Monthly Update December 2011

Spent much of the month getting used to the barefoot strike.  I watched a few videos, read some articles, and may buy a book called "Born to Run."

Week 1
Only about six miles, mostly easy while I get used to changing my stride.

Week 2
Back over ten miles this week, including one in Azusa CA where I picked up the pace.  Four miles in 38:52, not fast yet, but getting better.

Week 3
Down under six miles this week.  Christmas season trucking is in full swing.

Week 4
No real running this week, but we did drive over 8000 miles!

Monthly Update November 2011

Wow, monthly updates.  Yes, I got behind on posting.  I also got behind on my running goals.

Week 1
Ran,swam, and walked quite a bit in Cancun.  Especially on the beach!

Week 2
Ran six miles.  Found some great trails behind the Pilot Truckstop in St Cloud MN.

Week 3
While running some 9:00 miles behind the truckstops in Youngstown OH, I had a flare-up of plantar fasciitis.  The heel pain has been hounding me for 17 months, and I thought I had it licked.  Dang.  More time off running.

Week 4
Tried some "barefoot" style, low impact running.  Heel still hurts, but the stride seems to help.

Weekly Update to October 30

I ran a little over 12 miles this week.

10/28 Post Falls ID
My Garmin 205 ran out of battery power during this run/walk with Cindy.  We went from the truckstop to the falls, up the river, and down the other side.  Sounds like a song.  I would take off at a quick pace, around 8:00 miles to 8:30 away from Cindy until I was good and winded, then turn around and run easy, about 10:30 pace back to her.  Then we would walk and take pictures for a while.

10/30 Childress TX
Main street in Childress has almost six miles of sidewalks.  6 miles in 61:38

Weekly Update to October 23

My total miles this week reached 16.1, on target with my goal of increasing weekly mileage and the weekly long run.

Tuesday, Oct 18, Kent WA
I tried some 2 mile repeats.  I am not sure if that is much more than just varying the pace.  I did not get the same cardio benefits as quarter-mile or half-mile repeats, but it did keep me at the target pace longer than I would stayed have otherwise.
set 1 -- 20:00
set 2 -- 18:04
set 3 -- 19:30
set 4 -- 20:18
Total 8 miles in 77:52

Saturday, Oct 22, Lincoln NE
4.1 miles in 37:10 while the laundry was drying.I used the treadmill at the USX terminal.  If you drip sweat on the clothes while you are folding them, do they still end up cleaner than if you did not wash them at all?

Sunday, Oct 23, Lodi CA
When it got too hot to sleep in the sleeper, Cindy and I ate at Denny's, then I took off running around the Flying J area.  Got in four miles in about 43 minutes, with a break at the third mile to do some yoga positions. I prefer to do yoga away from the truckstop if I can.

Weekly Update to October 16

I ran 12 miles this week, and encouraged another driver to get out and run at truckstops.

Tuesday, Oct 11, Lincoln NE
I ran five miles around Shoemaker's Truckstop while we were getting some brake pads put on our trailer. It took 48:53total, I did the first four miles in 37:20, then warmed down with a slow mile.

Thursday, Oct 13, Sacramento CA
I ran five miles easy around the 49er Truckstop area.  The first 3.5 were with Cindy!

Saturday, Oct 15, Markham IL
I ran just enough to meet my goal while taking care of hooking a load at US Xpress's terminal.

Weekly Update to October 9

Ended up with ten miles this week when I include the fact that I was running around a couple of docks instead of walking. I had meant to have another running workout, but house projects at home took up some time.

Monday, Oct 3, Henderson CO
I ran 2.5 miles in 23 minutes.  Cindy had dropped me off on 120th Street as we passed through Denver on the truck.  I ran to the house, grabbed the mail, and ran back to 120th.  Cindy met me there after a pit stop at the Brighton Tomahawk Truckstop.

Friday, Oct 7, Eads CO
After getting the update on where the crazed farm dogs lived from my in-laws, Jim and Carol, I took off running and soaking up the sun.  Cindy was visiting and doing craft-stuff with her grandmother.
No dogs, but a few cows thought I should not be on that road.

Weekly Update to October 2

I ran 12 miles this week, right at my goal.  Amazing what goals will do for you.  **Note to self: make 1 million dollars next week.**

Rock Hill SC  9/26
Set out to run six miles, but it got dark.  4.46 miles in 50 minutes.

