A Monday Morning "Guilt" Run

Yesterday I stated in my post that the family reunion and graduation party I went to this past weekend were nice rewards for the 43 miles I logged last week, and a good portion of those miles in the sweltering heat. That was true. They were nice rewards. However, after a weekend of gorging myself with brats, hamburgers, potato salad, chips, soda, beer and cake, there is nothing like guilt to help pry your butt out of bed and get you motivated to go for a morning run. It really does wonders, especially since I wasn't originally planning on running this morning after two consecutive days with 6:30am wake up calls. My body needed a break... but that all powerful "guilty" gray matter in my brain won out. It said I had to atone for defiling and debasing my body with all the wholesome goodness and nutrition that the Cheesehead State has to offer. Gee... imagine that. So with that, I headed out this morning to get in 10 mile atonement. Even though I was longing to go back to bed, once I stepped outside, I thought the run had the possibility of being a good one. The skies were nice and overcast and it was fairly mild out with a nice breeze. Despite putting in some good miles the past couple of days and getting up fairly early to do so, my legs felt surprisingly fresh and I was able to circle the lake averaging 7:33 pace. It was a great run and the guilty part of my brain was satified with my penance, but tomorrow... no matter what... I'm sleeping in.

Today's workout: 10.5 miles > 1:19:15 > 7:33 pace

Miles this week: 10.5

An "Early Bird" Weekend

This weekend, I forced myself to get up fairly early to get in my miles. On Saturday morning, I arose at 6:30am in the hopes to beat the late morning heat and get in a decent long run. I also wanted to get my run done early so I could head down to my cousin Ad's to visit with him and his family before we all headed off to an family reunion in Mukwonago, WI. I was very fortuante on Saturday that the weather wasn't the typical morning weather of the past week. It was actually fairly comfortable. The sky was completely overcast and the temp was fairly mild with a nice breeze blowing. It sure made running 12 miles a lot easier.

This morning, I again rose at 6:30am to get in a quick 5 mile run. It would have been so nice to sleep in a little extra but I had to knock off the run early because I had to usher in church for a special service this morning, followed by a high school graduation party in New Glarus for the son of one of my good friends. Despite feeling sluggish, achy and a little sleepy this morning, I did get the 5 miler in and was extremely happy once it was out of the way. I was just not in the mood for a run today. Overall though, it was a good week of running. Despite the hot temperatures, I was still able to amass a 43 mile week. That is pretty darn good considering some of the crummy weather I had to run in. The family reunion on Saturday and the graduation party on Sunday were nice rewards for my labors.

Saturday's workout: 12.1 miles > 1:33:19 > 7:43 pace

Sunday's workout: 5.1 miles > 39:49 > 7:49 pace

Miles last week: 43.5

Tolerable Temps

After getting home from work last night, I couldn't quite pull the trigger on doing a late night run. Part of me was really aching to go because it had actually cooled down quite considerably after some afternoon and evening rain storms. However, my body took a vote and decided that it really didn't feel like running twice in one day. That and the fact that I was just plain beat after work. With that, I set my alarm for 6:30am and gambled that the milder temps would linger til morning. When I pryed myself out of bed at an hour that I'm not used to, I stuck my head out my apartment complex and found that it wasn't too bad out... yet, anyway. That could change at any second. I quick had a bowl of cereal to get some running sustenance in me, took a few minutes to let it settle, and then I was off around the lake. While my body was loosening up in the first mile, I took careful notice of the sky and was encouraged by the fact that a good portion of it was clouded over. Don't get me wrong, the was sun out, but it was behind me, and I was running in the general direction of those wonderful cloudy skies. I say wonderful because those skies made things just a touch cooler and provided a little extra shade. My cousin Adrian knows what I'm talking about. He's probably one of few people I know, besides myself, who is happiest when it's cloudy and overcast out. I know what you're thinking... we really ARE related... and a little weird. I'm sure we'd fit in well with The Addams Family. Anyways, my point was again, that cloudy skies were really a blessing. It also helped that there was a fairly cool breeze blowing. I did take a quick pit stop at the 5 mile mark by the Monona Terrace to get a quick drink, down some energy gel and just take a quick breather, but I was soon back on my horse and finished up the rest of the run fine. In hindsight, it looks like I picked the best time of day to go because as soon as I finished my 10 miler, it started to heat up pretty quickly. My little gamble paid off.

Today's workout: 10.1 miles > 1:18:03 > 7:44 pace

Miles this week: 26.3

Back Amongst the Living

After enjoying a long run a couple nights ago after work, against my better judgement, I was back to running in the morning hours... in the daylight... amongst the living. And just as I expected, it was a huge mistake. Today was one of the worst mornings someone could have picked to have gone for a run. If a newbie runner marked today, July 16th, on their calendar as the day as the day they were going to start their new running initiative and program, one of two things most likely happened. 1) They stepped outside, felt the hot, muggy air and said, "The hell with this... I'll start tomorrow," or 2) They went through with their run, endured the heat and humidity, and said, "The hell with this... running sucks... I'm never running again." I couldn't blame them for making either statement... it was truly that miserable out. Stepping outside initially, it didn't seem all that bad, but like in a lot of things in life, sometimes first impressions leave a lot to be desired. The air, indeed, was very heavy and muggy, and each step seemed like a labor intensified workout. During short runs like today, I very rarely ever stop during the middle of the run, but today, about three miles in, I just had to pull over to take a drink from my water bottle, douse my head with its remnants, take off my shirt, and take a deep breath. It was that miserable out. I've had 20 mile training runs that I've enjoyed more than today's piddilly, little five mile run. Again, it was that miserable out. After my little pit stop, I continued on to do my remaining two miles, and I even finished up fairly strong by running the last mile at around 7:30 pace, although I don't know how that was possible. In any case, I did finish and actually felt just as exhausted as if I had run a marathon. It's amazing how out of shape the summer heat can make you feel.

