Feels like a vacation

Fourth straight day off from work and it feels like a vacation. I'm not complaining. It's just that it doesn't come around too often. It was a good day to catch up with some sports (baseball, World Cup, Wimbledon), relaxation, and of course running. I ran the All American Trail for the 2nd straight day. I initially had planned to run a trail on-post, but decided not to because of possible heavy traffic and heightened post security. The President was celebrating Independence Day with fellow Troopers here at Fort Bragg, so I'm sure there were some very tight security all over post.

Unlike yesterday, I didn't take in the scenery in my workout today. I did a stride workout in the middle of my run, 10 x 30 seconds at about 3k pace with a minute recovery. The workout may seem easy, but try running it on rolling hills with 30 minutes of steady running before and after the repeats. I was fairly tired afterwards, probably because I started my run a little later (7:30am) than normal and that the heat and humidity was rising. In the late afternoon, I put in an easy 5.

Today's Run: am: 1:16:02 pm: 36:00

All American Trail

I've been wanting to run this trail since it opened up about a month or two ago. The All American (AA) Trail, currently 7 miles long, follows the perimeter boundary of Fort Bragg through North Carolina's Sandhills Region. So far, only phase 1 of this trail is completed. I believe there are four phases in constructing this trail, which is suppose to circumnavigate the entire boundary of Fort Bragg. That will be a pretty good run. As you can see above the trail has a good size pathway (about 10-15 ft wide). The trail also has markers at each half mile. Oh, I forgot to mention that the trail has some rolling hills.

I couldn't asked for a better day to hit the trail. Breezy, low-80s, and not too humid on an Independence holiday. It was a perfect day to run easy and enjoy the beauty of nature. Before I stepped off I looked around trying to figure out what was wrong with the picture. The scenery was awesome, except that there was not a single runner, walker, hiker, or cyclist in sight. I made a bet with myself that there wouldn't be a single person on the trail. The great thing about this trail is the sighting of different species of plants and trees. It also crosses a couple creeks along the way. I couldn't remember the last time I enjoyed the sounds of nature. It didn't matter anymore because today's run was filled with it. The sound of running water from the creeks, Red Cockaded Woodpeckers pecking, trees blowing, birds chirping, and the smooth strides from my Saucony Grid Tangents made my run worthwhile. I initially planned to run 4.5M out and back. When I got to the 4.5M marker I decided to run another half mile to make it 10 for the day. I ended up winning my bet. There was not a single person on the trail. The only living creature I saw on the run was a little wabbit.

Today's Run: 1:09:02

Scary moment

I was going to write this portion at the end of the previous post, but decided to create a new one since the other post was already long enough.

If you read my last post you would know that I started my Sunday run a little later than I wanted to, 7am instead of 6am. I go to church (Catholic) every Sunday after my long run. I planned to go to the 9:30 mass, so I shouldn't have a problem making it there after the run. I ran for approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes. If you do the math, that's 40 minutes till the start of mass. Forty minutes is a lot of time to stretch, take in my recovery drink (Endurox), shower and change, and then drive to church. My endurox is normally enough to satisfy my thirst and hunger until mass is done.

Well, I got to church with a few minutes to spare. I was tired from my run and I knew it was going to be a difficult task trying to stay awake throughout mass. I was doing really good until it came time to kneel. I put my head down and felt myself doze off. My entire body suddenly felt like it was blacking out. The palm of my hands, arms, legs, and face started to sweat badly. I tried to open my eyes but all I saw was darkness. I was also feeling dizzy. At this point, all I can tell myself was to pray. I don't remember how many "Our Father's" and "Hail Mary's" I said, but I somehow managed to gain conscious. I then sat down and started to feel a little better. When the instance of "show some sign of peace" came, I think I only shook the hand of the person in front of me. I did not have the strength to turn left, right, or behind me to show peace. Surprisingly, I felt a lot better and was able to take communion.

This is the 2nd time I'd experienced this. The 1st time was 6 weeks ago (I actually logged it in my running log). Same situation - after a long run, kneeling during church. Immediately following church, I ate brunch and drank lots of fluids. I don't think it's dehydration or refueling. It may be that the body is not getting enough blood circulation when I kneel down. I'm not sure, but if anyone knows feel free to share. For now, I'm thinking of going back to attending Saturday Vigil Mass.

