Weekly Summary (18-24 Sep)

Next marathon: Charlotte Thunder Marathon (9Dec). That gives me 11 weeks of training, which should be ample time to get the legs used to marathon goal pace (5:59/mile).

I’m at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana and will be here for the next 3 weeks. The good thing is that I’m still able to put in my daily workouts. However, I’m already running out of places to run. The post itself (not the training area) is small. I’ve put in almost 70 miles over the last 5 days and ended up running the same route a couple times. I’m not complaining. I just wish there were some scenic routes or even trails like Fort Bragg. The scenery here at Polk consists of World War II barracks, long stretches of roads with no buildings or cars in sight, grass that probably hasn’t been cut for about 2 months, and if you’re lucky an Army soldier running a couple miles for physical training. But again, it’s Fort Polk.

Since I won’t be able to post a blog too often, I’ll provide a weekly summary of how my training is going.

Monday: 10 miles easy at Fort Bragg. (1:06:36)

Tuesday: Did not run; traveled to Fort Polk, LA

Wednesday: 11.4 miles with 10 x :30 @ 3k pace (1’ recovery). (1:15:37)

Thursday: Easy run. 9.2 miles (1:03:05)

Friday: AM: 12 miles with a couple miles at marathon pace. (1:22:40) PM: easy 6 mile shakeout run (43:21)

Saturday: Easy run; 9 miles (1:02:20)

Sunday: 20.2 miles; long, steady run; (2:15:23)

Total: 77+ miles; 7 runs/6 days

Richmond or Charlotte???

I've narrowed down my marathon choices to Richmond Marathon (11 Nov) and Charlotte's Thunder Road Marathon (9 Dec). Either one, I'll be prepared.

My fitness has not diminished even though I've missed 15 days of running since August. Actually, I really think it has improved a bit. This morning's 15 miler felt easy and comfortable from start to finish. The first mile was the slowest at 6:56. As the run went on the pace kept decreasing, but the effort felt the same. That's always a good sign. I averaged 6:46 pace for the first 8 miles, 6:30 for the next 6 miles and then finished off the workout with a 5:56 last mile.

Two to three months is a lot of time to put the finishing touch on marathon training. The plan for now is to build strength and stamina. As I get closer to the marathon I'll begin to put in the longer long runs with 40% of it at race pace. The goal is sub-6:00/miles. When that's accomplished I'll become a sub-2:30 chaser like Mike and his crew.

Today's Run: 1:39:47 (15.1M) - 6:36 pace

It feels great to run again

It's been about 2 weeks since I last posted. It has also been that long since I put in consistent runs. I've been doing a lot of training the last couple weeks, just not the type of training you're thinking of. Instead of training on the roads, track, & trails, I've been doing Army training in the woods. It's been fun, busy, and tiring. No showers for about a week, a few hours (3-5 hrs) of sleep a night, sounds of heavy weapons and artillery, and MREs (Meal Ready-to-Eat) for daily chow..... the fun Army life.

Well, enough of my Army life. This is a running blog. I got out this morning and couldn't believe the weather. Mid-60s... wow! Perfect running weather. I keep forgetting that the fall season is just about here. Since I only put in about 25 miles over the past 2 weeks, the plan this morning was to go for an easy 7-8 miles. I ran on the Cape Fear River Trail, which was filling up with walkers and joggers. It was nice to see people out getting in their exercise. As I stepped off I could feel that the legs were fresh but a bit rusty. The CFR trail has markers at every half-mile, which would give me a good idea of pace. I came across the first mile in 6:54 and thought it might be a little off. I was expecting to hit mile 1 somewhere around 7:05-7:15. The 2nd & 3rd mile was 6:50 & 6:40. Feeling good, I ended up running 4.5m out & back with the last couple miles at 6:00 pace. I was under 60 minutes when I got back from the trail so I ended up running a little more to get to an hour. When my watch read 1 hour I decided to run a bit more to get to 70 minutes. It was a wonderful feeling to run again.

The picture above is the second page of the 2006 Freescale Austin Marathon results book. It was cool to see my picture in it. In fact, the results book has 5 different shots of me in it. No, I didn't pay the camera man. It just must have been my luck day (this was the day of my marathon PR - 2:38:18). The runners behind and on the side of me are the elite females runners. I was able to run faster than all but 4 of them.

Today's Run: 1:10:20 (10.7 miles - 6:34 pace)

Weekly summary

Here's an update of how the week went so far.

