modest talent end up dismissing the vast majority of these aspirations because we realize how improbable they really are.

I've watched hundreds of hours of film about climbing Everest and yet I still can't conceive of doing it myself.  Not that I lack ambition or suffer from a terminal case of low self-esteem.  It's just that I know that my physical & emotional limits would keep me from trying.

But the marathon was different.  Years ago, when I was just starting to run, I met someone who had just finished a marathon.  What surprised me was that they he didn't seem all that different from me.  I though, Well, if he can do it, so can I.

And thanks to all the training programs & running clubs & coaches out there today, plenty of resources can help aspiring marathoners achieve their own goals.  Every year hundreds of thousands of people of all ages, shapes, speeds, and backgrounds make their way over 26.2 miles in races large & small.

The marathon wasn't always such a welcoming event.  In 1908, the myth of Pheidippides, who ran the first marathon in ancient Greece and then promptly dropped dead, still kept men from competing in the race.  Just a generation ago the ignorance of men who organized marathons kept women away.  But then our culture started to gradually change - and running evolved with it.  People of strength & character started breaking down doors of discrimination.  People like Katherine Switzer, who in 1967 became the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon with a bib number, made the marathon both a conceivable & achievable goal for runners everywhere.

And so the marathon has become the great urban Everest that Bryant describes.  It's a challenge that's open to everyone.  Young or old, fast or slow, all you need is the desire to test yourself, to push your limits.  Succeeding ath this challenge - wether it's your first or 50th marathon - can be one of the highest points in your life, a place from which you can look down on all that you've accomplished.

That pont may be at sea level instead of 29,000 feet, but it is a view that cannot be matched.

Waddle on, friends.
I couldn't have said it better myself!  John Bingham just bled awesomness from his pen... or keyboard!  LOL!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 21st Run (Week 25, Day 22)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 21st Run (Week 25, Day 22)

Click the above link for my run from this morning.

DISAPPONTMENT! That's what sums up today! I woke up when the alarm went off, but didn't get out of bed. Instead of snoozing, I shut it off! Grrr! I woke up when I realized I had been in bed for a long time since the alarm went off, and it was 6:51... the time I am usually starting to run. So, needless to say I got a late start.

I decided to fallback on my running a little this morning, which is something I should be doing every 2-3 weeks to let my body recover & build up. Yeah, disappontment here too, as I was well off my 10:00/mile pace.

I guess the good thing is, I still have 25 weeks to get over it!

Hydrate or Die

Oh glorious combination of 1 part hydrogen & 2 parts oxygen!  What is it about this special combination that we cannot live without?

One of the most important aspects of marathon training is hydration. I mean, our bodies are roughly 70% water.  We must constantly replinish this amount.  We get small amounts through the food we eat, but the majority comes from a tap/bottle.  Literally, we must replinish this supply of water in our bodies or we will die.

Dehydration is the result of the bodies loss of water.  The effects of dehydration are noticable with as little as 2% water loss.  a loss of 15% of water is fatal.  When you are running distances, it's extremely important to replinish the water that is lost throughout your run, not just when you are finished.

What complicates this issue is the fact that you can drink too little, or too much during your distance runs.  Hyponatremia ( low blood salt level due to abnormal fluid retention from overdrinking) and dehydration (due to net fluid losses from under drinking) are conditions easily adverted by understanding your individual body needs. I found a little chart today that kind of sums up what one needs to do during their runs, here's what I need:

I am running about 9-10 minutes/mile
So I need to intake approximately 24 oz / hour

Okay, so I know how much I need to take in now.  The big thing is that during my marathon, there will be water/aid stations every 5km... that's 3ish miles for us Americans!  That, I can manage.  The problem comes when I am running the roads during my training.  What I found, was a nice little piece of gear from a company called Nathan Hydration.  This belt holds 40oz of water, or sports drink, and it is equally distributed around your waist.  It also has 2 poskets.  A large pocket for energy gels and a smaller one for money or keys or whatever.  The bottles are a strong, but flimsy plastic that allows for a good squeeze to get the water you need, as fast or as slow as you'd like.

One of the biggest things I am worrying about is taking water on the move during my marathon.  Many of the articles that I have read about drinking while running state that it's not adviseable for beginners.  Mostly due to it being a choking hazard.  What many experts advise is that youwalk through the aid stations while you drink your water.  This will allow you to get all of your hydration, while at the same time, catching your breath.  There is also a safety issue to consider.


In the Rock & Roll San Diego Marathon, there are just over 16,000 runners.  Now, the Paris on the other hand, has around 40,000 places.  This is the view of one of the water stations during the San Diego.  As you can see, the cups are littering the ground.  Wet cups on hard surfaces create pretty treacherous footing.  With a larger portion of the Paris being on cobblestoned streets, I need to make sure I don't turn an ankle, or worse.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 20th Run (Week 25, Day 21)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 20th Run (Week 25, Day 21)

Click the link above for my run from this morning.