Today's workout: 5.1 miles > 39:52 > 7:49 pace

Miles this week: 16.2

A or B

A or B. Go to yet another going away party for an employee at work OR go home and get in a late night long run. Subject myself to a crowded, noisy bar down on campus OR run around the lake in peacefulness and coolness of the night. Which nightlife option in Madison do you think won out? Yup, it wasn't even close. I'll take the run around the lake anytime... even if it means me getting done with my run at 1am like last night. Station going away parties are an all too common occurence in the tv buisness... especially at my station. They are about as common and annoying as a sneeze. They lost their luster with me a long time ago, and with the impending hot and humid weather on the horizon, my time was better spent getting in a quality long run while the summer air was still cool. Plus, you really can't beat running in Madison at night. I am still awestruck everytime I run down the Monona bike path towards the Capitol and the Monona Terrace at night. The way the lights from each of those structures bounces and gleems off of the glassy waters of Lake Monona is just incredible. You can't help but quicken your pace and feel good at the same time. The ironic thing is that this is the same part of the run that I really don't much care for during the daylight hours. When the sun is out in the morning, heading down the bike path towards the terrace can somtimes be interminably miserable, what with all the traffic, noise and congestion... not to mention the way the sun beats down on you with no shaded relief. It is physically and mentally draining to say the least. At nighttime, though, it isn't draining at all... it's the polar opposite... it's very invigorating. There is hardly any traffic, noise and congestion to deal with, and it feels like you have the whole road to yourself... like you are running in a ghost town through the stillness of the night. I tell you, nothing beats that serenity. No IPOD, MP3 player, or cell phone to speak of... just you, your thoughts, and the crickets. That's just how I like it.

Last night's workout: 11.1 miles > 1:22:22 > 7:25 pace

Miles this week: 11.1

First 40 Mile Week Since Marathon

After doing a late night run on Saturday night, I wasn't in too much of a hurry to run on Sunday. I just wanted to sleep in a bit before church and then worry about getting in my run later in the day. So after I watched the Brewers beat the Reds on tv, I decided to do something I hadn't done in awhile. Pack up a few things and head to Olbrich Park to get in my run. The four mile routes in and near my apartment didn't appeal to me today, so I thought I would mix things up and start off my run on the eastside of Madison. It did the trick. Even though it was a little warm and breezy, and my legs were a little tired and sluggish from the previous night's run, the run seemed to go a lot faster because I wasn't doing the same 'ol four miler in Monona. Sometimes you need a little break from the routine and today was one of those days. Another nice thing about yesterday's run was that even though it was my shortest run of the week, it helped me get to that 40 mile plateau for the week again. I hadn't run one of those since the marathon.

Yesterday's workout: 4.1 miles > 30:30 > 7:26 pace

Miles last week: 40.6

Runnin' and Rockin' at Dusk

Yesteday morning, I wasn't to motivated to go for a run being that I was pretty tired from a long week at work, and the fact that I had to work at Movin' Shoes this morning for a few hours. Because of that, I decided to head out to get in a 13 miler a little after 8:00pm last night, just as the sun was setting. It really was a beautiful night to go. The temp was just the way I like it... nice and cool. At about the 2 mile mark, I heard music blaring from the Dane County Coliseum, which was about a mile away. As I neared the coliseum and the music was getting louder and louder, I remembered that this was the weekend that they were having a big outdoor concert at Willow Island, headlining the 80's hairband Poison. As I ran by, I didn't get to hear Unskinny Bop or Every Rose has it's Thorn, though. Poison wasn't on stage at that time. Instead, I got to hear some song I didn't recognize from the opening band, Dokken. No matter... it was still pretty entertaining to run by rock concert and hear a throng of people rockin' out like it was the 80's. It would have been kind of cool to just stop and take it in for a bit, but I just wanted to continue on with my run. By the seven mile mark, I was down at the capitol sqaure and noticed how they had the entire square blocked off. For those of you who don't know, this is the weekend of the summer when they have Art Fair on the Square, where local artists set up tents around the capitol to show off their creations and featured works. It's a pretty neat set up. By the time I ran through, however, all the tent flaps were closed and I pretty much had the streets of the capitol to myself. Running on the streets of the capitol square with the big tents on either side of me, was pretty cool. It felt like I was kind of running through a big maze. After a couple laps around the square, I headed down Williamson St. towards home. Because Williamson was thick with people were out and about going to local establishments for drinks, I had to dart to and from the sidewalks fairly often to avoid slowing down and avoiding contact. That wasn't the tough part of the run, though. The tough part was when I hit Atwood Ave. leading to Olbrich Park. In that two to three mile, the bugs were out in full force and it almost felt like I was running through a sort of sand storm. Bugs were bouncing off of me left and right, and I noticed a few were sticking to me as well. I felt like a big piece of fly paper. It was pretty gross. All in all, though, it was nice Saturday night to go for a run. By the time I got home, I could still hear the concert going on three miles away. Poison had finally taken the stage.

Last night's workout: 13.1 miles > 1:38:01 > 7:30 pace

Miles this week: 36.4