Monday: The alarm sounded at 4am and I layed in bed debating whether I should sleep in or get my lazy ass up and run. If I sleep in then I know I'll regret it the entire day. Of course, I ended up running. Went for an easy 7.5 miles. I wanted to run around 9-10 miles, but time wasn't on my side. The legs felt a little tired and heavy, probably from the last couple days. (52:02)

Tuesday: Ran 11 miles with a fartlek workout (10 x :30 w/ 1' recovery) in the middle. It felt great to get in some leg-speed. I always think that this is not much of a workout, but I'm always toast afterwards. Part of the workout is that I don't take the recovery too easy. I usually stay around 7:15-7:30 for the recovery. (1:14:03)

Wednesday: Easy recovery run. I got off from work very late last night (10pm) and only got in about 4.5 hours of sleep. I was feeling very tired so I only ran 7 miles (49:07)

Thursday: I didn't do much because I had to conduct my company's Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The APFT consists of 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, and a 2-mile run. It is a good test of your physical fitness. Since I entered the Army, I have never scored lower than a 365 on the APFT extended scale. The max score is a 300 (100 in each event), but you can score higher if you do more pushups, situps, or run faster than the maximum according to your age group category. You can only score over a 300 if you max each event first.
On my last PT test, I accomplished my ultimate APFT goal of scoring over a 400 (scored a 402). I did 124 pushups, 108 situps, and ran a 10:20 2-mile. That's an average of 1 pushup/second, almost 1 situp/second, and a 5:10 pace. I can say i'm proud to be a part of the 400 club. I'm not sure who are in it, but I know there are only a few. My next APFT goal is to score over 400, but with a sub-10:00 2-mile. Running sub-10 may seem easy, but try running it immediately following 2 minutes of situps. The situps kills your quads that you almost feel like you have no strength.

Friday: Today is the start of a 4-day weekend before going to the field for 10 days. I actually slept in today to catch up for all the lack of sleep during the week. I ran 7+ miles this morning at a comfortable pace and then 4+ miles easy in the afternoon. The weather was awesome, thanks to Ernesto. High 60s and overcast. I plan to run a 7 Mile race (mostly trails & a little pavement) tomorrow in Charlotte (NC). I just feel the need to get out and enjoy the racing scenery again. It's also great just to be around other runners. I will see what my fitness is like tomorrow. I'm not shooting any PR since its mostly trails. I'll let you all know how it goes. (am: 50:32; pm: 31)

Another good long run

I believe that my fitness has improved a bit. I thought today's long run was going to be a struggle after yesterday's run, which I ran most of it around marathon pace. The plan was to run long and easy according to how the body and legs were feeling. After a 7:04 first mile, the legs settled into a steady 6:40 pace. I stayed within plus or minus 3 seconds of 6:40 pace from miles 3 - 16. The last couple miles were ran at 5:55-6:00 pace.

I can't complain with how this week of running went. 71 miles in 6 days. It looks as though I won't be able to run a marathon till Nov. or Dec. Even though I'm anxious to run one very soon, I think running a marathon in Nov or Dec will work out perfectly. It will give me an extra 2-3 months of hard training. I'm feeling confident about running sub-6:00 pace for the marathon.

Today's Run: 1:59:44 (18 miles - 6:39 pace)

Feeling great

This week of running has gone very well. Here's a brief log of how my workouts went.

Tuesday: After a 25' warm-up, I ran a fartlek workout of 10 x 1 min. with 1 min. recovery. I ran the repeats at around 3k pace on rolling hills. 25' - cooldown. (1:10:05)

Wednesday: Easy recovery run (56:49)

Thursday: I ran with my friend Bob. We warmed up for 33 minutes before hitting the track for some 1200s. I don't know if I'd call it a warm-up because we were running about 6:40 pace. Ran 5 x 1200 with 400 recovery. I hit the repeats in 3:58, 3:58, 3:55, 3:50, & 3:54. I ran the last 2 repeats alone. 3 mile coold0wn (1:23:30)

Friday: Jumping out of an airplane took precedence over running on this day.

Saturday: What was supposed to be an easy run on the Cape Fear River Trail turned into a steady pace run. By mile 2, I locked in to about a 6:15 pace. I ended up picking up the pace to around 5:50 for the last couple miles. (1:06:19)

Easy day

Nothing special about today's run. I put in 11+ miles this morning on 2 runs. Because I do a company run on the first duty day of the week, I had to get up very early to put in some miles at my easy pace. I ran an easy 6 miles before running my company for 5+ miles. This works out very well for me because i'm able to put in the miles and use the day as a recovery day from the long run.

