Taking a tumble

By special request after mentioning it on Facebook and Twitter, I am writing about falling while running last night. The short story is I fell and I’m OK. The long story is … I was running with Duke and my friend Travis. About a mile and a half into our run, we had to pass a few people on the sidewalk. We ran out into the street and then back onto the sidewalk. I thought I jumped high enough to get back on, but apparently due to the darkness and wet conditions, I didn’t jump high enough, or one foot didn’t go high enough … or something like that.

All I know is that all of a sudden I fell on the sidewalk … in front of other people. My first priority was making sure Duke stopped, which he had. He was just kind of looking at me with a concerned look. But I got up, made sure I could move OK and kept on with my run. When I dropped Duke off a little while later I realized I had blood running down my leg and had a few more scrapes than I first realized. But I was OK, and Travis and I continued our run.

We ended up running almost 6 miles, my longest run in quite some time. I think it was my first run beyond 4 miles since the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half in early September. That just shows how bad my running has been since that race. I’m actually a little sore today from both the fall and the run. My shoulder actually hurts a little bit too, so suprise, surprise, I’m putting off a day of 100 push-ups. But I’m not forcing it and will just start again next week. Actually, I’ll probably do another day of it this weekend and then just redo the same week next week.

So, about this fall. I know I’m not alone … I just can’t be. Take my poll below.

85 push-ups

Sometime before I begin training for my next marathon, I will do 100 consecutive push-ups. As I’ve already documented, the path to doing 100 push-ups hasn’t been easy, but I’ve stayed determined to get it done, eventually. In October, I fell off the wagon, but the work I did in the first several weeks paid off in making the beginnings of my move very easy. But if I want the rest of my moving to be “easy,” I have to pick back up this program.

A couple of weeks ago I did a “test” to see where I was so I would know where to resume — I did 33 push-ups. But then I had to sleep on a couch and ended up sleeping on my shoulder wrong. So I put it off for a week so I wouldn’t hurt myself. Then this past weekend I did another “test” — to my surprise I did 35. Lifting all those boxes around have kept my arms strong apparently. I felt great.

So tonight I FINALLY re-started. This time in a different column — level 3 — and I started on week 3. I did sets of 14, 18, 14, 14 and 25. This workout felt great. I’m certainly not where I was when I left off, but I’m surprisingly close. Continuing the program will not be the easiest thing as I still have things to do with moving, but I will completely this program sometime. Now that I know where I stand, I’m too far along to drop this.

362 days from now …

This is me after the 2007 Richmond Marathon.

My second marathon will be where I did my first. In an odd twist of events this weekend, I signed up for the 2010 Richmond Marathon. Not running in anything yesterday motivated me to sign up.

I’ve been thinking about my second marathon since I did my first one two years ago. But injuries, a baby and an overall lack of motivation have prevented me from signing up for another one.

But it’s time … or at least a year from now it will be time. I’m not in a good situation right now to train for one this spring, but I really think next summer will bring some great things. This winter and spring will be all about building a base … and when it’s time to start training I’ll be in a good place to focus on the marathon.

If you’ve never read my blog post about my first marathon, click here or on my photo to check it out. Two years later, it’s still my favorite post since I started blogging. I like to read it occasionally and take a few minutes to be selfish knowing that I completed 26.2 miles. I can’t wait to do it again.

Oddly sad

Today was a big running day in Richmond – an 8k, a half marathon and a marathon. The same and only marathon that I ran two years ago. I was going to run the 8k, but as soon as I got my job offer I knew that I didn’t want to squeeze it in with the moving that had to be done.

Instead of running a race this weekend, I spent last night getting a workout in by climbing up and down a ladder and carrying boxes out of my attic in about an hour’s time. Today I’m feeling it — my feet and hips are sore from that up and down mess on the ladder, my elbows are bruised from hitting the sides of the attic entry and my knee hurts because I missed a step coming down one time, resulting in me banging my knee against the ladder.