Yep, another cold one, & more capillary response, this time on my stomach... still itching too! Wow!

Run was average today, still in the new moon phase, so several parts of my run, maily the parts through the trees, were very dark, but the open stretches were pretty beautiful with all the stars again. It really helps keep me motivated to see things like this.

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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Pictures

Just a quick note to let you all know that I uploaded a few pictures of my father, John Solomon, who is one of the people I am running in memory of.  Thanks to my Aunt Willie, I now have 2 pictures of my father that I, nor my brother, had ever seen before, inicluding one of his Purple Heart Ceremony!  The red hued one we had seen, but I have no idea where my tattered copy of it is at... surely in a box of pictures still packed up downstairs!

If you'd like to see the pictures, it's the post titled "In Memory Part 1".  It's also tagged "Memory".  Or, you can just click HERE!

Data Points

For all you Data-heads out there... if you're like me, you eat this stuff up... here is what my Forerunner says I have done since September 13th, which was zero day of my marathon training:

Sep 13, 2009 - Oct 17, 2009

Count: 21 Activities


Distance: 87.58 mi

Avg Distance: 4.17 mi

Time: 14:20:44 h:m:s

Avg Time: 00:40:59 h:m:s

Elevation Gain: 16,369 ft

Avg Speed: 6.1 mph

Avg HR: 161 bpm

Calories: 17,223 C

Median Distance: 4.26 mi

Max Distance: 6.08 mi

Median Time: 00:41:54 h:m:s

Max Time: 01:00:20 h:m:s

Avg Elevation Gain: 779 ft

Median Elevation Gain: 747 ft

Max Elevation Gain: 1,873 ft

Elevation Loss: 17,489 ft

Avg Elevation Loss: 833 ft

Median Elevation Loss: 790 ft

Max Elevation Loss: 1,881 ft

Max Avg Speed: 6.3 mph

Max Speed: 53.5 mph

Max Avg HR: 168 bpm

Max HR: 182 bpm

Pretty awesome stuff that a fat man is able to do this!  The stat that got me was 17,233 calories burned... okay, yeah, 87.58 miles in 21 run sessions is pretty impressive to me too!  LOL!

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 17th Run (Week 26, Day 20)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 17th Run (Week 26, Day 20)

Click the link above for my run from this morning.

This was my LRD of the week. I never knew 6 miles was so far! LOL! I hit just under my goal pace of 10:00 per mile. I got 9:55 per mile... as long as I hit my goals! LOL!

The fair is set up in Queidersbach today... was still too early for folks to be out & about when I set out on my run this morning, so no funny looks. I did notice that I pass this man on my Saturday runs. He looks a little like an older version of Luigi from Super Mario Brothers! He always looks at me like he is wondering what I am doing... maybe he's just in shock cause he's never heard 1 person sound like a herd of stampeding buffalo when they run!

Anyway, decent run this morning. Wasn't too cold. My gear kept me comfortable since I got some runners thermal underwear to run in until I can get me some tights!

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Exercise Allergy?!?!

Tuesday was my first real run where it was cold.  Man, why did I choose Germany to begin preparing for a marathon, much less Germany across the winter?  Along with the cold weather comes some extra preparation, clothing and such, but also, a whole other bag of issues that I have to watch out for.

Frost bite/Frost Nip are my primary concern during this portion of my training.  I will, hopefully, be getting some gear soon to help alleviate some of this issue, but I am still concerned about it.  The best defense against these enemies, when you know you have to be out in the weather, is to layer & cover.

You must layer to perserve warmth, but you must choose your layers wisely, as with running in layers, you are prone to overheating.  Overheating could be just as bad, if not worse than frost bite/frost nip.  Overheating & having a heat stroke while miles away from home on a cold, deserted trail at 4am is probably not a recipe for a succcessful life, much less a successful marathon!  I have been reading a lot about layering over the past couple weeks.  Under Armour has a layering system that I have been looking at that will do just fine!

Slips & falls on the ice are my next concern.  I am doing everything I can, even giving up on playing intramural football for my squadron this year, to avoid injuries.  If you know me, you know I love playing football, so this is an amazing thing in itself.  This area of Germany, historically, gets about 15-21 days of snowfall each year.  I'm sure though, after talking to lots of people I work with, we get tons of ice.  Running outside, I am sure I will run into ice patches.  This is going to be new to me.  I'm not real sure how I will handle the ice issue, other than I will just have to see how it goes.  I will definately need to get a headlight for running during the winter, as it will get dark very early here.  From what I have heard, I can expect it to be dark at 5pm during the middle of the winter.  Without a light, I won't be able to see the ice to try to avoid it.

