I'm not that Groovy Baby

Last night my family unit went out for some tasty Ethiopian food then some frozen custard with another pretty famous running family.

Mrs Speedy holding A and K!

My last few attempts of running after Ethiopian food doesn't produce the most amazing results, but hey, maybe I just ate the wrong dish that didn't give me wind beneath my wind the next day.

This morning I had a pace run on plan per Hanson Marathon Method. Warm up, 9 miles at marathon pace, cool down.  I got out around 4:20am, so I would only be able to do 12 miles and have time to stretch after my run. This at least would be what the plan called, but I was hoping to get a longer warm up and cool down in.

When I was walking around before my run, I felt surprisingly....normal.  I began to feel a slight glimmer of hope that I would be on the upswing finally of my rehab period.

Get outside, temperatures dropping, run started at 62 degrees, was 54 when I got home. 10-15+ mph wind out of the north.  The waves were angry, frothing with strength, and eating the beach.  The path just south of Fullerton was not safe until you hit the sand again.  The waves engulfed the entire path like it was a game.

I felt a little brisk, but quickly warmed up. First few steps, that glimmer of hope quickly faded as I felt giant knots in both of my calves.  Neither were in areas that I had pain/aches in over the last week. New day, new trash to deal with. First mile, they barely get better. I start thinking of a plan B for the day. Maybe I'll just do some easy miles today, and hope that therapy works out the kinks in my legs, and I can try the pace run again tomorrow. I stop to stretch, try to calm my brain down, and tell myself I'll try speeding up slowly at 1.5 miles and then make a last minute call.

Legs slowly warm up better... I'm not saying they were normal, but they didn't hit the danger zone.  Time to man up and just do it. And do it I did.

The first 4 miles of my pace portion of my run was pretty unstable. Maybe it was because the wind was at my back, but I couldn't get in my pace groove. My half mile splits were going like 6:40, 7:11, 6:20, 7:15, 6:18 and so on. I tried to settle in the zone, miss it, then think I just sped up a little, but apparently I threw on some nitro.

I couldn't find my groove baby!

On my turn around, it was an entirely different game. The wind was now my foe. At least the wind evened out my pace. The extra resistance to running was overshadowed by the change in breathing as the wind continuously punches your throat.

I had one near fall down near North Ave, I didn't see the sand spill over into the path and nearly last my footing/twisted my ankle! Yikes.

The run went well on the way back.  Took a bit more effort, but I had it in my to give.  I also saw one boss of a runner, who is very friendly, knocking out 6:45s like he was just having a fun old time! You go bro!

When I was about to get off the path, I took a moment to soak in the sky. The lake looked like it was on fire, the dark black clouds, and just a small open window of red breaking off the lake made it a magnificent view. As usually, my phone doesn't do it justice.

And for those interested in the actual stats, here are the splits:

Total time for my 9 mile pace portion, 1:02:48.

Today I also have physical therapy and my run gait analysis. I may be needing a nap by dinner time!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Tale of two legs

Monday and Tuesday post here.

Monday, stayed home from work to tend to so things.
6 mile recovery run, and it was very much that. I got to start a little later, which also meant I got to see the sunrise again.

My first two miles were about 9 minute miles, then then warmed up a bit. I kept my focus on my posture, and as I did, my pace improved. I ended up with ~8:15 average. My legs were pretty tired all day. I have been diligent with my stretching, which I hope is helping.

We stopped at Ann Sather's for lunch and of course we had to get some sticky buns:

They crayons were mine obviously

By day's end, my calves were ready to give up.  I was a bit worried about the status of my legs, I hoped I had a magical sleep that gave me new strength and spirit.

3:50am

Name the movie

I had trouble getting out of bed this morning. It was one of those mornings where your brain breaks through your motivation and loudly says, why do this.  You are so tired.  Go back to bed. Your legs were so sore yesterday. Skip the run. This isn't worth it.  Just stop this all. Take a break.  Who cares if you do the marathon? Relax...

Not today my friend.  I had my Captain America moment.

