I'm leading, SUAR is in third place back there. Yep, stopped to crap.
Mmmmmmmmm good. PowerBar has hit a home run with these yummy little energy chews. I used the 2 for 1 coupon in last months Runners World to buy these. I only use gels on long runs of eight miles or more, and I only use other energy products like these chews before a long run, and then not very often.
So the other day I ate a pack before a five mile trail run thinking that the trails have been beating me up and I would benefit from a little extra energy. These are seriously yummy and hit my sugar peptide just right. I ate them about 30 minutes prior to the workout and felt....... the same when I finally hit the trail. It was hard to tell if I was feeling chemically energized or energized from the trail run itself. I don't know, my high/low energy reference points are when I haven't had coffee in the morning and when little Jeffrey goes 'up periscope'.
But it doesn't matter because these are really good and relatively inexpensive. As for the 'squirt in your mouth' effect, I think I ate them too fast to notice. Nutritionally, these little guys are pretty solid and are positively endorsed by Josh Cox among others. Here's the breakdown:
45 grams of carbs, lots of sugar, and Black carrot juice for color. WTF? Black carrots??? Off to Google we go------
Keepin it clean for this family blog
Carrots originated in the Afghanistan region about 5,000 years ago. Though not a robust crop choice here in the West, black carrots proliferate in Asia and the Baltic states, and are becoming more popular in modern restaurants. The chemical composition makes for an ideal red coloring, and you can read a lot more here at the carrot museum online. I swear!
Post #150!!! Thanks for following!
RTP Rating for PowerBar Raspberry Energy Blasts: Cake = it's great and I highly recommend this product. Keep your fingers away from my mouth.
I turned 45 on Monday. Yep, 6/6/66. Now I'm in this 45-49 age bracket which is full of mid-life crisis-enduring speed demons intent on retaining/regaining their youth of 20 years ago *. Thankfully this is a passing phase and most men move on into acceptance by about age 73 or 74. And this cohort conveniently lies on the boundary where a fast race time equals an assured 'fountain of youth' return to a time when everything looked like a Prefontaine movie, while a plodding ass-strained limp through mile two of a community 5K fun run can be tossed away with a casual, "All these kids with their flashy smiles and bandanas!! I couldn't get a rhythm going and the damn music is melting my ears!"
Seattle's Prefontaine Building. Thanks for nothing Google!
I'll tell you what else has been melting some ears - the sound of me yelling "I'm rich!!" Generous relatives sent me $150 in Roadrunner Sports gift cards. I think they want me to run myself into the ground so I'll stop impregnating Maria. I perused merchandise obsessively online, then headed over yesterday to claim my looty. Within a few minutes of entering the store, I figured out that they do not carry nearly as much stuff in the store as they advertise online, and the employees are hopelessly tuned to the beginning runner. Samples of parlay (as overheard)....
"you have a slight pronation on the left that is causing you to push that foot further out as you run. It may result in strained running and injury. I recommend these pronation-reducing inserts" Hey Dr. Scholl, stop screwing around with people! or check out this priceless bon mot "I've been running nearly three years so I decided to get a job here and eventually run in my first marathon"
My salesperson received free one on one coaching by yours truly: I helped her locate the Scape sunscreen, identify its purpose, and discern that there is no difference except there are two types of packaging. I also helped her understand that the lip balm is not a child-sized sunscreen container, but meant to be applied to the area that surrounds a persons bubble gum hole. She then showed me the two racks that hold visors. I patiently showed her that one rack holds nothing but full hats while the other is reserved for the visors. I didn't see the Asics visor that was advertised on the website, so I asked her, and she said that she was pretty sure Asics only makes shoes. I met up with Suzanne right then (she was buying winter close-out stuff) and the sales person wandered away, I'm sure she went to read Teen Beat or Twitter or some such crap. I found an RRS visor, some RRS shorts, and settled on the el cheapo Nathan 10 oz handheld. It was between that one and the Fuel Belt, and have you seen the Fuel Belt 10 oz? POS. So is the Nathan, but the gift cards were burning my ass and triggering all my purchase peptides. I also got 6 packs of Gu, some running socks, some Accelerade and went past the $150 mark without breathing hard. I had to put back the Salt Stick tabs because I was over my limit. Holy batshit running stuff is expensive.