I'm sure by now ya'll are asking yourselves, "Chris, what does this have to do with the title of your blog?"  Here we go.  Tuesday, as I said, was my first real cold weather run.  I got back and got into a luke warm shower, as I normally do.  I knew I was cold, since by the time the water ran from my head, down to my legs, the water was icy on my calves.  I thought it was just that my legs were cold, but I knew my hands were no longer cold, as I was feeling warm on them from the shower head.  I reached down & felt the water that was on the floor of the shower, and it was ice cold too.  That's when I noticed something that kind of startled me.

My thighs had turned bright red and were itching like crazy.  I didn't know what was going on, I just knew it was itching badly.  I thought that maybe I had brushed up against something on the running trail with my hands and was having some sort of allergic reaction.  Then, as abrubtly as the itching came on, it stopped.  The redness was still there though.  I asked a fellow runner I work with, but he had never experienced anything like this.  So, as I always do, off to the net I surfed.

I was searching the Runner's World forums and found this explanation, which I am sure my medical background folks have already figured out:
"The itching is not on the skin, it's inside the actual limbs. There are millions of tiny capillaries and arteries inside our muscles which expand rapidly due to the demand for more blood that is brought on by exercise. When warm, these capillaries remain open allowing maximum blood passage, but when cold they tend to collapse, allowing only minimal blood passage.  The rapid expansion of these vessels from warm water or rapid warming causes adjacent nerves to send impulses back to the brain which are interpreted as an itch. The body actually confuses the brain during cold weather activity as the extremely cold on the skin tricks the brain into thinking the muscles are cold, therefore shrinking the capillary ends to preserve blood warmth.  So, even though the muscles are warm, the skin being cold keeps the capillaries closed"
So, that explained my issue, which, if I remember correctly, was referred to as "capillary response" in the forums.  I did run across a rather interesting bit of information though, and yes, I verified it through medical websites too!

One poster was describing that while going through a class of Epi Pens, a pen type device that delivers medicine to people in anaphylactic shock due to food allergies, bee stings, and various other issues, the instructor brought up the fact that some people can go into anaphylaxis during exercise.  WHAT!?!?!  You can actually be allergic to exercise!  I couldn't believe it!  I'm sure the military would NEVER accept this as an excuse... LOL!  I would usually never add a link to an About.com website, but this just puts it in such layman's terms.  I was able to understand this alot better than the actual medical sites that love to use medical jargon.  Click HERE to read about Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 15th Run (Week 26, Day 19)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 15th Run (Week 26, Day 19)

Click the link above to see my run from this morning.

Not much to say about this morning, other than it was a new moon, so it was VERY dark this morning.

Additionally, it was 23 degrees when I started my run... even though I am in Europe, I mean it was 23 degrees Farenheit, not Celcius! Yes, it was cold. I think the sweat on the bill of my cap had ice chunks on it!

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Getting Armoured Up to Run

I've been talking a lot lately about how the Base Exchange(BX) (our version of a department store that is located on most military installations, also called AAFES) hasn't had what I have needed for my running gear since they opened this new, multi-million dollar store.  When they had 2 stores, they always seemed to have what I needed.  Now that they are down to one store, they have yet to have some gear that I need for my cold weather runs.  So, I guess I will cover a little bit of my gear.

I am an Under Armour kind of guy.  A lot of runners give Under Armour mixed reviews.
I think it's some of the best stuff ever made, but then again, my experience as a runner is limited here.  For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past several years, Under Armour is a brand name for a form fitting, moisture wicking, apparel company.  Their gear was originally designed to be worn under football shoulder pads to help regulate the players body temperature, as shoulder pad don't breathe very well.  The material carries moisture, sweat, from the body, to the outer surface of the garment, allowing for speedy evaporation & body cooling.

Under Armour comes in 3 varieties, Heat Gear, All Season, & Cold Gear.  Pretty simple, Heat Gear for when it's hot, Cold Gear for when it's cold & All Season for the in between times.  You can also choose Compression or Loose.  Compression is designed to be very form fitting.  By very form fitting, I mean you can count someone stretch marks through the stuff if they don't have anything on top of the compression item.  Compression has some extra benefits too.  It helps hold heat to the body to keep the muscles warm, which reduces the chances of muscle pulls & strains.  Additionally, it adds a slight bit of extra support, though not much, to the muscles.

I like Under Armour because they cater to the military.  They have a dedicated line called Under Armour Tactical, that was designed to meet military specs, so we can wear it with our uniforms, even while in the desert war zones.

Currently, I run in Heat Gear Compression shorts & short sleeve shirt.  These work great as a base layer as they can be hand washed and dry over night hanging in my shower... really helps keep the stink down, which I'm sure my wife appreciates!


Over this I wear a pair of Heat Gear Loose Shorts & an All Season Transit 1/4 Zip in Yellow.  It's a nice bright color so cars can see me & it was the only long sleeve they had at the BX!