Rough week of work and running

I've been doing fairly good on keeping my blog updated, but I'm starting to realize that it's no easy task. I was able to input a daily post, but I knew that it wasn't going to last very long. I also found out that sometimes I don't have much to write, besides the workout I did and how it went. I'll try my best to post updates at least a few times a week.

Getting in the runs during the week has been a difficult task. I had to juggle my running with my busy work schedule. I put in 3 workouts in a 24 hour period on Wednesday/Thursday. The legs were pretty tired so I used Friday as a recovery run. Yesterday (Sat.), I ran easy on the Mata Mile trail. Been at Fort Bragg for a few years and I still don't know why they call it the Mata Mile trail. The trail is a 4 & 6 mile loop that has some rolling hills with loose sand/dirt.

I had planned to start my long run at 6:00am (6:30 at the latest) to avoid some of the heat. Of course that didn't happen, I woke up at 6:15 and started my Nike Triax watch at exactly 7:00. The good thing was that my legs and body felt fresh, maybe from the extra amount of sleep. I decided to use my POD (podemeter), which is secured to my left shoe. The Nike Triax CV10, which consists of the watch, the POD, and a heart rate monitor, is probably the best running investment i've purchased over the years. The POD is calibrated by running 400 or 800 meters on the track. It has an accuracy of 99.9%, regardless of the surface you run on. I used it today to track my pace and distance.

I hit the roads running pretty easy the first few miles. My watch read 21:18 at mile 3. I like to keep the first 3-4 miles of my long runs above 7:00/mile pace. This will get my legs warmed up pretty good. I checked my watch again at mile 4 and it read 6:54. I can tell that I've now settled in because my effort is still the same. Mile 3 was the last time I saw a 7:00+ mile throughout the run. I kept miles 4 - 13 between 6:40 and 6:55 pace. Still feeling good at 13, I knew the hard part of the run was coming up, running the last 20 minutes faster. I wanted to make sure my POD and watch was accurate so I finished the hard part of the run on the track. This track is right next to the gym I park at so it works out well. The POD/watch turned out to be accurate as I checked it each lap. I covered 3.4 miles in the last 20 minutes of the run, about a 5:53 pace. This is a good sign for me. I end the long run just a little over 16 miles.

Friday's Run: 43:47
Saturday's Run: 51:21
Today's Run: 1:49:31

Weekly Summary:
It's been a rough week, but I was still able to put in 63 miles. This is with 7 workouts in 6 days. Today marks the last day of base training, so I'm excited to start another phase of training.

Pace Booster Workout

This morning's workout was a pace booster run with the purpose of elevating my aerobic threshold. It's a 70'/35' - total run is 70 minutes. Warm-up then run at approximately 50-60 seconds slower than 5k pace for 35 minutes, then cool-down. After my warm-up, I hit the track to get the workout on. I can feel that my legs are not fresh because I had just run about 8 3/4 miles 11 hours ago. The goal was to keep the pace steady at 6:05-6:15, while checking my watch only at the mile splits. I ran the first 4 miles in 6:04, 6:03, 6:00, & 6:01. I was quite surprise because the pace felt comfortable and not hard. I ran the last couple miles in 5:55 & 5:53. The meat of the workout was supposed to be 35', but I decided to run the full 6th mile to make it a 6M pace booster run. I feel my aerobic threshold is improving. The workout gave me confidence on my current fitness level.

I went for a 5M shake out run after work. During the run, I thought about the mileage I'd just run over the last 24 hrs. The completion of this run put me at 24 miles in 24 hrs. This may seem a lot, but it's nothing to what my friend Fred was putting in daily when he ran the length of Japan.

