A Much Needed Day Off

Today I took a much needed day off from running. After getting up early to run a six miler yesterday and doing a quality 10 miler the day before that, I thought I would give my legs a break in preparation for tomorrow mornings long run of the week. It's supposed to be a nice, cool morning (in the 50's) and I thought I would get up early before I go to work at Movin' Shoes to get in a run of 15 to 20 miles. October is almost here and the Whistlestop Marathon is on the horizon so I want to take advantage of all the cool mornings I can to get in some quality long runs. I'm hoping to roll out of bed somewhere around 5 am so that I will have ample time to have a little cereal and then go for my run so that I won't have to rush off to my job right after I'm finished. I'll probably be hurting by the late afternoon from the long day but what else is new. My body should be used to it. I also wanted to take today off because my left knee has been a little sore the past couple weeks and it can always use a little break. The soreness is due to the miles my legs have been enduring as of late. My mileage as steadily been going up in this training period (usually mid 40's or more a week) and the knee just gets a little achy because of the overuse. It's normal. Nothing that I haven't dealt with before. I just have to give it some ice and rest here and there and I'm good to go. Even though the first few steps of a run can be a little tender, the soreness generally dissipates as the run goes on. The main reason I took off today is that my body was just plain tired and needed to sleep in a bit today. "Zagnuts" the dog (actually Ziggy) has been getting me up at all hours of the night during this housesitting stint I am on so he can do his part to fertilize and water the lawn. It's very aggravating sometimes and causes me to get some restless sack time. I guess that's what happens when you're an old pooch and you're bladder shrivels up to the size of a shot glass. Even Rip Van Winkle would have a hard time catching some zzzzzzz's at this house. Even though I had to get up several times during the night and morning hours, it felt good to sleep in later than I had been. Hopefully I got enough for tomorrow's 5:00 am wake up call.

Thursday's workout: 6.1 miles > 46:45 > 7:37 pace

Miles this week: 21.3

Dogsitting on the Westside... Again

Well, I'm back at it again. I'm back to looking after Ziggy the Wonder Dog. His owners are back on the highway again for a 10 day roadtrip. That means I'm back at taking in the views of all the westside running routes... that's not such a bad thing. It's good to have a little variety to break up the monotony of the usual paths that I take. Today I checked out one of the new additions of bike paths to Madison's westside. It's a pedistrian-bike path that borders on the village of Shorewood Hills and runs parallel to campus drive. It's not a long stretch of asphalt but a nice one for Madison's commuters who don't want to use their cars. It takes you by the V.A. and UW hospitals and extends a little further to the UW's agricultural area. Once you get down to that section, you'll know it... it has the fragrance of hay, sileage and manure wafting about. If you are a country boy like I am, it will make you long for home and bring a tear to your eye... not because you miss home but because your olfactory senses are going into overload... okay, okay, I'm making it out worse that it is... however, it is pungent. Anyways, it's a nice little section of bike path and really does a nice job of connecting with the rest of campus. One of the neat features is that the bike path has a battery of solar powered light fixtures that were installed by Madison Gas and Electric. That will really help people out at night to see and feel safe. I'm anxious to do a night run down that way sometime to check them out and see how they work. After the new path ended I headed over a pedestrian bridge that took me back over to Old University Ave and back on to my normal route of going by Camp Randall Stadium and up the East/West bike path that allows me to get back to the house I'm sitting for. It was a nice 10 mile run and the time passed pretty quickly because I mixed it up by adding in some new sights to my route. It's always fun to do a little exploring while you're out for a run. Oh, and it also helped that it was a gorgeous day to go... nice and cool.