Finally, I top it all off with the Escape Runners Hat to reduce the heat lost through my scalp & to catch my head sweat!



I will be adding to my kit shortly, with some Cold Gear tights, Cold Gear Compression Mock Turtle Neck & Cold Gear Gloves... maybe even a Cold Gear hat of some sort.  I think I am going to need is since the tempeartures are plummeting over here!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 14th Run (Week 26, Day 18)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 14th Run (Week 26, Day 18)

Click the link above for my run from this morning.

It's amazing that even though God knows all the things I have done in the past, he still chooses to amaze & bless me!

Thanks to Maria, I realized I had to work a different shift today. So, I had to get up at 0400 to go run. I did not want to get up or go run this morning. It was around 31 degrees out when I went out to stretch. I was dreading this.

Out of Queidersbach I ran. Making pretty good time too for a mid week run, which seem to be my slower runs of the week. I get out on to the running trail that goes through the woods. It's dark and COLD! Then I look up.

Star dust! I can't tell you how long it's been since I have seen star dust. For those city folk who don't have any idea what I am refering to, it's when it's so dark that your eyes get the light from so many stars that it looks like the dark areas of the sky between the brighter stars are filed with a powdery white dust... hence, star dust! It's an amazing creation by God!

My run wasn't too bad either, though I was on the ragged edge of cold the entire time... I sure hope the BX gets some Under Armour Cold Gear soon!

Get out there & take the time to see the wonderous creation God has made! You may even see the one thing he put out there today, just for you, like I did this morning!

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Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 13th Run (Week 26, Day 17)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 13th Run (Week 26, Day 17)

Click the link above to see my run from this morning.

So, usually, after making my round through Linden, my route back in to Queidersbach mirrors the route I took out. This morning, I decided to continue on the running trial through the backside of Queidersbach.

I knew it was going to be longer than I had planned on running, but I felt pretty good on my run this morning, besides having to stop because I thought I was going to vomit from not being able to clear my throat... yes, snot tried to go down the wrong pipe & almost choked me out! I have to figure out how I did this as a kid!

Pretty uneventful run today, other than being cold most of the time... I wish our brand new, state o the art, multi million dollar Base Exchange would ralize that thier primary customers are male (sorry ladies... it's still a man dominated military) and carry more Under Armour. They had, literally, tons of the stuff when they were split into 2 BX's. Now that they are 1, it's all short sleeved stuff, but the ladies Under Armour section grew 3 fold! Crazy!

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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Be Seen or Be Dead

Inherantly, when you are running the distances that are required for marathon training, you will be running in the dark.  Not to mention, running laps around a 1/4 mile track is not my idea of fun.  I get sick on rides that go around in tight circles!  So, I am looking at the challenge of running in both daylight & darkness, on roads and sidewalks.  These are not my areas.  Well, at least the road is not my area.  That belongs to the cars; therefore, I leave it to them as much as I possibly can.  I have come up with a few simple rules... no, I didn't come up with them all on my own, but if you are going to be street running, you might want to consider these:

- Always run against the flow traffic... you want to see what is coming at you so you can jump out of the way if needed

- Just cause you are on the sidewalk, doesn't mean you're safe... keep your head on a swivel

- Face planting into the mud diving out of the way of a car is better than death... it's bigger than you, so the law of gross tonage applies

- If you wear an iPod, and must wear it while on the road, the traffic side ear bud must come out... you can't avoid what you cannot hear (Just read an article about hybrid cars being the runners silent killer)

- Be seen... if you can do anything to be seen, do it!  This includes waving, wearing bright colors, reflective clothing

- Always tell someone where you are running... leave a note or something describing the route & time expected to return, that way, in case the horrible happens, people know where to find you

- Wear your allergies, name & contact number... the emergency service folks don't know what you do if you are unconscious.  Help them, help you!

That was painless, hopefully.  I want to expound on a couple of these though.

Clothing choice is pivitol when running, not only for body temperature regulation, but for safety.  Here is how I look when I run during the day.  I choose colors that drivers can't help but see.  This is an Under Armour Steeltown Gold long sleeve (sleeves are pulled up right now) shirt.  You can almost HEAR me coming when I wear this thing! 
I will still wave at vehicles, bicycleists, etc when they are coming toward me while I am running.  I want to make sure they see me & avoid me.  It's not the runner who should have to be avoiding a vehicle, it SHOULD be the vehicle avoiding the runner in my opinion.  I do my best about not running on the road, unless I encounter one of the elderly folks walking around our village on the sidewalk.  I will immediately get out of their way... it's not only respectful, it's also for their safety.  I don't want them to try to move out of my way and slip & fall.  I would feel horrible if I caused an elderly person to break a hip or something!