But that wasn’t a PR in an 8k or a 4-hour marathon. It was life’s work. While I’m excited about my move and completely happy with my new job, it was sad not participating in a big race today with thousands of other people. But the great thing about running is there’s always next year. It’s so cliché, yet completely true. I’m actually tempted to sign up for next year’s marathon this weekend while there’s a discount rate.

I’ll give it a day, though, just to make sure I’m not going with my emotions right now. My body and I need to talk about this …

Rain. A whole lot of freakin’ rain

In case you’ve been living under a rock, it’s been raining in Virginia and other parts of the mid-Atlantic for three straight days. And not just any rain … crazy, late-hurricane season monsoon-type rain. Fortunately where I am we’ve been spared the worst, but we had about 4 inches total in a short time frame. Eastern parts of the state have had much more.

It’s also gone from a very nice upper 60s or so to about 40 degrees tonight. It’s been awful. That all being said, it did stop raining a bit this evening — long enough to get in a good run and get my dog out of the house for a half hour or so. To say he was going stir crazy is an understatement. He’s had that oh-so-sad depressed doggy look for a while now. It’s the “why can’t I have 5 more minutes to circle the yard to poop” look. So we both got out and got rid of the energy that’s been building up.

The teens, finally

For the first time in two months, I hit the teens with my running miles this week. The last time this happened was about the time I decided that miles just didn’t matter; it was a time that running stopped being fun for a little while, too. So I’m here to once again say that miles do matter!

I had the best running week I’ve had in a while — with miles and the way I felt. It’s amazing to me how running hills around Bedford in two weeks have made me feel. I have a long way to get to where I want to be, but this is a great start at a time of the year that running usually dwindles for many people. I hope that I’m setting myself up for a good Christmas Classic 5k in a few weeks. Being able to easily run the course a couple of times a week certainly helps.

I’ve also developed a great running partner recently. My dog, Duke, has been able to last much longer than I thought he could, going for three 3-plus mile runs this week. He’s usually been good for a couple of miles coupled with a mile or so walking, but he’s proven to me that he has much more energy than I thought he had. Makes me wish I was a dog sometimes …

“It” starts (or restarts) now

When it comes to running, October 2009 stands out in my mind as the lowest of the low in my almost six years of running. My few injuries are an exception. I wasn’t injured in October. I was full of excuses. Sure, moving doesn’t make life easy, but in hindsight, why is my workout log completely blank from Oct. 7-12?

I also fell completely off the 100 push-ups wagon, but at the same time I’m reaping the rewards of the program. Moving boxes and furniture in the past few weeks have been much easier than a couple of years ago when I moved. But this is a program I want to finish — I just don’t know when. Tonight, for the first time in a couple of weeks, I dropped down and did 33. I guess I could say I’m 33 percent of the way there. Oddly enough, 33 is what I maxed at in week 4 (after 85 push-ups).

But what do I do? The 100 push-ups Web site actually recommends that I start on week 3 if I do more than 20 in my initial test. Although it wasn’t an “initial” test, I think going back to week 3 is a good idea. That might help me get past week 4 that I never got through after two attempts. But honestly, moving got in the way then and it may get in the way in the next few weeks, but no matter what this is making me a stronger person. I may take a lot longer than some people, but I’m determined to get to 100.

So as I get the 100 push-ups program jump started, I am also determined to get my running back in order too. Tonight I kicked the month off with a 3.6 mile run that included Bedford’s loop. My dog, who usually only runs for a couple of miles or so, joined me. I’m pretty sure it was his longest run ever. It was a nice, cold, full moon run, complete with street lights.

I need these runs and I need these runs to regain my consistency. I need these runs to do well in a couple of small races before the end of the year. I need these runs for next year. I’m starting over, somewhat. I don’t feel like I’m out of shape by any means, but like much of the way the rest of this year has been, I’m not where I want to be with anything — with speed, with weight, with just being happy with running.

It (re)starts now. I’m done with my excuses.

