Turkey Week

 This week we celebrate Thanksgiving.  With that comes the reminder to be thankful for what we have.  Remember while we're out there pissing & moaning about terrible runs (present company included) that there are people that only wish they had that ability.  So be thankful for the ability to run.  

Now on to the running reports...

MONDAY

One of our FRC coaches setup a challenge this week.  A call to change up the pace a bit & run on a local trail.  While on that trail take a picture on a certain bench, "Ham's Halfway Inn", with the Frisco water tower & said bench in the shot.  It also came with the opportunity to win a prize.  Successful pics would enter you in a drawing for a $50 gift card to the Frisco Running Company.  Even though I had never been on this trial, you know I couldn't miss the opportunity to take a running photo. 

I don't typically run trails.  I've ran maybe 3 or 4 in my time as a runner.  Growing up playing a lot of basketball my ankles tend to dislike uneven terrain.  Which probably means I should do it more & build up those supporting muscles.

Nonetheless, Leonardo & I took to the trail in search of Ham's Halfway Inn.  It is a very well cared for trail. It's part of the DORBA trail system. (Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association) Its a single track trail sending runners & bikers in opposite directions.  This keeps everyone facing trail traffic & limits collisions. At this trial there are 3 paths currently, Ranger, Coyote, & Wolverine.  In the photo you'll notice the section to the north that looks washed out.  Formerly part of the trail system, but now home to the under construction PGA World Headquarters & golf course.

We started out on Ranger and ended up taking a wrong turn onto Wolverine (I think).  Which ended up being a loop that brought us back to our wrong turn.  Being on the trail was good change of scenery.  We met a lot of bikers & every one was nice & courteous.  We would move to the side to let them whiz by & they would say thank you.  About halfway in, as advertised, we found the photo spot.  Next came the challenge.  How do you take a photo while on the bench, getting the bench an water tower in the frame?

It took some serious grass balancing skills, but we got it done!  Cross your fingers that one of us wins the $50 gift card.  The challenge ends 11/29.

TUESDAY

Not a lot going on.  Hope for the Holiday is next week.  Cutting back a bit. So today is a rest day.  Just rolling & hydrating getting ready for tomorrow's mid-week long run.

This is good stuff! Liquid I.V.

WEDNESDAY

Another 4am wake up call to go run for fun. Nothing like 2 mile threshold intervals on a hump day!  The temp this morning was perfect. Mid-40s.  Once again 3 of us on the road.  Raphael should be back Saturday.

We started out at a nice easy pace. By mile 2 & 3 I started to notice that we were a little ahead of our pace target.  We always razz Donatello because he pushes the pace. Today he followed suit. Around 5 miles I thought, “Man, I’m feeling pretty strong”.  The 2nd round of thresholds Leonardo started pushing the pace. We ended up with a sub-9:00 mile 8.  We cruised through the last 2 miles. When all was said & done we had averaged a 9:28/mile pace for 10.3 miles.  Considering my last half marathon pace average was 9:58. I did bonk at the end of that race, but nonetheless, today was better.  It was a real confidence booster for sure.

THURSDAY - THANKSGIVING 

For several years I have ran on Thanksgiving morning. Its a weird runner thing.  We tell ourselves that if you run that morning you can eat whatever you want.  Last year it was the North Texas Turkey Trot. It got cancelled this year. So, on Monday I posted on the FRC Facebook page to look for interest in an impromptu Turkey Trot.  The idea seemed to be well received.  Someone even posted a race bib to print out & wear.

Not a bad turnout for a last minute social run!  The plan was to run one of the 4-mile training routes.  Around the 2 mile mark the group in the front decided to take the 5-mile turn.  We followed suit.  The other groups stuck to the course.  It worked out well as we all ended up finishing around the same time. A good time was had by all!  Now it’s time to eat!! 

FRIDAY

The typical programmed REST DAY. 

SATURDAY

Another Saturday morning long run with the Ninja Turtles.  Raphael is back from vacation.  So finally the team is back together. A little chilly for Texas again.. mid-40s with some wind. 

A young visiting runner joined us for a few miles.  We didn’t have a plan today except for the distance. So we just cruised by feel. Moderate to easy pace. It was a pretty uneventful run until around mile 8. Both of my shoes came untied. I can’t remember my shoes ever coming untied much less both of them. After about a 1/4 mile we made it to a stoplight & I had a chance to tie them. 