Today's Run: 42:30 / 48:14

Gotta love the long run

It was a great feeling to finally put in a nice steady long run. The mind and body fell into a zone once I got started. After a 7:05 first mile, I settled into a steady 6:40 - 6:50 pace, which I kept for the next 15 miles. Like most of my long runs, I finished off the last few miles at a faster pace. I ran miles 17 & 18 in 5:47 & 5:41 which still felt comfortable. Not sure if it was the weather (75 deg. and breezy) or that i'm underestimating my fitness.

I spent some time last night trying to find a race (10M - 20K) over the next couple weekends. I guess there aren't too many in the area around this time of the year. I wanted to run Virginia Beach R&R 1/2, but registration closed about a month or two ago. I normally plan out my races, at least the longer distances, but haven't done so due to my unpredictable work schedule. My next big races were suppose to be the Army 10-Miler and possibly the Marine Corps Marathon. Well, it looks like I won't be running the Army 10-Miler because I'll be in Fort Polk, LA for some training support requirements. For now, I'm thinking of running the WaWa 10 Miler at Hartwood next Sunday.

Today's Run: 2:00:22

Back from the field

I was on a field exercise during the past couple weeks. Despite going to the field, I was able to get in a run here and there. At one point, I went 4 days without running. When you're in good shape 4 days without running should not affect the fitness. Last week Sunday I came back for a day of recovery before going back on the field. I took advantage of the day by catching up on my running. That day I put in 20 miles, 12 miles in the morning with some fast running and then an easy 8 miler in the afternoon. I felt a little rusty in the beginning of the run, but once I got going everything was fine.

This week, I sort of got back into a routine schedule. The running economy feels good and it doesn't seem like I lost any fitness. I gave it a test on Thursday by doing some 1200 repeats with some 400s in the end. After a few warm-up miles, I ran 4 x 1200 (3:58, 4:01, 3:59, 3:57) with 400 recovery, then 4 x 400 (73, 73, 72, 73) with 200m recovery.

This morning I ran with my friend Bob. I wanted to run easy for 70-75 minutes. What was suppose to be an easy run turned into sort of a slower tempo run. We started out the run chatting about whatever topic came to mind. About 3 miles into the run the chatting was replaced with some rhythmic breathing. The pace was not hard, but decent enough that we were taking in oxygen every 2-3 steps. We turned around at 5.5 miles after averaging 6:28 pace. I thought Bob was going to slow the pace a little coming back. Instead, it was me that began picking up the pace. The body got into a good rhythm and I found myself cruising along about a 6:00 pace. This was a good confidence booster because I felt very comfortable running at about marathon pace. After all, maybe I didn't lose any fitness from the days I was on the field.

Today's Run: 1:09:42

What will life be like if you can't run...

I apologize for not updating my blog in almost 2 weeks. I've been very busy with work since I came off of leave. In fact, I just got back from a week-long leaders' training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. It looks as though I won't be posting much over the next 4-6 weeks. I'll be going to the field for some Army training beginning on Tuesday.

What do you do when you can't get out to train? This next 4-6 weeks will be very frustrating for me, because I won't be able to run very much. There's nothing worse then losing fitness when you're in great shape. I think my fitness will still be up there if I only miss a week or two at the most. But a month, I don't think so. My near-term plan was to run a half-marathon late September and a 10-miler and marathon in October. I'll most likely change my racing schedule because of all the training I'll miss. For now, I will have to try and squeeze in a run at every opportunity I get.

A little update on my training. I was fortunate enough to get in my workouts at Ft. Polk. It was unbelievably humid in the early mornings. I was out the door each day at 5am and would be drenched in sweat about 10 minutes into the run. This morning's run put me at 65 miles for the week. Not bad considering my busy schedule. Lately, I've been getting in quality workouts rather than high mileage. Every workout counts when you don't have all the time to train.

I did a progression long run this morning and it felt very good and comfortable. I ran the first 30 minutes averaging 7:14 pace, then the next 30 minutes comfortably at 6:45 pace, and then finished off the last 30 minutes on the track at marathon pace (6:00). The legs and body felt like it could go for another 5 miles at marathon pace. This was a good sign of my fitness, which I feel will be going downhill over the next few weeks. I'll try to stay positive.