Greenville VA 9/30
Again, I set out to run six miles, but ran out of light.  4 miles in 43 minutes

Salt Lake City UT 10/2
3.58 miles in 35 minutes.  I ran because we found a closed gate on a Sunday at our consignee.  I started running and found an open gate.  I called Cindy and had her deliver while I finished my run by going around Decker Lake.

Weekly Update to September 25

Squeaked in my ten-mile goal.

Drums PA  9/20
From Facebook:
 PA93 has about a 5% grade coming north out of the Pilot in Drums PA. After struggling 2 miles up the hill, I turned it loose on the way down. 1st mile under 8:00, 2nd under 7:00. My Garmin says I hit 5:26/mi pace. I ran another mile to make sure I didn't break anything. Guess I'll have a "running hangover" in the morning. 


Stratfford TX  9/22
I found four loose dogs in four miles.  38:00


Orlando FL 9/24
Dock running to meet goal. 1 mile

Weekly Update to September 18

Got in 14.1 miles this week, and enjoyed a great ride with Cindy in Pennsylvania!

Jacksonville FL 9/14
I ran 5.1 miles in 59 minutes just as the sun was coming up.

White Haven PA  9/17
A day off meant 27 miles along the rail-trail.  The trees were starting to turn and it was a cool day for a ride.

Weekly Update to September 11

Yuck.  Not many miles this week, 7.3, and all of them on one day.

Kent WA 9/9
5 miles in 52 minutes

Kent WA 9/9
7 miles tandem biking with Cindy converts to 2.33 miles running.

Weekly Update to September 4

I only got in 10.2 miles this week.  A trip home and a flight to Kansas City got me out of my routine.

Henderson CO  8/31
3 miles in 29:50.  Felt good.  If the house did not need to be painted, I would have kept going!

Kansas City MO 9/3
2.2 miles walk/run with Cindy.

Kansas City MO 9/4
5 miles in 50:01

Weekly Update to August 28

My miles were at 11 this week, but included a 5K race at the Great American Trucking Show.

Lebanon IN 8/22
6.5 miles.  5 in 49:30, then 1.5 easy.  Had some minor heel pain.

Dallas TX  8/26
GATS 5K.  3.16 miles in 27:00 minutes.

Weekly Update to August 21

I ran 12 miles this week, meeting my goal.

Youngstown OH 8/15
3.7 miles in 37 minutes.  Saw a deer and was able to run on the trail behind the Pilot truckstop.

Altoona IA 8/17
3.1 miles in 30 minutes. Around the grounds of the Bosselman's truckstop.  Very warm run.

Susanville CA  8/20
5 miles in 53 minutes.  Ran the length of the only trail in town, then checked out some neighborhoods.

Weekly Update to August 14

11 miles total this week, I was taking it a bit easy this week as a recovery from the triathlon last Saturday.

Colton CA 8/8
3 miles easy on the treadmill.  Legs felt a bit stiff.

Coburg OR  8/11
Legs felt fresher today, 5 miles in 48:00.  1 of the miles at 8:30, another at 9:00

Castaic CA 8/12
3 miles in 30 minutes.  I found Castaic lake nearby!

Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon

Goal #1, survive and finish.

Goal #2, post a slow time so that I can be assured of setting a new PR at my next race.

All goals accomplished!

A triathlon is an event including swimming, biking, and running.  A sprint triathlon consists of a 500yd swim, then a 30K bike ride (a little over 18 miles), followed by a 5K run (3.16 miles).

I expected the swim to be easier for me.  I had swam in high school.  Admittedly that was a few years ago, but isn't there such a thing as muscle memory?  Truthfully, there was too much muscle memory.  The surf is pretty rough off this coast, and we swam out into eight-foot surf with water temperatures in the low 60's.  I came out of the first couple of waves and started stroking and discovered immediately that the low-rise head turn I had cultivated during school to minimize effort of taking a breath does not work well in surf.  Coughing and choking, I dodged the attendants that had already been pulling people out of the water.  Jim and I had planned out angles of attack to keep the rip current from taking us off course, and I made it efficiently, if not quickly, around the two buoys and back to the beach.

I was surprised to see Jim coming into the transition area as I was leaving.  He had started in the next wave behind me, and was not planning to have a fast swim.  He has about 20 triathlons under his belt, and experience is a big help.  He ended up passing me in the first five miles of the bike part,and his split time for the biking was just under an hour.

 I kept up a steady pace in the biking.  I had borrowed Jim's mountain bike, and we had forgotten to adjust the seat to my height.  With the lower gearing compared to the road bikes, I did not let the people passing bother me.  My split turned out to be 1:20:00.