As I was tying, Leonardo told me about the double loop method. Since 2013 I’ve ran nearly 3,200 miles in numerous states with tons of people & no one has every told me about this double loop method. I guess since I’ve not had an issue with them coming untied I wouldn’t have brought it up. I’ll give it a whirl & see how it goes. 

Nonetheless we finished up our run & punched in a solid 10 miler. 

Another solid week in the books!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Apparently old people blog...

Why did I start this blog?  Well, as I mentioned before I started a training plan with Frisco Running Club. For 35 bucks you get a training plan, coaching, workouts, a t-shirt, & 15% off at the Frisco Running Company store. There are also links to the club & store are at the top of my page. 

When I started that program I also started a weekly Facebook post with photos from the week. Pictures of whatever I encountered that week of training. So for 6 months I’ve been journaling by photo. There were many times that I wanted to share more about the individual photos, but didn’t want to be one of those long posters... My Facebook Album

A blog seemed like the natural progression. I can type it out & you can read it or not. My oldest daughter said I was old for starting a blog. “We vlog now.” I could vlog I suppose, but it would be more labor intensive with the recording & video editing. Been there done that.  That’s a story for another time. 

This week has been light week. 3 milers on Monday & Tuesday to start the week. Both of which I wore the Bluetooth shoes from my previous post. 

MONDAY

I'm an early morning runner.  It works best for me.  It doesn't interfere with family life or work.  But, on occasion, when the weather is cool I'll sleep in & go for a lunch run.  Monday was one of those days.  I tried out a route through one of the newly opened neighborhoods across the street. Ended up with an odd distance, but it was a nice loop.

TUESDAY

Run-crastination led to me joining an impromptu FRC evening run from the store. I really enjoy running in groups. It’s one of my favorite things about running. 

It was a pretty small group. Since covid came to town it’s been pretty low attendance. I remember last year we would have 50+ on some runs.  This time of year it's nearly dark before we start.  

**Always make sure that you have some sort of lighting when running in the dark.**

WEDNESDAY

Mid-week brings us to my guys, The Ninja Turtles. That’s what we’ve named ourselves. There are four of us.  We're not ninjas, & we’re not fast either.  Typically we run together every Wednesday & Saturday. We all met through FRC. Our pace group originally was larger & had men & women.  Over the course of 6 months of training & the aforementioned covid we dwindled down to the four of us for the most part.

One of the quad was going out of town this week. So you just get 3 of us. 

We did 10 miles with threshold pace intervals. 2 miles easy pace, then 2 miles threshold pace. Alternating to 10 total miles.  It felt pretty tough.  Especially the 2nd threshold section.

THURSDAY

Cross-training day (XT). This weeks workout had a name. Annie on the Run. Sit-ups, jump rope, & running pyramid style.  

Man, I used to be terrible at jumping rope.  Back in May I could barely get to 5 before I was missing a jump.  Now I can do 50-60+.  Back then I also cut all of the workouts in half.  I just wasn't in shape enough to tackle the full workouts.

Moral of the story... Anyone one can do this stuff.  Modify the workouts as needed & get it done.  Consistency is key.  Keep at it & you'll get stronger!

FRIDAY

The best day of the week!  REST DAY!  

Nothing happening but foam rolling & hydration today.  Getting the body ready for tomorrows long run.  I like to sit in that chair & look at my running wall.  It reminds me that it all started with a guy in his mid 30s that wanted to lose a few pounds.  I would go the the high school track every morning.  I would run as far as I could.  The first day I could only make it half a lap.  Run 1/2 & walk 1/2.  No watch, no tracking.  I just ran till I was tired, rested a bit & went again.

That big ole G also reminds me that it's only a couple more weeks until Hope For the Holiday Half Marathon in memory of Garrett Yeager.

SATURDAY

Nothing like waking up at 4:30am on Saturday to run with your friends. Some say we’re crazy. Maybe, but that’s what we do. 

Once again, 3 turtles strong, we took on the streets of Frisco, TX.  What was supposed to be 15 Easy turned into 10 Easy, 3 terrible, 2 miserable. 

I’m not really sure what happened. The humidity was pretty high & it was in the mid 60s. Either way, not every run is good. Some are just not. 