Hello hills, nice to see you again

It wasn’t much, but for the first time this week I went for a run in Bedford today after work … and I ended up tackling a street that had two big hills that I completely forgot about. I was with my dog too, and I think he also forgot what it was like to run on hills. I actually was hoping to run last night, but some heavy rain disrupted that.

It was a nice change to hit these hills and I’m looking forward to more in the coming weeks to help me get back into the shape I want to be in this winter. I haven’t mentioned races in a while, but the 8k in a couple of weeks in Richmond is out — I just don’t have the time with my moving/living situation or money, nor am I in shape enough to do it like I would want. I’m sure I’d be able to run it fine, but I’d be slow and I can run 5 miles somewhere else for free.

My hopes now is to do a Turkey Trot when we visit Ohio at Thanksgiving and the Bedford Christmas Classic in early December, a 5k that I did when I lived around here before. Otherwise, I don’t have much focus on racing — I’d like to just run some hills, get in shape and then focus on, I hope, the Shamrock. If I can build a good base and then start putting focus on that in mid-December, I’ll be able to do what I want to do for that race …  a PR.

* * *

The first couple of days in my new job have gone well. As you know, I don’t talk about work on here too much, but I really feel this is the right thing. It hasn’t felt weird to be back in the Lynchburg area at all — of course it’s only been a couple of days and I’m without my wife and son for a few days, so my main focus has actually been to get to Friday afternoon and get back to Richmond to see them. Once they’re around, it will feel “normal.”

My not-quite 24-hour gym

When my gym moved earlier this year and became a mostly 24-hour facility, I never realized that they closed on Sunday nights for all of 8 hours. I wanted to get a solid cross-training workout in tonight, but when I arrived at the gym shortly after 7:30, I discovered that the gym closes at 8 p.m. They open back up at 4 a.m. Monday and then stay open until late Friday. I know that the gym isn’t a high-demand facility on a Sunday night, but this all just seems weird to me.

I still managed to get in a quick, but intense 20 minutes on the elliptical — a nice way to close off this week. Despite packing, doing a yard sale and spending some much-needed quality time with my almost year-old son, I got in some good runs — 3 runs of 3 miles or more and another 2.2 miler. It’s my first double-digit week in a while since I had put more focus on cross training recently (and a focus on moving).

* * *

Anyway, I have one more day off before I start my new job in Lynchburg and I’ll be staying in Bedford for a short time until my housing situation takes care of itself. Either way, I’m looking forward to tackling these hills this fall and winter to get ready for whatever I do next year. With all this moving around and so much going on, I’m not sure at this point in my plans for next year will still hold. I haven’t signed up for Shamrock yet — I want to do it, but my bank account may say otherwise by the end of the year (when the race usually sells out). I just have to wait and see what happens.

Taking time to breathe

I knew that with taking a new job and getting ready to move that I would have very little time to post on here. Little did I realize that I wouldn’t have time to do anything else too. These past two weeks have been pretty intense. On top of my last two weeks of work being the busiest two weeks of the time I was there, home life was just crazy with getting things set up to sell my house. It wasn’t until yesterday around noon that we finally got to the point of being ready for that.

So, needless to say, it hasn’t been the best running or working out time lately. I’ve still managed to pull off some short runs and a couple of visits to the gym, but nothing like I had planned on doing this fall. That’s what happens when life gets in the way. This week, though, I have a little bit of down time. It’s not much, but I’ll take it.

I first want to take some time to just calm down. I’ve been going, going, going that I haven’t stopped long enough to get in a comfortable night’s sleep. But I also want to exercise and use that opportunity to get rid of the thoughts of my previous job and focus on the future. It started today with a nice 3.1 run around my neighborhood. Who turned on this massive AC on the East Coast anyway?

I’m not sure what the rest of the week will hold, but this is a nice start. The next few weeks will continue to be crazy as I start my new job and go to and from Richmond for a couple of weekends. Eventually I’ll get to a new “normal,” but it’ll take a while. I have to remember though how important running and working out is. As long as that happens a few times a week, my moving and the new normal will be much easier – both physically and mentally.