Today's workout: 10.1 miles > 1:15:03 > 7:25 pace

Miles this week: 15.2

The Olympics are Over... Back to Blogging

Thank heavens the Olympics are over. They wore me out and I didn't even compete in them. Don't get me wrong... I love the Olympics and what they stand for but when you work for an NBC affiliate tv station like I do, you get subjected to putting on the 10pm news at anywhere from 11pm to midnight because of the late night coverage. There were a few nights that I didn't get home til 1am. I don't mind the late hours occassionally but when it's two weeks straight, it gets pretty old in a hurry. Me and my tv compatriots were walking around the station like zombies after awhile. Because of that, I really didn't feel like being a creative and blogging about running. It was hard enough just to go running because of the long hours at work. Despite my tired mind and body, I was still able to get in two good solid weeks of running during the Olympic time frame. The highlights for me were the past two Sundays where I was able to get in two quality long runs of 19 and 15 miles respectively. I had pretty ideal Sunday mornings to run them too. They were both very cool and comfortable mornings, especially this past Sunday. It really made the long runs a joy to do, if you can imagine that. Most people would probably think that it would be no fun whatsoever to run any long distance workout no matter how idyllic the weather might be but I am here to tell you that the cool weather makes all the difference in the world. I actually get excited when I know it's forecasted to be a cool, brisk morning on the day that I'm scheduled to do a long run because it usually turns out to be a long run that is a good confidence booster and makes me believe that I'm going to be well prepared for my next marathon. Preparing for a marathon is just as much mental as it is physical. Sometimes you really have to talk yourself into and through your big marathon training runs. No matter how good of shape you might be in, there always seems to be that inkling of doubt that sometimes creeps into the gray matter of your brain that makes you wonder if you really can do that next big 20 mile training run. Those runs are never easy. But if you can perservere and make it through there is really no stopping you on race day... you really have already won. It's nice to be back writing again and I hope you've all been well.

Monday's workout: 5.1 miles > 39:10 > 7:41 pace

Miles this week: 5.1

Another Late Night

I should get a gold medal for all the late nights at work this week. I had another last night because of Olympic coverage of men's gym-spastics went long. Because of that, I didn't head home from work until about 1:30 am. It's starting to take its toll a bit. I don't mind staying late for work every once in awhile, but when it's night after night after night, it gets pretty old. Because I didn't hit the hay until about 2 am I thought I might have a repeat occurence of having a hard time getting my butt out of bed like yesterday. I really didn't though. My body woke me up around 8 am and although my first few steps were a little bleary eyed and groggy, I actually was cognizant of my surroundings fairly quickly. Having that morning bowl of cereal usually helps. Within a half hour after eating I was out on the road and was glad that my body had woken me up when it did. It really turned out to be a beautiful morning to run. It was partly cloudy and cool with a nice breeze. I didn't know if my legs would have a lot of pep in them being that it was the third day in a row of running, but the cool air must have invigorated them because they had some good life in them. I did an 11 mile workout around the lake and was very pleased with my 7:25 pace average. The run this morning also provided a little levity. With about three miles left in the run, I came upon Olbrich Park where I noticed a Madison Police Officer was sitting on a lawn-type chair on the grassy area between the sidewalk and the street, pointing her radar gun at passing motorists. As I ran by her I said, "Let me know if I'm over the speed limit." She just smiled and chuckled... and then arrested me for being a public nuisance (a.k.a. being a smart ass). Just kidding. You gotta have a little fun once in awhile when your run... especially when you're running on lack of sleep because of the Olympics;)

Today's workout: 11.1 miles > 1:22:21 > 7:25 pace

Miles this week: 28.3

Off With the Sheets and Hitting the Streets

Since I've been back from vacation I've had a lot of late nights. With the Olympics being televised on the tv station that I work for, the late night coverage of all the events causes our 10pm news to actually go on at anywhere from 11pm to midnight and makes me get home from work a lot later. It's kind of a catch 22... It's great being able to watch all the tremendous athletes competing in their specialties, but I also wish I could be home and in my bed when I'm accustomed to. Oh well... at least I'm getting a little overtime. Because of the late nights, though, it's been hard to get myself out of bed and force myself to get in a run. Today was no different. I really didn't want to leave the comfort of my bed to get in a piddilly five mile run, but after gradually waking up I was finally able to muster up enough energy to pry off the sheets and hit the streets. It was a fairly comfortable morning to run and after a creaky opening mile I was finally able to get into a comfortable rhythm and bang out some good splits, including a 6:38 finishing mile. It turned out to be a nice little workout and I was happy that I got it in, but... it still would have been nice to sleep in a little longer. Maybe tomorrow... I'm not holding my breath, though.

