San Diego? More like Sandy-Lame-O!

Sorry. San Diego’s great, but I just had to title this post with the quote from Madagascar that my two boys have been saying ALL DAY LONG. It was cute, even funny the first couple hundred times. Editor’s note: I think this reference to Madagascar gives me the perfect opportunity to use the “if you have any poo fling it now” tag for the second time which is quite an accomplishment for a running blog that has been in existence for less than a month. Thanks to those of you who left well wishes on my previous entry instructing me to enjoy my vacation. I am.

I found my motivation to run on vacation on Saturday morning. I had a long run of 10 miles Friday morning before we left for the airport so Saturday was my rest day. I was sitting out on the patio admiring the ocean view enjoying a bowl of Reese's Peanut Putter Cup cereal (usually I’m a fruit and oatmeal kind of guy for breakfast, but I’m on vacation so screw that) when I was rudely interrupted. First by my wife laughing at the back of my cereal box which had a list of 18 things to do before you turn 18, eight of which I still have not accomplished. Secondly by what was probably close to 200 runners running up the street outside that separates the house from the ocean. Here I am eating my high-calorie, low-energy, breakfast sitting on my butt and that was my wake up call, my figurative two by four to the cranium. So I managed to get in a 4 mile easy run on Sunday morning.

I also discovered from my June ’06 Runners World magazine that the San Diego Track Club meets on Thursdays at the runners bathroom in Mission Bay. I may head over there and see if I can run with them, so if you’re a member of the SDTC and you are reading this blog (long shot I know), leave me a comment and let me know when and where you run.

Personal Note to our house and dog sitter: I'm sorry I left the alarm clock set to go off at 6 in the morning at a DEFCON 5 alert level. I swear I do this to her every time we go somewhere. If you’re looking for a big screen TV or a nice treadmill she’ll probably give you the pair for $14 just out of spite.

Personal Running Log

A little different schedule this week since I'm on vacation.

Week of 4/22 through 4/28
Wed 4/25 - Speedwork 7 miles total inc 6x800 meters @ 8:00 min/mile pace w/ 400 meter jogs
Fri 4/27 - Long Run 10 miles @ 10 min/mile pace
Sun 4/29 - Easy Run 4 miles @ 11 min/mile pace
Total Miles: 21 miles

My training plan is from the Runners World Smart Coach.

Site News

Just a couple of housekeeping items. First, I've added some additional links on the right side of this blog, it's not comprehensive by any means and I'm sure that I'll be adding more to it in the future as I discover more blogs.

If you'd like me to consider posting a link to your blog then write a more interesting blog.

Second, I will be leaving on vacation tomorrow and posting may be sporadic at best over the next week. Hopefully I'll be able to log in and update you all about what it's like to run in San Diego (which is where I'm headed), but posting to your blog whilst on vacation might just put me into the super-geek category and I'm not sure that I'm ready to go there just yet. Besides, I really can't guarantee the quality of my writing when I'm sitting by a pool sipping an umbrella clad banana daiquiri pounding Guinness and Jager Bombs.

And Now For Something Different

Every once in a while someone comes along who looks at the way we do things and thinks "Hey, you know what would be an easier/better/cheaper/faster way to do this…” Typically these are the people who end up living in ocean view houses in Newport Beach, but only for the spring because the summer months are too humid and those peasant tourists really overrun the marina during busy season.

A good example of this is the guys who created You Tube. What I'm trying to say is that if you ever discover a new way to do something I hope you have a trusty financial advisor because you're about to run into a truckload of money. Unless of course your new idea is something mundane like a better shoelace knot. Or you decide to give the info away free on your website. Or, as is the case here, both.

Today’s useful link is to a website put together by Ian Fieggen and it contains a number of new and creative ways to tie your shoes. I’m sure that Ian wishes that he’d instead thought of new and creative way to share videos online, but I for one am glad that he has found some better ways to tie your shoelaces. So give some of these a try and let me know which ones you like in the comments. Me, I kind of like “Ian’s Secure Shoelace Knot,” because there’s nothing worse than having your shoe come untied in the middle of a training run, or even worse a race.

Without further ado, here’s the link: Ian’s Shoelace Site

I Completed my First 10 Mile Run

Of course you already knew that if you read my Personal Running Log post below, but I assume that no one else reads those and I post them mostly for my own reference. I’m not sure how that is different than any of the other posts here but there you have it. My training plan called for a 10 mile run and I’ve been doing my long runs at roughly a 10 min/mile pace. I finished this one in 1hr 43min and I was pretty tired at the end of it but it felt good to have run the full 10 miles.

At about mile 8 I was starting to really labor, when some young kid (probably 16 or 17 years old) overtook me. He had his hat on backwards, his shirt off, and probably less total body fat than I have in one leg. He was moving swiftly and gracefully, or I was just plodding along, probably both. It was fantastic.

Just then, the song I was listening to ended and ‘Til I Collapse by Eminem came on. It’s one of my power songs. All of a sudden my legs didn’t feel as tired, my lungs were filled with air, and I started reeling him back in. Now, I’d love to be able to describe how I caught up to this young kid, but my renewed surge lasted all of 15 strides. Cooler heads prevailed, or perhaps it was just fatigue that prevailed. I’d already gone 8 miles and I had to keep telling myself that today’s workout was about endurance, not speed. If I wanted to last for 2 more miles I was going to have to keep a measured pace. (Incidentally, a ‘measured pace’ is just something slow people say).