This is how I want to look when I run before daylight.  Yeah, I know, it's not a runner, but I want to look just like this when I run!  My typical kit when I run at night is not much different than what I wear during the day right now.  My hat has reflective material on it.  My shirt & shorts have reflective material on them.  My shoes have reflective material on them.  The biggest change right now, is I wear a 3M reflective safety belt.  This is basically just a reflective strip of plastic that wraps around my waist & velcros.  I really need to order a runners headlight.  I also have seen a flashing red safety light that clips to your back or fastens to your hat band in the back so vehicles approaching from behind see you.  One of the tools I use right now is my iPod. 

I have the iPod touch that I run with.  I downloaded an application for it called iFlashlight.  It was free and just displays a white screen on the iPod.  If I am being approached by a car, I will unlock my iPod and shine the "flashlight" at them.  It seems to get their attention, but it doesn't do much for me by helping me see the uneven German roads!  LOL!


The last one I want to touch on is the identification.  There are several ideas for making sure EMS workers have vital information about you.  I am allergic to penecillin, which is one of the most common antibiotics.  To avoid them giving me this antibiotic, I had a set of dogtags made.  I laced one into my shoe and the other I carry in my iPod armband.  It shows the EMS my name, emergency contact phone number, and allergies.  I found a company in the last copy of Runners World magazine called Road ID.  Click HERE for their website.  This is a nice form factor for an ID band.  They also have one that has a code on it that the EMS workers can access via the Road ID website and get even more info about you.  I think my dogtags work fine though and were only $5.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 10th Run (Week 27, Day 16)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 10th Run (Week 27, Day 16)

Click the link above for my run from this morning.

I awoke to the rain pounding on the beroom window. I guess these will probably be some of my harder runs. I literally had to make myself go out the door. I am glad I did though, as it was a beautiful run, even got to see some deer feeding in an area along my route that I call the Deep Field. It's was cool as I was running, seeing the deer, listening to some Casting Crowns & feeling the rain on my face.

Note to self, running through mud puddles is not as fun as it was when I was a kid though!

I ran out of running road (aka sidewalk or bike trail) on the way toward Krickenbach, so looks like I won't be turning there anymore. Will be traveling straight through Linden now. I may run toward Krikenbach when I want to do some hill training, cause it's a steady uphill jaunt of about 1/4 mile!

Maria took a few shots of me as I was running out & again running back into Queidersbach this morning & I will post those in an upcoming blog.

This was my LRD of the week. For all you data hounds out there, here is the stats thus far in my training:

Scheduled for Week 4 - 10.5 miles
Actual for Week 4 - 18.28 miles @ 3:01:20 for time.

Overall Through 4 Weeks
Scheduled - 38 miles
Actual - 65.91 miles @ 10:47:34 for time.

AWESOME!

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Of Gu, Glycogen & You

Yeah, yeah, I know, weird title. I will clarify if you just keep reading, and it may actually benefit some of you one day.


I’m a science freak. I loved it all throughout school, and if you put science into a subject that I think is useless & boring, I will get totally into it! I guess that’s why I love the show Good Eats with Alton Brown.  The way he mixes science into cooking keeps me intrigued, even if Maria can’t stand it! I think she’d like the show if Alton Brown wasn’t the star of it, but that’s another story.

Good Eats, for those who have not had the opportunity, nay the honor, of seeing it, not only teaches you how to cook certain foods or dishes, but it mixes in some history of the item, some science about why you should use one pan or the other, or why you should use egg whites as opposed to whole eggs, etc. It’s not just TV shows that draw me in with science though… have you not been following my blog thus far?

This marathon training has really got me looking into the science of the human body. More so than ever before, science is playing a huge role in distance running. Take a look at how shoes have changed. We’ve seen air filled shoes, shoes with pumps, bungee cord strings, round strings, flat strings, gel inserts, lighter shoes, mesh, “hydrophobic” materials, and the list goes on & on. I mean, did you read my blog about a $50 pair of socks! And the technological advancements with GPS’s, heart rate monitors, winter training gear, it’s easy to see that great strides are being made in the sport. Even strides aimed at the insides of our bodies are being made.


Glycogen is a molecule that is made by the liver & muscles from the carbohydrates we take in. It is the fuel for our muscles. The glycogen is stored in the muscles & in the liver, though the glycogen in the muscles is what we are going to be focusing on.

Glycogen is like throwing gasoline on a fire. It burns very rapidly, but pretty efficiently. It’s right there at the muscles, so the muscles use these stores first. Fat, on the other hand, is like throwing wet wood on a fire. The fire will eventually dry the wood, and it will burn, but it takes awhile for it to really get going. For runners, and other active sports, the body will burn the glycogen, then revert to trying to burn fat.