Nice steady long run

Training seems to be going in the right direction. Today's long run put me at 89.5 miles for the week. Don't ask why I didn't put in the extra 1/2 mile to get to 90. Maybe I'll get out and run the 1/2 mile before the day is over. I'm quite surprised that the legs felt good after putting in a total of 28 miles the past couple days. It could be that I've learned my lesson from last Sunday's run and have been taking in the necessary carbohydrates and protein.

My friend Bob and I ran around the Methodist College campus and track before getting on the Cape Fear River Trail. The CFR Trail is a paved trail with some slight rolling hills. This was our first time running this trail. The trail provided lots of shade and a nice view of nature. After running the first couple miles easy we settled into a steady pace. At 10 miles we averaged a 6:54 pace, then clipped off 6:30 pace for the next 5 miles. While Bob ended his run at 15M, I added a few more miles on the grass fields of the Jordan Soccer Complex.

I'm back to work tomorrow after a couple weeks of leave. The sad thing is that I probably won't be able to get in the miles like the last 2 weeks.

Today's Run: 1:59:11
Saturday's Run: 1:00:03

One of these days....

Couldn't ask for a better temperature during this time of the year. It was a nice 74% and breezy by the time Bob and I took off for our workout. The workout today - 30' warm-up, 3 x 10' @ half-marathon effort with 4' recovery, and 30' cool-down. We ran our warm-up on the roads before heading over to Pope Air Force Base track. Pope AFB, which is actually on Fort Bragg, has a nice rubber track. Bragg has 3 running tracks but none of them are rubber surface and as nice as Pope's track. For some reason the Air Force always seems to have better athletic facilities. Did I join the wrong service?

The intent of today's workout was to build speed - aerobic capacity. At half-marathon effort I should be running at about 5:39 - 5:44 pace. I thought it was odd running 10 minutes on the track and not a specific distance. Doing the math in my head, running 10 minutes equivalates (is that a word?) to running 1 3/4 mile repeats (7 laps). I ran the 3 repeats in 9:55 (5:40 pace), 9:56 (5:41 pace), & 9:51 (5:38 pace). The pace felt good and comfortably hard. Only if I can run the marathon at this pace. The near-term goal is to run sub-6:00 pace (5:59 pace will do) for the marathon and then hopefully get down to the 2:30 - 2:35 range over the next 3-5 yrs. One of these days I'll be a sub-2:30 marathon chaser like Mike. Like Simons Says... it takes "pure hard work".

I ended up running in the mid-afternoon heat. I did not plan to put in a 2nd run. It just so happened that I felt the need to get out and do a slow shakeout run. It was hot, but also breezy so the run wasn't too bad.

Today's Runs: am - 1:38:14 (~15 miles) / pm - 30:12

A True Fighter!

I must first write about Floyd Landis' performance. Simply Amazing!!! After watching him crack, bonk, hit the wall yesterday (what ever you want to call it) I really thought the tour was over for him. He proved that he is a true fighter. He has made this year's tour worth watching. My HR was probably higher watching today's stage than it was in this morning's run. Landis was asked how he felt about winning the stage... "I don't care. I came here to win the Tour and that's what I still want to do, and I'm not done fighting yet." AWESOME! He's a much better time trial rider than the 2 guys in front of him, so stage 17 will be very interesting. Go Landis! Go USA!

Okay, about running now. I ran with my friend Bob on what was supposed to be an easy 60-65 minutes of running. Bob, who has ran sub-55 for 10 miles and low 33's for 10K, is a close friend of mine. I like to train with him because I still believe he's a faster runner than me (not that I think I'm fast) and that he can help push me along. I recently switched one of my key workout days from Thursday to Friday, which means today was an easy day to get in the miles. On easy days I normally would run alone only because I know the run won't turn into a race or fast workout.

We went out at a comfortable pace around 6:55 - 7:00 for the first few miles. As the run went on I could see that Bob was slowly increasing the pace, probably around the faster end of easy pace. It was still easy, but I knew that the pace would keep increasing as the run progressed. Thirty-five minutes into the run and we were running at about 6:10-6:15 pace. Feeling pretty good and very comfortable at this pace I decided to pick it up a little to around 6:00-6:05. It was a good feeling knowing that I was running right around marathon pace towards the end of the run and the pace still felt very comfortable. It didn't feel like the run took a lot out of me. I'll find out tomorrow when I run for 1:30 which will include 3 x 10' @ half-marathon effort.