So I kept putting one foot in front of the other, and I kept on at my ‘measured pace’. About a half a mile down the path I came around a blind corner and there’s young Hasty McFleetfoot standing still with his head over his knees, catching his breath. He’s turned around on the trail and is on his way back. He looks up and sees me, and instantly he’s running again. Vindicated!

If there’s one thing that writing this blog has taught me it’s that apparently I have vanity issues when I’m running. Who knew?

Personal Running Log

Running log for this past week.

Week of 4/15 through 4/21
Mon 4/16 - Easy Run 4 miles @ 10 min/mile pace
Wed 4/18 - Easy Run 3 miles @ 10 min/mile pace
Thu 4/12 - Tempo Run 3 miles @ 9 min/mile pace*
Sun 4/22 - Long Run 10 miles @ 10:10 min/mile pace
Total Miles: 20 miles

*My training plan from the Runners World Smart Coach called for a tempo run of 8 miles including 6 at a 9 min/mile pace. This was my first major failure on the Smart Coach program. I attribute it to a soccer double-header on Tuesday and an emergency evacuation at work causing me to run down 49 flights of stairs. (Yeah, I'm important enough that I work on the 49th floor.) On a positive note this week marks my first ever run of double digit miles with the 10 miler.

Funniest Post Race Report You'll Ever Read

I try to bring the funny here on a daily basis, but today I read something that was funnier and more inspiring than anything that I could possible write. So here's a link to J-Money's post race report:
I Did It: The Half Marathon

J-Money is a comedian who posts over at the semi-sports related website, Ladies... and she actually once posted a comment or two on this humble blog, which makes her one in a million... or maybe one in a hundred million, and makes me dangerously close to becoming an internet stalker.

Here's a quote from the above linked article to entice you to go read it since you're obviously still reading my lame post instead: (Quick programming note- if you could forget the article after you've read it that would be great, because I'll likely plagiarize the hell out of it after my next race.)

Mile 3: The first hill of the race. People in Charlotte have nice lawns. It’s a shame that runner number #4178 is taking a piss in one of them. Good thing their newspaper is wrapped in plastic.

Site News

I've chosen to support "Orange and Maroon Day" here at Half-Fast, which is why you'll notice the orange font in the site header. Half-Fast is always Maroon, so it really wasn't much of a change to add the orange. I've decided to also add the ribbon that you'll see in the top right corner of the site. My prayers and thoughts go out to all the families.

We're all Hokies fans today.

Because I don't usually update the site on weekends, it will probably remain until Monday.

That Wasn’t Me You Saw Running

No, it wasn’t me, at least not the real me. When you run past me on the trail I see you coming and I prepare myself. I lengthen my stride, I puff up my chest, I suck in my gut, I pick up my pace, I smile, I do everything I can to appear relaxed and in control, because this is easy and I’m fast. And if you're a woman... double that. I'm not even sure what it would mean to double that, but I do it, and you know why? Because I'm fast and this is easy.

How long have you run so far? Seven miles? Pssssht - I've already gone nine miles... oh... you said eleven? I said nineteen and I've got another 10 planned... and then I'll turn around and head back, because I'm fast and this is easy.

Do you see my shoes? They’re expensive, brand name running shoes, you know why? Because I’m not some amateur runner who only recently started running and has to run in his Skechers. No, I’m fast and this is easy.

Do you see my expensive runners sunglasses? You probably think that they’re just for show, but that’s because you’re not as fast as I am. When I run the bugs come at me so fast I have to wear eye protection, it’s astonishing that the State of Colorado hasn’t enacted a mandatory helmet law for me, because I’m fast and this is easy.

Do you see my technical running shirt? It’s designed to control my body temperature. Without it I would probably burst into flames. It’s also designed to wick away sweat and keep me dry, but I don’t sweat, and do you know why? Because I’m fast and this is easy.

Is that you running up ahead of me? Not for long. Now that’s you running behind me, because I’m fast and this is easy.

Riding your bike on the trail? Not me! I’m using my legs, I like the challenge and your bike looks too effortless. Are you even pedaling? Weak! Rollerblading? Weak! Walking or even worse wogging? Weak? Gliding in your Heelys? Weak, and you look beyond ridiculous at your age! None of that stuff is for me, I run. And do you know why? Because I’m fast and this is easy.

When I get back home, I’m all sweaty, I’m literally oozing testosterone from my pores and my ‘sexy’ is at dangerously high levels, my wife wants me. She thinks I’m hot. She usually takes me back to the bedroom and you know why? Because even there, I’m fast and this is easy.

Breathin' Easy

My wife, an asthmatic, just recently took up running and will be running her first race in May, the Bolder Boulder 10K. When she began running, she could barely run one mile and would take more hits off her inhaler than Ricky Williams at a Pink Floyd concert. Last week she went for a long run of 8 miles, but the point of this post is not to inspire you to conquer asthma or whatever other ailment you may suffer from, although it should. I am having a T-Shirt made up for her at Running Banana to wear during the race and I need some suggestions.

Thus far the leaders in the clubhouse are:
* Asthma Shmasthma!
* What Asthma?
* Kiss my Asthma
* Blow me, I’ve got Asthma! (Too Risqué?)
* This is Kicking my Asthma!
* You’re Losing to an Asthmatic!

That’s it, that’s all I got. Vote for your favorite in the comments or better yet, post your own superior suggestions in the comments.