Today's Runs: Am - 1:10:54
Pm - 35:57

A late afternoon run again

Like the past couple days, I wasn't able to put in a run in the morning. I told myself throughout the day that I was going to run after work regardless of what time I got off. I left my office at 7pm. My body was anxious to run again. I wanted to put in a decent run, but at the same time not running too much since tomorrow's planned workout is a pace booster run. I needed to ensure that I kept this run easy or else I'd be feeling it tomorrow morning. I ended up doing an out and back course, going out 31 minutes and coming back a little faster. I felt really good today and I think my body is accustomed to the hot weather. Wait a minute, I come from an island and a very hot place.... I should be used to this weather.

Today's Run: 1:00:30

Tired and hungry

I took an unexpected day-off due to my busy work schedule. I really hate missing my key worktout days, which are normally Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. It wasn't a bad day to miss since the scheduled workout was 80 minutes of easy running. I could have put in 30-60 minutes of easy running after work, but decided not to because I was feeling very tired and had not eaten well the entire day. All I was looking forward to was eating and getting to bed.

Today's Run: No running

One run, different terrain

The great thing about running is that we can still put in a workout regardless of the time of day. Early morning before work, lunch time, or in the evening. For me, I prefer running in the morning when it's cooler. It's the best way to start out the day and you actually get the workout out of the way. This wasn't the case today. I had to run in the late afternoon because of my work schedule. Sometimes my best runs are in the afternoon or early evening. The body is already awake and the muscles are warmed up.

What was an easy run didn't seem easy because of the humidity and heat. I made today's run interesting by running on different terrain. I hit the pavement and then headed for the trails. It was really nice to hit the trails, especially because there was lots of shade. From the trails I headed for the golf course and ran on the clean-cut grass. I ended up running about 9 1/4 miles.

Today's Run: 1:04:45

Feeling good

It was a smart decision to take a day off from running yesterday. My legs felt a whole lot better in today's long run. I ran on-post (Ft. Bragg) where the roads are normally free of traffic. I started out the first few miles around 7:15/mile. By mile 4 the, body settled into a steady pace and I found myself running comfortably about 6:40-6:55 pace. The weather this morning was overcast and around high-70s with the humidity at 90%. I was already soaked in sweat, so I knew it was very important that I took in some electrolytes. At about mile 10, I stopped by the shopette to pick up a powerade. The cashier gave me a strange look when I gave her a wet dollar. I apologized and told her it was hot out there. Hopefully she understood.
I planned out the run to where I'd end up at the track at 1:25. The track is about a mile from where I'll finish my run. Like almost all my long runs, I finished the last 20 minutes at a faster pace. I ran the next couple miles on the track and looked at my watch only at the mile split. I hit the 2 miles in 6:04 & 6:02. This was good news because I was feeling good running by effort. I exited the track and headed back to where I'd finish. I picked up the pace in the last mile running it around 5:50.

I have one more week of base mileage, then I'll begin another phase of training. It's hard to believe that i've done only base mileage for the last 11 weeks. I can tell my level of fitness is high so things will be interesting for me.

Today's Run: 1:45:05

The legs deserve a day off

I woke up this morning debating whether I should run, cross train, or take a complete day off. Lately, my legs have been feeling fatigue, heavy, and tight. I looked back on my running log to see when the last time I took a day off from running. It turned out to be 3 weeks ago. I still remember the last time I took a complete day off (no running or cross-training), my body felt like crap the entire day. So, I decided to get on my bike trainer and watch some television. Afterwards, I hit the gym for some upper-body and ab workout.

Tomorrow is my long run. I plan to run for 1:45. We'll see how the legs feel.

Today's run: No running / biked for 40 minutes.

Not feeling it

I'll be honest with you. I really didn't feel like running today. My body and legs were still very tired. I normally use Fridays as recovery runs, so I forced myself out the door to run short and very easy. Short it was. I didn't even hit 30 minutes.

Today's run: 29:22

Beat down!

Beat down! That's what I felt like after my run this morning. The NC summer weather is definitely here. As soon as I opened my door in the early morning I could already tell that today's run was going to suck. By the time I started my run around 0640 the sun and humidity was kicking. I couldn't run earlier because my company formation is at 0630.