Today's workout: 5.1 miles > 37:50 > 7:25 pace

Miles this week: 17.2

Back From Vacation

Well, I'm back from vacation. After taking several days off in the quietness of the northwoods of Manitowish Waters, WI, I returned to the hustle and bustle of Madison and the craziness of working for a tv station . The time off was very much needed and very much welcome. We all need to recharge our batteries every so often and this was my time to do it. To me, there is no better place to recharge and reinvigorate than in the northwoods by a lake. It is so calming and peaceful and really helps you to forget about the stressors back in the city. How can you not forget about it when you see eagles soaring, hear loons laughing and have cool summer breezes brush up against your body all day long. The peacefulness and the weather also made for some of the most enjoyable running of the year. I was fortunate to be able to run every day while up there and had nothing but the beautiful sights and my thoughts to keep me company while I ran. I usually ran a big seven mile loop when I went on my runs and even when I was forced to go on a county road for part of it, I was hardly ever disturbed by the traffic... it was pretty sparse. I also did see the occasional bicyclist or runner, but that was also few and far between. My final day of vacation was capped off by running a small town 10k with my brother on Sunday morning. Pete and I got up early and headed to Boulder Junction, WI to run in the 39th Annual Musky Days Run. Our dad also went along to watch. The Musky Days Jamboree, by the way, has been going on for 52 years. I really didn't know how my legs would respond to racing being that Sunday marked the fifth day in a row of running for me but I was pleasantly surprised how my legs bounced back. Just a little over a month ago I ran a 10k race in La Crosse where I was able to break the 40 minute barrier for the first time and I was hoping that last Sunday I could do the same thing. I did it by two seconds. I ran the race in 39:58 for a 6:26 per mile pace average. I actually think I ran it faster because my GPS watch measured the course to be around 6.4 miles instead of 6.2. If that is actually the case, then my time should have been around 38:30 or something ,and I would have broke my old P.R. of just a month ago. In hindsight, though, it really doesn't matter. I still ran under 40 minutes, it was a beautifully cool morning to do it, and I was able to race with my brother Pete again which is always a lot of fun. Pete, by the way, finished a little over 30 seconds in front of me for fourth place while I came in at fifth. Not too bad for the Jaeger boys.

This morning, after getting a good nights sleep in my own bed, I was back out to running and training around Lake Monona. The weather this morning was much like the northwoods where I had just been... nice and cool. I kicked off my return home by circling the lake at an average of 7:29 per mile for the 12 miles. Not too bad coming off a 46 mile week and a hard 10k just a couple days ago. I guess that vacation did me some good after all... that and the several mixed drinks I had while up there. A good brandy and coke at a nice restaurant will always do the trick, too.

Mileage last week: 46.2

Today's workout: 12.1 miles > 1:30:41 > 7:29 pace

Miles this week: 12.1

A Good Day to Stay Inside

Yesterday morning would have been a good day to stay inside, watch M*A*S*H reruns, and eat a five pound bag of Oreos. The weather was miserable out... a proverbial steambath. I can honestly say it was my worst run of the year and it was only a five miles... five sweaty miles. I could only muster two splits out of the five that were under 8 minute pace... two stinkin' splits. And those two splits were barely under 8 minute pace. I was telling my brother Pete this morning that it literally has been months since I had a run where the cumulative time of the run averaged over 8 minutes per mile and today marked the end of that streak. I averaged a whopping 8:22 per mile for the entire run... pretty amazing... it was that hot out. My legs felt like redwood tree trunks and it felt like I was running through a wall of humid haze. I probably lost a total of five to six pounds of water weight in that forty-two minute run and I didn't stop sweating until 15 to 20 minutes after I was done running. It truly is amazing what that kind of heat can do to your body in a short amount of time. It almost made me long for running on the treadmill... I say almost because I was most likely delirious from the heat.