So tomorrow morning is ARR Summer Series race #2 on what looks like a flat course as seen on satellite. My PR for a 5K is 27:30, but it was run at the FYTO 5K in January. There were several things wrong with that race: Garmin only measured 3.03 miles, it was Directed and WON by Adam, my calf blew up in the last quarter mile, and Adam was the Director and WON the fucking race. So tomorrow I want to try for a sub 27:00 which is 8:41/mile. I'm going to try a warm up 3/4 mile pre-race, and also be a bit more awake than usual for the first mile (coffee and race atmosphere). I want to hold 8:50 for the first two miles and drop the hammer in mile three. I've prepped today by only eating hint-o-lime Tostidos( I would pay extra for Tostidos that were dripping with lime powder. Don't you just love that one chip in the bag that got stuck on the conveyor belt and was sprayed with lime chemical for 45 minutes? I want a whole bag of those!) and drinking expired Cytomax. I also pinned my race bib with only three pins a la Nitmos (2 diagonal and one smack in the middle, all three under the shirt ninja-style!!!), and I'll sleep in the park tonight a la Runlaur. If none of that works, then I'll claim my social security and refuse to vote for anything that doesn't directly benefit my senior living community.
* To be fair, it is also almost exclusively comprised of men and women who have been running most of their lives and have worked hard to get to this level. Almost all of the people out running at 6:30am in sanctioned races are serious runners.
Jamoosh and Nitmos, you have accidentally selected a "Goal Review" posting. Carefully click the back button on your browser to return to the page(s) you were on before.
I began running in September of 2008 using a couch to 5K program and walking a lot of those 3 mile training runs. The main idea was to get in shape to better enjoy my life and especially my son who was getting ready to turn one.
I'm too young to run, what's your excuse daddy??
I was 218 pounds, had medium bad cholesterol, worse blood pressure and was looking ahead to 43 years old. I wanted to do something about it. So I started running and joined a local group that ran on Saturday mornings. There I met Lauren who introduced me to the blogging world. Several blogging awards and book tours later, and I find myself at the end of my second year of recorded running. In January 2009, I ran 22 miles including a 2:39 1/2 marathon. My paces were somewhere in the 11:00 range on average. I ran just over 300 miles in 2009. In 2010, I ran 586 miles and shaved a minute off of my pace average.
1. Eat better, more healthful food (healthy food is food that isn't sick) in my daily diet. This really means eating a regular healthful breakfast and eating more frequently with smaller portions. And not eating after 7pm. Not completed. Some improvements, but still an undisciplined hodgepodge of half-hearted attempts to improve the diet. Goal stands for 2011.
2. I would also like to switch from coffee to green tea and other teas. No more coffee. Ha ha haaaaaaaa haaa ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaa, cough cough gagging and choking, ha bwaa bwaa ha ha haaa. I think I actually doubled my caffeine intake this year. 2011 goal is to not let this habit slide into Spice Smoke, Ecstasy, Meth, or tennis.
3. Include a genuine warm-up, cool-down, and post run stretch session into each run. Define "warm-up". I think it's there. I actually think I warm up until the end of the run then rationalize my way out of the cool down. Cool down and post run stretch mostly fail unless you count entering data into Garmin Connect/Daily mile while slapping down goal #2. Goal stands, though I remain skeptical.
4. Run on a plan. This means utilizing several different run types each week: long, tempo, interval, and speed, etc.. Also, at least one run per week will be a natural run with no electronic gizmos, no time, speed, distance, route plan --just run for fun. Strict adherence to 10% rule! Mostly not completed! I utilized plans, but never 'to the end'. I did mix in different types of runs, and actually ran twice 'naked' (no electronics and no shorts) in the year, but nowhere close to once per week. I do realize though that I enjoy the data and will not attempt that same frequency. My 2011 goal is to run 4 times per week with one of the runs being a 'long run'. Some naked running (No Garmin), and some trail running with the hound.
Norman the Hound
5. Build in cross-training including bike spinning. Hmmmmmm. Spun 2 or 3 times, swam 5 or 6 times. Would like to build in the swimming this year. I really like it and it feels like it's good for me. And I think I could keep up with SUAR in the pool if I were in a kayak.
6. Find and develop a running partner/group. Runners Den Sat mornings, and Suzanne. Ok, I'm calling this one good. Keep it going for 2011.