Everything seemed to be going fine. The first half of the route had some solid hills. Around mile 11 I ran out of water. I ran into the Golden Arches & refilled one bottle. That gave Leonardo (name changed to protect the innocent) the perfect opportunity for a pic. Typically I’m the photographer, but today I just wanted to be done. I literally look dead...

Only 4 more miles to go. Shortly after the pit stop I noticed my left nipple burning. Which was odd because I was wearing band-aids. A quick peek revealed a major wardrobe malfunction. I guess with all of the extra humidity & sweat ole lefty fell off leaving one raw nipple. Ouch!  I did not enjoy the shower later. 

Anyway I pulled my shirt off & slugged on. Which brought comments about me just wanting flex for the passers-by. 2 more miles to go. This is where a few brief walk breaks were added to the program. My feet & lower legs were just done. Not sure if it was all the jump ropes Thursday or if my shoes need replaced. 284 miles seems a little low for the Nike Pegasus. Nonetheless I pressed on & finished it up. The other turtles kept looping back to make sure that I had not died. That’s what friends do. They hang around even when your having a rough day. Runners are good people.  You should be too!

So that’s it for the week. I hope it wasn’t too much.  Check back with me soon for another week in the life of an average runner. 

Bluetooth Shoe Test

A month or 2 back I bought some Under Armour Velociti HOVR shoes on the clearance rack at Frisco Running Company. They looked & felt good. Plus they were 40% off!

So who cares. You bought some shoes. Wow. 

Hang with me here... these shoes have Bluetooth!  That’s right Bluetooth!  They connect to the Map My Run app. 

I had them for a month or so using them for cross training. I was out for a 10-miler with my buds & they suggested that I try the function out & see how it compares to my Garmin watch. 

Truth be told, I had tried the shoes out on a couple of short runs. After both runs my knee bothered me. So I designated them as cross trainers. Since then I’ve learned that I had an IT band issue & it had nothing to do with the shoes. 

On my next short run I tried it out. 

I have to say it’s pretty cool when you open the app and the shoes get connected. 

I had mapped out a new route to try. So off I went. 

About every half mile the app would announce through my headphones whether I was on the target zone for cadence. That target was determined by my height, weight, & pace. 

Since I’m a data nerd, the best part was the post run analysis. It gave me not only my cadence, but my stride length, ground contact time, & foot strike angle. 

I still have to figure out how to use that information, but it’s cool nonetheless. 

As if that wasn’t enough, there were also coaching tips based on my performance. I still need to log a few more runs to see my trends, and I excited to nerd out!

Well, I’ve got to get ready for tonight’s group run with some of my people from Frisco Running Club. 

Till next time... Run for fun!

The Swole Monster

You've stumbled onto another blog about running. 🏃 So here's the obligatory intro post.

I'm an average guy in his 40s. I'm married to my high school sweetheart & have two beautiful daughters. My friends & family have called me E since 5th grade. When people call me Eric I typically say, it's just E. So there you have it, Just_ee.

I started running in Sep 2013 to lose weight. In March 2014 I ran my first Half Marathon. My time was 2:00:53. Which is still my PR (personal record) 🥇. I've ran 15+ so far without really training. I would just run. I started a weight training regimen in 2014 to help me with running. It didn't take long for me to see results physically. Then what I call the Swole Monster 💪 took over. I just wanted to be bigger. Until I missed running then I would work on running again. Then I would lose my Gainz. It was an exhausting cycle. I have jumped back & forth from running to weightlifting for the last several years. Run training 6-10 weeks prior to a half would get me in enough shape to finish.

Then in 2016 I tweaked my shoulder bench pressing 300lbs ❗. It has bothered me since. Even though I tried multiple times to get back to the weights, that pretty much ended the battle between the 2 sports.

Runner me (170lbs) v. Weightlifting me (215lbs)

I realize now that the weightlifting did keep me running injury free. In 2019 I had less than 40 total miles through August. I pushed myself hard running with no cross training at all. Logging a 106.2 mile November training for a December Half. I tore my meniscus in that race.👎 I have since recovered & started running again in April. I signed up for the Frisco Running Company half training program. (May 2020) I started a real training program. I love running & needed to get back in shape safely. I've grown tired of starting over every year. My goal is to run a sub 2:00 half marathon one day soon!

I have been doing weekly cross training with the program. Using mostly bodyweight exercises My next step is to try and incorporate some weights into my routine while trying to keep the Swole Monster in check. Stay tuned...