A runner can store about 2000 calories worth of glycogen in their bodies. Depending on the rate of burn, the glycogen stores of said runner will be depleted around 18-20 miles. If you’ve read anything about marathon running before, 18-20 miles is what is known as the wall. This is the point that the runner reaches where it feels like their muscles just cannot go on. This is the body running out of glycogen & reverting to burning fat for energy. For this reason, marathons have used oranges, bananas, candy, sugar cubes, and tons of other items stationed throughout the course, to help the runner replenish glycogen during their run to avoid, or at least minimize, the effects created by a lack of glycogen. Here comes science to the runners rescue!


Several companies over the past few years have introduced energy gels to the market. Two of the more well known are Gu & Powerbar.  These energy gels provide complex carbohydrates that the body can quickly process into more glycogen. They may also contain caffeine, amino acids, electrolytes, or some other bonus supplement. Their proper use is essential during a marathon. With the gels, it’s advised that you take one about an hour before the marathon, and then every 45 minutes during the run. You wash it down with 4-5 ounces of WATER… no sports drinks. Sports drinks can cause delayed gel absorption & stomach upset, which are not good for a marathon. If your muscles don’t get the glycogen they need, the wall will get you. If your stomach is upset… 26.2 miles is a long way to run, but even longer when the porta-potties are spaced 3 miles apart! It’s recommended that you use moderation when mixing sports drinks & energy gels during a workout, long run or marathon. Adequate water intake is also key to help in the transport of the gel through the small intestines where it is absorbed.

I am in the process of trying some of these. I have three items that I will be trying. Gu, Powerbar Gel, and Jelly Belly Sport Beans. Yeah, I know, it’s not an energy gel, but a friend of mine swears by them.  Not to mention, I love me some Jelly Belly’s! I will let you know how the trials go on these items. I have decided to wait until I am running over an hour before I start testing these items to see how they fare on my stomach, which is my major concern.  Oh yeah, & Jelly Belly's are Good Eats!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

The Underwear of the Feet

Since I covered the feet in the last gear blog, let's keep in that same general vicinity & talk about socks.  I have learned more about socks in the past few weeks than any person ought to know!

All socks are made, somewhat, alike.  There may be subtle differences in fabric content, individual toes, colors, size, etc.  When most people are told to think of a sock, they think of the plain white tube, 100% cotton or cotton & a small percentage of some other material that helps it keep it's "springyness."  That's what I thought of anyway.  I mean, how hard could it be to throw on a sock & hit the streets, right?  WRONG!

While, yes, you technically can just throw on any sock, one of the fundamental rules of running comes into play... please remember this rule, as you will see it again, SEVERAL times throughout my journey.  Cotton is the enemy of all runners... well, more precisely, cotton & moisture are the enemies.

See, cotton rubs the skin.  That's all fine & good until you add some moisture.  Any moisture will do, sweat, rain, sweat, mud puddle, sweat, spilled water that you were trying to drink while running, sweat... see a trend developing here?  Literally, any moisture will cause the cotton fibers to GRAB your skin, creating friction.  Friction creates blisters, or in other cases, the dreaded chaffing action that most folks from the South know from trying to enjoy a day out and about during the summer humidity.


To keep my feet from looking like a couple of chewed up pieces of meat, I, once again, headed off to my secret shopping spot, the Internet, and took a stroll down the sock isle.  That's when my jaw hit the floor!  A quick search of Amazon.com for X-Sock will reveal this beautiful pair of socks.  These are Swiss "Engineered" socks.  They have every bell & whistle that could be thrown into a sock.  At almost $50 PER PAIR, these are the creame de la creame of socks.  Everything about this sock was designed with the runner in mind.  I may look dumb, but I'm no idiot.  There is only so much that can be done to a sock that hasn't been done before & that isn't offered in your everyday pack of Hanes or Fruit of the Loom.  With Under Armour & Nike, and every other shoe company jumping into the sock business, I refuse to spend $50 on a pair of socks & decided I needed to do some more homework. 

I hit the forums and found a reasonably priced sock that sounded like it was right up my alley... in fact, Amazon.com was offering them at a discount when I ordered them too!  Bonus!  So, I got the Wright Sock Running II Anti Blister Double Layer Sock.  Very nice sock if I must say.  As the name implies, these socks have 2 layers.  An inner layer that is "hydrophobic" - I didn't know socks had the capability of having a mental status such as phobias, but I digress - and an outer layer that helps to regulate the foot's temperature.  Plus, they have some other otions too, but they are a little boring.  I won't bore you with a picture of my ordinary white sock!  LOL!


I will, however, throw up a shot of another sock I am trying out.  So far it is performing okay at my shorter distances.  It's the Nike No-Show Anatomically Correct Running Sock.  Yes, I said anatomically correct.  No, not male/female, but rather left/right.  Each sock has a little L or R on it to make sure you are putting the correct sock on the correct foot.  They are specially made to support the foot, and only the foot they are intended to support.  A Right sock will not line up with the arch of the Left foot to support it.  Odd, yes, but they also offer extra cushon where you need it.  While not double layered to prevent blisters like the Wright Sock, these aren't made out of cotton.  They use Nike's patented Dri-Fit fabric... some type of lycra derivative.  The jury is still out on these for anythng much over 4 miles, but they are cheaper than the Wright Socks & available at the BX here on base, which makes them convienient.