Today's workout was a 90 minute "thirds" progression run. It's basically running the 1st third easy, 2nd third medium, and 3rd third medium-hard. If we're talking pace then it corresponds to around 7:00-7:15 (1st third), 6:30-6:45 (2nd thrid), & 6:00-6:15 (3rd third) pace. I do this workout to build my endurance and stamina. The workout is tough in itself and I knew it was going to be suck with today's weather. I averaged 7:07/mile for the first 30 minutes. The pace was easy and I was feeling good, but I was beginning to sweat a lot already. I ran the 2nd 30 minutes steady and averaged about 6:34/mile. At this point, I'm an hour into my run and I can tell that my heart rate and breathing is higher than I want it to be. The legs started to feel tired and the mind was telling my body to take the last third easy or end the run earlier. I think what makes a runner mentally and physically stronger is when he/she reaches the "I quit" zone. I've been through this zone many times during marathon training. Instead of increasing the pace, I decided to keep the same pace for the first 10 minutes of the last thirds in hopes of feeling better. I then told myself that I was going to hurt either way, so I ran the last 20 minutes hard. I think the pace flunctuated between 5:50 - 6:10. It definitely felt harder. I looked like I'd just got out of the shower when I finished my run.

Today's Run: 1:29:43

Signal Corps Regimental Association Run

I did not do much running today. In fact, we had a Signal Corps Regimental Association run of 4 miles. It was at a very slow pace, which I didn't mind since my legs have been fatigue lately. It was nice to see all the other Signal units running as a whole. The amount of Soldiers running was a brigade plus. I'm always amazed to see the amount of Soldiers running in a brigade or division run. The sight is awesome. I remember my last division run in May during All-American Week. The division command group reached the turn-around point (2 miles) and there were still units that had not left the start line. The interesting part of today's run was seeing all the orange guidons (Signal color is orange). It was great feeling to have my guidon and company run in the regimental association run.

Today's Run: Did not time; 4M

Can't beat the heat

This morning was a slow easy run with my company. It was actually what I needed to give my legs a little recovery. It's sometimes tough to put in the easy/recovery runs when running alone. I've noticed that all it takes is to find someone slower than you and run at their pace. I ended up running 4.7 miles with my company.

Because I wasn't able to run my scheduled workout, I decided to put in a late afternoon run. I leave the office at 1830 and cannot believe how hot and humid it is. I later found out that the temperature during my 2nd run was in the high 80s with 85% humidity. I started my run with a 20 minute warm-up and headed for the trails. The warm-up felt like an actual workout itself. Immediately following the warm-up I went straight into a stride workout, 10 x :30 with 1 minute recovery. I ran the repeats hard at about 5:00/mile pace and on rolling trails. I like to incorporate strides or fartleks in my weekly schedule to get some leg-turnover. I wanted to finish off the workout with 20 minutes of cooldown, but the legs and body were pretty beaten from the heat. At the end of the day, I still ended up with about 12 miles.

Today's Run: am: 41:00; pm: 49:48

What's the hurry?

What was suppose to be an easy run didn't turn out as easy as I wanted it to be. I ran with my good friend Bob and a couple of Fort Bragg runners training for the Army 10-Miler. I really wanted to go easy and run according to how the body felt. The guys started the run at about sub-7:00 pace and kept it at that pace for most of the run. I mean the pace wasn't fast at all, but it was an easy day. I wanted to take it very easy since I was coming off a long run yesterday and a progression run on Saturday. My legs were feeling a little fatigue from the last couple runs. I found out that I was the only one who put in a long run yesterday. That may explain why they were running at a decent pace. This is the first time running with the 10-miler guys and I can already tell that each workout ends up being a race. For now I plan to continue training on my own, especially that I've been very successful at it.

Today's run: 1:05:36

Sunday Long Run

This week ended with a good long run this morning. Even though it was a solo run I managed to put in a good workout. I'm accustomed to training alone, but the long runs become a mental challenge when you're running alone for almost 2 hours. Many people (non-runners) tend to ask me what I think of during my runs. I'm sure you've been asked the same question many times. I try to stay focus and concentrate on my form, breathing and pace, but that's not always the case. Sometimes I'll think of the things I need to accomplish for the day and plan it out during the run. Today, I thought about my good running friend Fred Schumann and what he has accomplished and put his body through. If you read my first post you'll see a picture at the end of it. Fred, a 1988 Olympian, is the runner to the right of me. He and a few other Guam runners were my Sunday running partners when I was back home. I'm currently reading Fred's blog on his journey running the length of Japan. I can only imagine the pain he went through running up to 86km (that's 2 marathons) a day. It is inspiring knowing what he has accomplished.