A quick sidenote: Starting tomorrow I will be taking a minor sabbatical from blog writing as I take a five day vacation in the tranquility of the North Woods of Wisconsin. The best part is... I really don't plan on doing much other than relaxing and soaking up the sun a bit while sitting by the lake. I'm sure I will get in a run or two while I'm up there, and maybe even run in a race, but I can tell you about that when I get back. There's nothing that can't wait while you're on vacation... unless, of course, I get chased and attacked by a bear while out running... then I might head to the local library to tell you about it. Auf Wiedersehen!

Yesterday's workout: 5.1 miles > 42:41 > 8:22 pace (Yikes!)

Miles this week: 5.1

My Weekend Miles

Over the weekend, I got in a couple good nine mile runs. The first one was on Friday... late Friday. I wasn't originally planning on running on Friday at all, but when I got off of work at 11pm, it was just too nice of a night not to go. Plus, if I got it done that night, I could sleep in a little bit on Saturday morning and not worry about it. Because I was still dogsitting on the westside, I was a little leary of running at night. Not because I was fearful of some nefarious nut prowling around, but because I hadn't done a lot of night running on the westside and I didn't know how well lit my route would be. No, the only nefarious nuts that I worry about are the ones that fall from the trees which might cause me to roll my ankles because I'm not able to see the path in front me. They, along with the occasional unforseen cracks, potholes, branches and stones can be real ankle breakers and knee bucklers. Despite my worries, I am very happy to report that the westside streets are very well lit. The only dark patch in the route was the East/West Bike Path down by Camp Randall. That section of bike path is about a 2.5 mile stretch that heads up to Midvale Boulevard and it is completely in the dark, except for the occasional street lamp where the path intersects a street, whatever stars might be in the sky, and the sparse houselights that seep through the copse of trees that line the path itself. Other than that, you are pretty much blind as a bat and you have to rely on whatever sensory radar you might have. I have to tell you though, it is pretty exhilirating running through a long stretch like that in the dark while you're soley relying on your instinct and intuition. It really helps to quicken your pace. And while I was speeding through the "black forrest," I wasn't concerned in the least bit about rolling my ankles over some foreign object. I had run that path enough in the daytime to know that the section is pretty much kept immaculate from any debris that might harm an unsuspecting runner... especially the "doofuses" who run at night. Once I broke free of the "black shroud" that was the bike path, it was pretty much smooth sailing for the remaining two miles of the run. It really turned out to be a nice quality run where I averaged 7:27 per mile.

This morning's run had a little different feel to it even though I ran the exact same route. It was much warmer than Friday night's run (although tolerable) and I could actually see... imagine that. While my legs did not have the same pep and vigor as I did a couple nights earlier, I still felt pretty good and finished the run with a respectable 7:40 pace average. The interesting part of the run was that section of the bike path that I could barely see late Friday night. Like I said, I had run that section many times, but after breezing through it in complete darkness, I really took notice of just what I missed 34 hours prior. I really noticed how thick with trees that section was and why it was so hard for any type of light to flourish and manifest in its surroundings at night. I also took note of how clean and tidy the bike path actually was. My instinct the other night proved right... I really didn't have to worry about rolling my ankles on anything... there were no debris or cracks to be fearful of. It was as clean as a washed dinner plate... however, I wouldn't want to eat off it;)

Friday night's workout: 9.2 miles > 1:08:41 > 7:27 pace

Sunday's workout: 9.1 miles > 1:09:55 > 7:40 pace

Miles this week: 43.6