See, who knew there were so many options when it comes to socks!  This is just a drop in the bucket too!  A search of Amazon.com leads to over 4000 results for "running socks" and I am sure 4000 runners will give you 4000 different reasons why the sock they use is better than everyone elses.  It all comes down to what feels good on your feet & what keeps your feet healthy enough to run another day!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 8th Run (Week 27, Day 15)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 8th Run (Week 27, Day 15)

Click link above for my run this morning.

Seemed back to where I was before yesterday. Pace was comparable to what I am used to and over all a good run, though, it seems like I am sweating more today than ever before!

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It's All About Management of DeFeet

I figured I would hit on one of the biggest problems that first time marathoners don't really take in to account, and it's unfortunate too, as it's the piece of equipment that is REQUIRED to run a marathon... YOUR FEET!  While shoes are not required, to physically run a marathon without feet (or a prostetic foot of some sort) would be impossible. 

When I said I was going to run a marathon, I spread it around at work.  My boss, who is a pretty fit guy, said he ran a marathon and he'd never do it again as his toe nails fell out after the race.  While 26.2 miles is pretty grueling, and your body takes a lot of punishment, I wanted to find out why this happened to him.  Off to the inter-web I went.

As it turns out, he made 2 fatal errors.  He didn't adequately prepare, and he didn't have to correct shoe to run a marathon in.  So, after talking with another runner I work with who has run several half-marathons & is running his first full marathon in 2 weeks in Venice, he suggested, nay, told me, to go get a gait analysis.  I know I hit on this in an earlier blog, but I am going to cover it a bit more in depth now.

He directed me to a running store in downtown Kaiserslautern to get my analysis accomplished.  It was in the basement of a running store, and it consisted of me running on a treadmill, barefooted, at a 5 mile per hour pace for about 3 minutes.  The guy running the analysis was recording my running to check on some vital items:

- Mechanics - is the correct portion of the foot hitting the ground first, are you dragging your feet off the ground or are they leaving the ground cleanly, are my knees rotating, etc

- Pronation - does the foot roll inward or outward while running, and if so, how badly

- Arches - what type of arch does the runner have, high, normal or flat

I'm sure his trained eye was looking for more than this, but these are the things he pointed out to me.  He then asked my shoe size for my everyday shoes.  He said that size was too small & I should be wearing a half size larger shoe... who knew! 

I want to hit on pronation before I move on.  As you can see from the diagram to the left, pronation is how the foot rolls while running, or even walking.  Uncorrected, this can lead to several major issues, including bunions, ankle issues from the stress, tendonitis, heel spurs, as well as several other issues that can cause pain for the rest of ones life.  The articles I have read on pronation suggest that people should get a gait analysis to get the proper shoe, even for day to day wear to avoid foot & leg problems.

The guy performing my analysis brought out 3 different shoes for me to try on.  Each had it's benefits & downfalls.  I respect the fact that the first shoe the man offered me to try was not the most expensive, but yet the best shoe for me!  I am a big guy and he said that this one had the best cushioning to help absorb the excess shock I'd be placing on my feet & legs. 

After trying on all 3 pairs, I settled on the one that felt the best on my foot.  He told me, take them for a jog around the downtown market area.  Cool!  Try before you buy!  I ran in the shoes for about 5-10 minutes to see how they felt.  They really did feel good, so I decided on those.  Unfortunately, in Germany, they use the Euro.  It is a bad exchange rate for us here.  I didn't buy the shoes form the guy, but found them online, for cheaper, and free shipping!  Sorry dude!

I got the Asics Gel Nimbus 11.  My feet have thanked me everyday since I have started wearing them!  I also got a set of quick laces, which are basically thin bungee cords with the little plastic cord lock things from backpacks & jackets.  This will let my shoe expand as my feet swell on longer runs.

Shoes have a life span, which isn't always dependant on how the shoe looks.  One statistic said that around 60% of all people are walking around in "dead shoes."  The average shoes cushioning breaks down at about 300-400 miles.  shoes developed for marathon running, which you can tell by the price, are usually good for about 500 miles.  After that, they may look okay on the outside, but the internal cushioning is gone, offering no protection to the bones & joints, and actually causes more harm than good.

I'm not sure if any of this info will ever be relevant to ya'll but I wanted to share exactly how in depth I am going with this marathon.  If you're gonna do it, do it right!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 7th Run (Week 27, Day 14)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 7th Run (Week 27, Day 14)

Click the link above for my run from this morning. It was a beautifully clear morning!