7. Volunteer at a race (at least one). Runners Den 5 and 5, February --Done! Will repeat this goal in 2011.
8. Health permitting, complete a marathon. June 6 San Diego RnR --Done! Perhaps never again, at least no plans for 26.2 in 2011. We'll see how it goes.
9. Health permitting, complete a stride and ride or similar biathlon event. Nope. Who writes these goals?? Jeesh!!
10. Continue to blog and be thankful for followers. Got it. Not as regular as I would like, but better than the previous year. Thanks to the 49 Followers for continued loyalty! And lurkers---- you are just creepy! I truly enjoy the online friendships and also the laughs. We are a unified lot and I get most of my fitness support from you. And I've been able to meet up with several of you and have become pretty good friends. Thanks Adam.
11. Spend more time with my son. Can always improve, but we are pretty tight and he still runs with me from time to time (Tempe Arbor Day 5K).This is a standing goal as long as I remain on this side of the dirt.
Maybe not much to some of you, but an amazing feat for me. I didn't even know there was such a thing and here it was in the mail like a negative vortex alternative universe ashtray.
Yeah, I rocked the 1/2 marathon in Phoenix in January, then rocked my first full marathon in San Diego in June. I have enjoyed these events overall but still feel like I'm trying to make up for the last 25 years of couch 'tatering, pizza eating, tv watching, I'll do it tomorrow behavior. Now I have to drag my butt out the door to run in the morning and its not as easy as it might have been when I was younger. That said, I'm glad to be doing it now and my body is getting stronger and skinnier too.
This is post #101 for RTP. RTP now has 46 followers and my email is starting to become more active with real people. As opposed to scam artists from other continents and sexy porn.
The other great thing about this choice in lifestyle is that my 2.5 almost three year old son is growing up in a household of healthy behavior. To be honest, this is the main reason I got into running. I can't stand the idea of not being able to play with him and run around in the park or make it up the stairs to the nosebleed section of the stadium. And how cool would it be for him to tell friends at school that he spent his weekend at a race with his parents!
Want a chance to win some socks/beer glass/Nuun tabs? Go over to http://mcmmama.blogspot.com/2010/09/wright-running-socks-review-1000-mile.html
RTP now has 30 followers. Welcome to the latest few and brave little Kelsey who stepped up to the line to become #30. Welcome!!
Kelsey is training for her first marathon and will race for 26.2 this coming January here in Phoenix at the RnR. I'm looking forward to reading about your training Kelsey and hopefully you will be joining the rest of us Phx-based blogging/running nerds for a pre-race orgy meet up.
I read 52 Loaves last week and have been busy building a levain, researching recipes, and emailing the author. Not too much running, but a really nice swim session with Runlaur and..........
Bikram Yoga this evening with Adam and Runalur!! I'm very excited, but also apprehensive because I have heard some horror stories from people about their first experience with 'hotroom' yoga. But as they say in Hell and Bakersfield, 'everyone into the fire'. I'll report out in the next day or so pending survival.
52 Loaves, by William Alexander, is a chronological self-rising journey of one year in the life of an amateur turned-pro-bread-maker and his family. If you have read anything by Alexander, you know he is anything but amateur in what ever he pursues. The author seeks to recreate the perfect bread and vows to bake at least one loaf per week for one year in pursuit of the pain de perfect. He describes the processes for making yeast and also the chemical reactions in each stage. He travels to France, North Africa, and to production-grade flour mills to better understand and perfect the craft. Hard to believe, but he actually plants a small plot of wheat in his garden and , a year later, harvests, threshes, winnows, and grinds (some by hand) the grain to make flour which he uses to make some kick-ass bread. In the final stages of his journey, he spends several weeks living in an abbey in France teaching the monks how to bake bread and revitalizing their tradition of bread-making and also has a profound and lasting spiritual experience.
I have taken his lead and am now in the final day of a six day process to build a levain (starter dough) that can be used to bake some of the best breads on the planet. There are plenty of informative websites and blogs for this topic, and I fear that I may have left my family behind. No worries from them, as I have promised home-made breads and muffins starting sometime in the next week, and food always trumps in this family. I needed some information about the levain and some other baking topics, so I emailed the author, and he replied with two separate emails within a day. Not to be too self-assured, but I knew he would. He just seems like that kind of guy.