I did not have a lot of gas left for the run.  I tried to maintain 10:00/mile pacing, but could not.  Jim is a talented runner and did the 5K in 26:28.  I managed only a 37:46.  I was sure glad to see the finish line!

My final time was 2:23:03, which was last in the mountain bike division.  In comparing my times, though, I found that I had beat at lease one person in all the civilian male divisions over 25 years old.  Not bad for a first timer.

I am looking forward to another tri.  My slow performance may even have encouraged Jim's twin, Joel, to give it a "tri".

July Update

Miles were a bit down this month, as house projects went up in priorities.

I ran nine, then seven, then thirteen, then eight.

The positive in training came when we visited my brother-in-law in Southern California.  We had planned to visit his family next month, at the same time his twin brother was to be going out from Colorado.  He happened to mention that he planned to run a Marine Corp triathlon while we were going to be there.  I found that the event was open to civilians, and committed to compete with him.  (As opposed to competing again him.  That would seem to imply that I may be of some competition. I am not.)

So, August 6, the date of my first triathlon.

Having an event really sharpens my workouts. When I am training with a purpose I push harder and more consistently.  When I train with a porpoise I get wet and eat raw fish.

Platte River Trail

Click for a map on Traillink.com

Ever wonder where that trail next to the Sapp Brother's Truckstop in Commerce City CO went?

This is a great multi-use trail, almost 30 miles long, and is scheduled to connect to the Front Range trail system.  The picture is near my house, in Henderson CO. 

You can access this trail from Sapps, or the Tomahawk Truckstop in Brighton CO (a couple of miles west down 120th Street.)  The trail aslo goes to downtown Denver.

April Update

April ended up being a great month to push out my mileage on each run, even though my weekly miles have not gone up.  I have been hitting six and seven mile runs without pain. 
Many Runner's World articles stress that to recover or prevent injury, only increase mileage or intensity, not both.  Running while team-trucking is an opportunistic sport.  You never know when you will have a chance to run.  As it worked out this month, I happen to be sticking to the RW program.

I may start posting every run again in May, and pick my next marathon.

March Update

Back to trucking, back to our routine.  All the cruise weight-gain I had worked so hard to accumulate is falling off, my runs are more consistent, spring is springing.  I ran nine miles, ten miles, eleven miles, and nine miles.  I am still not to where I need to be in weekly mileage, but getting there.  The 40 and 50 miles weeks from my last marathon training seem to be more possible now.

A friend recommended icing my foot after runs, and I have been having the most success with keeping my my heel pain-free this month.  Ice would have been cheaper to try than the shoe inserts, night splint, NSAIs, and new running shoes, but I am glad to be having any success.

February Update

I asked Cindy if she thought she could recover from her hysterectomy as easily in the eastern caribbean as she could at home.

She thought she could.

I booked a nine-day cruise/weight-gain program for the middle of the month.  We actually kept a pretty good exercise program going, even trying yoga for the first time while on the cruise.

Two weeks over ten miles, two weeks under ten miles.

Favorite run was in St Thomas, USVI, four miles just as the sun was coming up.  Later that day we walked six miles while power-shopping.

The night splint I bought in Miami, a Strausburg Sock, helps with morning pain from the plantar fasciaitis, but does not seem to be healing the disorder.

January Update

Easing back into enough miles to start a marathon training program.  Two weeks were over ten miles, two under ten miles. 

I did crosstraining almost every day.  Cindy had a hysterectomy, and we have been home for most of the month, so I abused my heavy bag, swam at the local rec center, and did quite a bit of resistance training.

Best entry on my running log:  Sprinting, too many times, between the table and buffet.

Still encountering heel pain after a run, and in the mornings.  Shopping for a night splint to try.

Sacramento 49r

Sacramento CA has always been a great place for Cindy and I to exercise.

Many bike trails run along the Sacramento River.  The biggest truckstop, the Sacramento 49r, is only a couple of miles from the trails.
Now the city is extending the bike paths across the overpass just south of the truckstop, and is building a pedestrian bridge over I-80 near the canal just east of the truckstop.

Today I ran four miles easy, up El Centro Rd (no sidewalk, 30-inch asphalt shoulder) to eastbound San Juan Rd (wide, concrete sidewalk).  I encountered the trail-head at the canal (asphalt, wide) and thought I might be able to run down to westbound El Camino and right back to the truckstop. 
The unfinished bridge stopped me, and I backtracked to the truckstop.

Raining and 40 degrees.  Average 11:00 miles.  Minor heel pain.