Today's Run: 1:11:12
Wednesday's Run: 51:13

That's more like it

After a horrible Sunday run, Monday and today's run went a whole lot better. I really focused on taking in the necessary carbohydrates and protein to aid in my recovery. Monday's run was just plain easy running. The usual 65 minutes keeping the pace right around 7 min./mile.

This morning I put in a progression run. I like to include this type of workout in my weekly schedule. I truly believe this teaches runners to run negative split in races (particularly the marathon). In fact, isn't this how we should race? Today's progression run was a little different than the one I was to run on Sunday. The plan was to run for a total of 80 minutes. Run 80% of the workout at a steady easy pace and then pick up the pace (close to half-marathon pace) for the last 20% of the workout. I initially wanted to run 75% easy and 25% comfortably hard, but with the temps already near 80 degrees I altered the percentage of easy/hard. I ran 9.25 miles in 64 minutes, averaged 6:55 pace, before hitting the track for the fun part of the workout. I sometimes struggle to estimate the run route, so that I end up on the track right on time to do the faster running. As my soaking body circled the track, I could feel the change of leg-turnover. It's a great feeling to change the pace, especially when it's faster, after more than an hour of steady running. I came across the following 2 miles in 5:46 & 5:44, 1:26 for the ninth lap, and then finished with a 1:19 last lap (total of 2.5 miles of faster running). The progression run was a success as I was able to get in some good stamina training.


This is an update since I put in an afternoon run. It was a scorching 97% when I went out for a run. I decided to run without a watch hoping it would force me to run very slow and not worry about the time and pace. I practically felt naked, not because I ran shirtless but because I had no watch. If you never tried running without a watch I challenge you to try it. See if you can run the entire workout without looking at your invisible watch. I'll bet you a $100 you can't. The run turned out to be a good one as I probably averaged somewhere around a 8:00 pace.


Today's Run: am - 1:24:17 / pm: ~4.5M (no timing)
Monday's Run: 1:05:02

Don't forget to eat

Today's run was scheduled to be a progression run. The first 30 minutes run at an easy pace (7:00-7:15), the next 30 minutes at medium effort (6:30-6:45), and finish off running the last 30 minutes at about a 6:00 pace.

I woke up with the legs feeling fresh and wanting to run. This is a good sign. Maybe I just might have a good workout. I took off on my run not pushing the pace at all. Mile 1 was 7:20. Not bad, it's just the first mile and I'll progress as I go on. The next couple miles were ran at 7:10-7:15 pace. This could not be right. I'd just put a little more effort and I'm still running the same damn pace. My legs and body begins to feel like crap. What is going on? Thirty minutes of running and I had only averaged 7:15/mile. I began thinking back to yesterday trying to figure out why I don't have much energy and fight in me. Did I run hard yesterday? "No, didn't run at all". Did I drink enough fluids? "Yes, lots of it". Did I eat? "Yes". Wait a minute! The last time I ate was 5pm yesterday. That's 14 hours ago. Sh*t! This is why I feel like it! No big deal. Maybe the gatorade I drank before the run will kick in any minute.

I started picking up the pace ignoring how the body was feeling. 6:42 pace. Much better. Not as comfortable as it normally is, but that's training. The planned run route was to be a big loop and then end up at the track for the last 30 minutes. I decided to change the route to an out & back. I stop by the gas station to pick up a gatorade and a powergel in hopes of getting some energy. F**K! (excuse my french). Gas station doesn't open till 9am. No problem - there's a couple vending machines on the side of the building. No gatorade, but anything (Coke, Sprite, Brisk Tea) will do at this point. As I try to put my soaking dollar in the slot, the machine keeps spitting it out. Sh*t! Why don't you want to take my dollar? A wet dollar is the same as a dry dollar. I then continue my run and this time I stop at the park facility to get a drink of water from the water fountain. F**ken Sh*t! Water fountain doesn't even work. Nothing is going my way today. My body has bonked. It's freakin very hot and humid. I can't get a drip of water in me. And I'm only 50 minutes into my run.

I made it back to my vehicle and grabbed my bottle of gatorade. I still had a little in me, but not enough to run the last 30 minutes at marathon pace. I made the conscious decision to carry my gatorade on the run and finish the workout with easy running.