As of now I don't have a marathon planned on my schedule, so I'm keeping my long runs around 15-17 miles or up to 2 hours. This should keep me at a good base mileage. I ran the first 1hr 25min. at a steady pace about 6:50 - 7:10. I then finished the last 20 minutes slightly faster at about marathon pace. I was feeling good towards the end of the run. I then got carried away and ran the last couple miles around 5:50. Today's long run reminded me of my last training cycle when I was training for the Austin Marathon in February. In Austin, I ran my marathon PR of 2:38:18.

Today's Run: 1:46:45

Progression run

Today was a fast finish progression run. I ran 80% of the workout at a steady, easy pace and then progressed to a faster pace for the remainder of the workout. I felt very stale early in my run, but around 20 minutes into it the body felt better. For some reason it takes my legs and body some time to warm up. I ran the first 64 minutes at an easy pace and then the last 10 minutes faster at about 5:45 pace. The pace felt good and comfortably hard. I actually wanted to run more, but tomorrow is my long run so i'll save the legs. Tomorrow, i'll run for about 1:45 or about 15-16miles.

Today's Run: 1:14:29

A run with "11"

My back feels a bit more tight and sore from yesterday's ruckmarch. It must be because of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). However, the legs feel just fine. I'm still taking most of the week easy and just putting in the miles. Today I plan to run easy for an hour. I invite my friend Jacky, a fellow Signal company commander, to join me in an easy run. Jacky is also brown skin, skinny and likes to run. Our Signal Battalion Commander gave Jacky and I the name "11". Hope you got it. Inviting Jacky on the run worked out perfectly because it forced me to go easy. We run on the trails talking about our experience in command. About 40 minutes into the run I find myself doing most of the talking. Jacky is still running good but he's having a little trouble talking on the run. I can hear that his breathing rate has increased. We've only been running at about a 7:30 pace, but there are quite a few small hills/inclines on this trail. I wanted to ensure he got a good workout, so I picked up the pace (about 6:30) in the last mile and told him to stay with me. In the end, he got in a good workout and I got in my hour of easy running.

Today's Run: 1:00:03

I'd rather be running

This morning I had to do a ruckmarch with my company, so I don't put in a run. Instead, I put a 50 lb rucksack on my back and force march for 6 miles. The rucksack weighs almost half of my body weight (124 lbs). I don't mind doing ruckmarches, but I'd rather be running. Before the ruckmarch, I decided to use a different set of boots than the one I normally use. This was a bad idea. On my way back from the march I begin to feel hot spots on my toes and heels. Also aside from the blisters, my shoulder blades feel sore and tight. It looks like i'll be taking my Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) over the next few days.

In the early evening I go for a shakeout run in hopes of loosening up any muscle soreness. I take it easy and run about 7:00-7:10 pace.

Today's Run: 36:06

Rain or shine..... I chose shine

It's been a long time since I've seen rain that seemed to never stop. This was the case here in NC or the east coast. We accumulated 5 inches of rain due to a passing tropical storm. The rain poured and poured for about 6 straight hours. Sadly, I had a change of command ceremony in the morning and was not able to play in the rain. Rain or shine, lightning and thunderstorm, freezing cold or hot and humid, I'll still be running. Well, it's probably not a smart idea to be running in lightning and thunderstorm. Last week we had a lighting/thunderstorm in the morning and I still ran. I was probably the only stupid person out playing catch me if you can. I remember being soaked like I just came out of the shower. However, it was an awesome feeling when I finished that run. I was also glad that I did made it back safely.

I decided to run in the late afternoon since I had to attend the ceremony. This turned out to be perfect. By the time I started my run (7pm), the skies had cleared up. The roads were dry and the sun was out. I ran comfortable and steady at 6:45-6:55 pace for about 7 1/4 miles. The run felt good and easy.

Today's Run: 49:32