52 Loves gets an overall RTP rating of 'Cake'. I'll have to increase my mileage, or I'll get an overall rating of cake-eater. 30 suckers followers. Who knew??
The contest was a success! The objective was to gain at least one more follower to take RTP to 20 followers. My blog now has 20 followers, though a couple quit me (I can't quit you!!)
and 2 added. C'est la vie -- and a boring blog.
In honor of the contest, I ran 20 miles this morning. A first! 34 for the week.
I also took an ice bath afterwards -- another first!! No photos. If you want gratuitous and exhibitionistic photos, go see Steve in a Speedo's blog.
I almost had another first (and would, no doubt, have been the last) along the route but there was a golf course bathroom that came to the rescue.
The run was uneventful. I ran the first 4 miles, then ran/walked the remaining in a .9 run/.1 walk. Around mile 15, I started to walk a bit more and got nervous about my water supply. I did have several sources planned out and they were all available, so no hydration problems. I started at 5:30 am and it quickly became hot. Nice and salty hat!
I was out there almost 4 hours. The salient question in my mind is: Can I extrapolate success for 26.2 from relative success in 20? Answer is yes with lingering doubt. My feet really swelled up in my shoes and two toes took a bad beating, but otherwise I'm 'normally' sore. Cardiovascular stayed strong, form began to break down a bit after 15, and I ran much faster than I planned while walking slower than I planned. The plan calls for 3 runs this coming week and another long run next weekend (22?), then taper and San Diego RnR Marathon on June 6. The fallback plan is to downgrade to the 1/2 and set a PR, though I really want a marathon on the books.
I hear you, I hear you --get to the contest! The winner (randomly selected from a hat by a trustworthy 2 year old) of the 20th Follower to Running Through Phoenix is..... Runlaur! You most likely know her and her blog, but if you don't, check her out. She is an awesome blogger, and person, and is running in the Bob Potts marathon (her first marathon) this weekend.
That's her on the Phoenix map pin. She wins a $20 GC to Zombie runner and some bragging rights. See ya when you get back Lauren and we will work out the exchange. There were some interesting entries and the contest was more difficult than I expected. I'll re-tool for the next contest. Thanks again to all my followers and have a great running weekend!
I had ideas about working "golden" in with "showers" of accolades, or prizes, or some other juvenile way to connect Golden and Showers (the link is Wikipedia, not pornographic I promise! Is that even porn?) and the 50th post, but that would be cheap and I already feel like I'm setting an unwanted trend in that direction.
Had a really fun group run yesterday with Adam and Lauren. We went about ten miles with Lauren and then Adam and I did almost 3 more. The weather was perfect, and the company was just what I needed. I have decided that I love running with other people. We kept the pace mild and were able to chat the whole way.
Adam is an animal of a runner --he did this whole route on a bum foot and I don't think he sweated. Lauren is a really great runner and right around my level, so we were able to stay in a group without too much sacrifice.
I did wake up last night at about 3 am with sharp pain in my right knee, on the inside. I was not able to completely straighten or contract the knee with out it feeling like there was a knife sticking in it. I've been working it this morning and I think it is abating. I also have a black toenail -2nd toe left side (finally!) Now I have had almost all of the injuries one can get -except nipple chafing. Adam and I discussed this yesterday. Adam tapes all the time, even for short 3 mile runs. I usually only tape for 1/2 marathon or longer, but yesterday only did the Glide on each and had no trouble. JEFF.... GEYER.... YOU..HAVE.. IRON.....NIPPLES!!!!!
This blogging thing has been fun. Thanks again to my 13 followers, and also to the random few who read without following --and yes, even to the Asian porn person who lurks just out of reach of the filters.
If you are interested in forming a regular Sat morning running group with intermittent membership and rotating locations around the valley, let one of us know.
Today we slept a bit late. Harrison had a rough night starting at 3:30, and he stayed asleep until 6:30. Strange for him, but not strange at all for a 9 month old. We putzed around the house, I mowed the lawn, and we had our 9:30 swimming lesson. He cried a bit but did fine overall. Then I had the idea to blog this part of my life - much to the amusement of my wife Maria. We had a laugh or two as I filled out the 'interests' section. Laugh all you want, but I do want to be a rock climber! Anyway, I also want to lose 25 pounds and learn to type 'also'. The plan for losing weight and getting in shape is to walk in the morning for 30 minutes, drink more water, and eat healthful food.