This was a lesson learned for me. I had a great time playing tourist yesterday, but didn't think too much about taking in the necessary nutrients. Sometimes this happens to us when we are caught up with work, having fun, or just don't feel like eating. Just remember that we need to consume calories (good ones) throughout the day.

Today's Run: 1:32:12

Blue Ridge Parkway

On top of NC & the East Coast!

Forgot to bring my jacket. It was

a chilly 62 deg. on Mt. Mitchell.

An awesome picture!

Okay! I didn't bring the running shoes,

but I can still say I ran Mt. Mitchell Trail

Can you believe it's only .7 miles to

the top of Craggy Dome?

I just finished hiking the mountains behind me.

Day off from running worth taking

Today was a complete day off from running. You're probably wondering why I took a day off when I just did an easy recovery run yesterday. First of all, I don't really take days off when I'm in full training. I decided to take a day off to give my right leg a little rest. My inner right leg has been in a little pain over the past week. Hoever, it has not bothered me in the last few workouts, so I figured laying off of it (from pounding the pavement) for an entire day will make it feel even better.

A day off from running doesn't mean stay in-house. I ended up spending my day touring the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway in western NC. Wow! What a beautiful scenery it was. I had an awesome time. The day could have only gotten better if I ran on some of the trails. I was smart enough to leave the running shoes behind. Pictures following this post.

Today's Run: Did not run

Nice, easy, and short

Today was an easy recovery day. My body was feeling a little tired from yesterday's run and gym workout (after the 2nd run). When the alarm clock went off at 6am, I turned it off and slept for another hour. The heat and humidity was already in full force when I stepped off at 8am. It was an easy recovery day, which means I usually run anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. I decided to run 7 miles which should put me around 50-51 minutes. I ran 3.5 miles out in 25:45 and came back in 24:15. The effort still felt very easy coming back.

Today's Run: 50:01

Feeling fit

I love the feeling when my fitness level is high. Every run feels comfortable and easy. As I took off on my run this morning, I could feel my body settle into an easy pace. I hit the first mile just under 7:10 (using the POD). The body was feeling pretty good. I've been using Wednesdays and Fridays as my easy recovery days and I believe it's working very well for me. As the run went on, I was consistently staying in the 6:50 - 6:55 pace range. The plan was to run for a total of 75 minutes - the first 70 minutes at a comfortable easy pace and then the last 5 minutes very fast. I sort of miscalculated the run route, so I ended up running 75 minutes steady and then the last mile in 5:24. It felt great to get some faster leg-turnover in the end. Running a fast last mile after 11 miles of steady running is a good sign of endurance and stamina.

In the late afternoon, I put in an easy 5 miler. It was very hot and humid, which made it easier for me to run at a very easy pace. This is the 2nd time this week that I've put in a 2nd run. Right now I'm sitting at 53 miles for the week. I should easily get in over 70 miles by the end of Sunday's run. My original plan during leave (ends on 23JUL) was to get in a couple of 70+ mile weeks. These will be my highest weekly mileage since my last marathon training.

Today's Run: am: 1:21:24 / pm: 37:00

The body needs to recover too

Yesterday was a fun and tiring day. I put in a total of 19 miles and biked the rolling Umstead trails. Once I made it home I ate some lasagna, watched a little of the all-star game, and then hit the sack. Man, was I tired. The alarm clock went off at 0530. Screw that! I shut the alarm off and got in an additional 1 1/2 hours of well-needed sleep. Today was a recovery day, so I ran very easy on the Mata Mile trails. It was nice to run under shade, especially with the sun out in full force.

Before I took off for my run, I met up with my friend Dale. Dale (now working as a civilian) is a recently retired Special Forces officer and a very fast masters runner. I can only imagine the training Dale has been through the past 20 yrs he's served our nation. I bring this up, because just recently he had surgery on his left leg and can't run for now. I don't know the specifics of the surgery, but he stated that the doctors did some work on the leg. From putting a metal rod or plate to re-attaching some ligaments. All the SF training and running has taken its toll over the years. Dale hates the fact that he sees runners running each day and he can't be out there doing the same. I think once he's done with therapy he'll be back doing what we all love - running.

After talking to Dale, I've realized that as runners we can't go day in and day out training like there is no tomorrow. We take it for granted until we get injured. But even with that, we recover and get right back into training. We tend to forget that the body does not get any younger. If we want to keep running, then we need to learn to give the body some rests.

Today's Run: 55:02