I felt way slower yesterday, but was about 20 seconds off my normal mile pace... weird. I don't like that!

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I Want All the Gorey Details

I want to know every detail I can about my runs... I want ya'll to know them too!  So, I track them with, you guessed it, a GPS gadget!  All of my runs are logged with a nifty device called the Garmin Forerunner 305. I have dropped a little picture of the 305 down below.  This device tracks everything, and then some. The black strap is a wireless heart monitor, where it gets that data from in the activity details that you see above. It's actually a ridiculously simple device to use, which is why I like it. Being able to compare your runs that you are doing, to runs you completed several months ago, really helps you in honing your training to benefit you.  I do have two complaints about it though.

It would be awesome if it had sensors on it to show your body temperature, as well as the temperature outside while you run. I read an article not too long ago in Runners World that talked about a scientific test on this professional runner, where he ran at 50 degrees for a set mileage.  The next day, he came into the lab, they had him run at 90 degrees, and he only got the same amount of water.  The results were pretty amazing and the scientists were able to calculate how much time you add to your run for every 10 degrees the temperature goes up.  With my training being mostly during the colder months, I am wondering how the icy temperatures will affect me.  The other compliant I have, is some times, it takes a pretty good bit of time to acquire the satellite signals so I can begin my run. It needs 3 signals, and several times, it has acquired 2 satellites, but took forever to get another useable signal. Other than those two items, this thing is pretty dope! Even with my complaints about it, I couldn't ask for a better tracking device for the cost.  You can find these on sale at several online outlets, such as Tigerdirect.com & Newegg.com.


Here is another shot that shows some of its functions.  The pace function is pretty neat, giving you a graphical shot to make sure you are on pace to finish your run by your designated time, or either to see if you can beat a previous time across the same course. I standby this device. The integration of the heart rate monitor is a great touch. I used to have to wear a GPS & a Polar heart rate monitor... yeah, pair those two items (both watch style devices) with my iPod strapped around my arm; I really look like a techno weenie! I am, yes, I admit it, and those who really know me know I am a geek.  I never claimed not to be.  But with a sport like running, you usually want to have as little on you as possible.  This device has really helped, though I will NEVER get rid of my iPod while I run!  I make too many weird noises when I am plowing down a trail!  LOL!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 6th Run (Week 27, Day 13)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 6th Run (Week 27, Day 13)

I felt a little slow today. almost sluggish, which I could understand with all the sinus issues I have had this weekend. I thought I had a cold on Sunday... I felt HORRIBLE!

I woke up this morning with a good bit of drainage, which is now on my shirt, shorts, & running trail! LOL! I ran anyway and am able to breathe completely for the first time since Sunday.

It was a little warmer than I expected this morning, and I wore my long sleeved shirt which wasn't very bright. Oh well, live & learn I guess.

Click the link just under the title of this blog entry to check out my run details.

As My Girl Anne Frank Said, "No One Has Ever Become Poor By Givin'!"

Okay guys & gals!  The moment you have all been waiting for!  Here is the link that allows you to donate to the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) to support me in reaching my goal.  I set a pretty lofty goal of $5000.  I may not make that, but I want to think big! 

LAF has made it easy to donate too.  You don't send me any money!  You can pay online with a credit card!  In the words of Kip from Napoleon Dynamite, "Yes, I love technology!"  Additionally, if you want to pay by check, you send it directly to LAF. 

I would really appreciate your support.



Click the image above & get to givin'!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 3rd Run (Week 28, Day 12)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Oct 3rd Run (Week 28, Day 12)

This is another LRD (Long Run Day). If you compare it to my past runs, you can see that I have made the turn toward the village of Krickenbach. I if I continue out this way... hopefully there are either bike trails or sidewalks that connect the villages... it will eventually lead me all the way back around to Queidersbach.

I will probably stay at this distance for awhile. I am running about 17.8 miles a week right now, which according to my training plan, is a week 15 distance. My shins are getting a little sore, so hopefully stopping at this distance for a little while will help my shins heal.

Prepare for the Onslaught!

I have been posting my run details to Facebook since the beginning of my training... 3 weeks now.  So, in an effort to have all my run data in the same place, I am going to upload them here.

Sep 14th - Prep Run - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13263503
Sep 15th - First Official Run - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13415527
Sep 16th - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13415524
Sep 17th - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13472581
Sep 19th - First Long Run Day - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13472581
Sep 22nd - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14124077
Sep 23rd - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14124072
Sep 24th - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14201019
Sep 26th - Long Run Day (LRD) - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14340099
Sep 29th - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/15005062
Sep 30th - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/15005056
Oct 1st - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/15005056

That should catch everyone up on my training runs.  If anyone has any questions about any of my runs, please ask.  I have posted some details on Facebook, but I didn't transfer that over here.  From now on, all my runs will look like the next post.