Dramatic? Yes. Fitting, hell yea

I eventually got up and had my coffee with sugar.  I kept having the feeling that trouble would approach me if I started my run too quick today.  I paced around the house, trying to see if something more was brewing inside.  I was right. It took me almost an hour from waking up to get out the door. I started at 4:40am, late start!

I adjusted what I could for my run to get home in time to stretch and not be late for work.  I shortened my warm up to the 1.5 mile minimum and same for my cool down.  I still stretched at the Foster for about 5 minutes.

Hanson Plan called from 4 1.5 mile intervals at 10 seconds below marathon pace and with roughly half mile recovery jogs in between. GPS was good most of the time, although for one of my miles, the first half said I was doing a 7:15, the second half a 6:45, effort stayed the same.  Double checking my times on Endomondo, I hit all my splits pretty well.

My legs felt really good today. I was very surprised as the last few days they were sore. Not hurt, just felt like buckets of nope. I had no fear with my left leg today which was great, I hope that continues.

Granted, it is taking a bit more out of me to do these run paces than a month ago, but I'll still take it!

And with that, it is time to work aka eat all day.

Stay strong my friends!

Short Saturday Run

This morning comprised of another easy run, this time 8 miles. I'm trying to get back into my training plan, and this is a pretty ideal time for it as the next two runs are - 10 miles at a not too bad pace, then an 8 mile easy run Monday. Hopefully by Tuesday I'll have my legs in normal shape for a strength run.

I'm still knocking off the rust from my legs and feeling more glimpses of my normal legs.  Being my normal dramatic self, it feels like coming back from a good beat down and recharging:

Not much to say about the run, went okay, legs had some moments, I did a better job of running it slow. I saw Mrs. Fueling Strong on the way back and got a hearty hello! And here are the mandatory photos:

The sunrise is also way too late right now, before it was cool to catch the sunrise, now I'll start finishing my runs before it comes up during the week! WTH!

Non running note: Found a new place to move to come the end of September!

And I apologize if this was your expectation for today's blog:

 I'll try to have some funnies for tomorrow!

Have a great day!

Recovery Run and Recovery Post

After I went hard at my run yesterday and an extra long blog post, I'll make this one easy. 6 mile recovery run today. Felt nice, 60 degrees, went slow. Took a picture of the sunrise once it broke through the clouds:

Last night was uneventful. My daughter was in a MOOD after a late nap, threw a fit if you even looked at her. Eventually she was in a better mood and relaxed to a nice pop up book:

She also left some of her toys next to my bed stand..

Planning how to kill me in my sleep

At the end of my run I saw something horrifying! A MURDER!

of crows.

There was a circle of crows up by Hollywood talking about which condo they should hang out at and gawk at all day to annoy the poor humans.

And that's all I got! Enjoy your day!

And in case you want to comment and don't know about what.. Here is a question for you -

Do you feel the running blogging community needs more guys posting? Am I missing some wealth of active guy bloggers (at least in Chicago area)? Or are we just generally pretty boring and give up?

Happy Pre Friday Eve!

My wife has been sick for a few days, so of course I'm thinking every time I sneeze or feel a little off, that I may be getting it. And of course we are both watching our daughter and crossing out fingers she doesn't catch it.

Background down, she is going to see the Doctor today just to get a check up, so I am staying home with the kid (my wife is a stay at home mom) for the morning while she sees the doctor and will go to work when she returns.

My wife thought I would be able to sleep later since I don't have to get back from my run as soon... and here is where my slightly crazy kicks in. My response:

No! I want to catch the view before the sunset and be able to enjoy breakfast. Guess I can't complain about being tired today hah!

Today is a recovery run, an easy paced 6 miles. And it did feel easy and I kept it in the 1-2 minutes slower that marathon goal pace range.

Here is the view when I hit the lake:

About 5am

My run was very peaceful. I didn't push myself at any point or feel sore.  It was 50 degrees with no wind, so it was pretty crisp and perfect.  There weren't as many people out as yesterday, maybe because I didn't go down to the Belmont and south area?

The people that were out were mostly my normies, they were friendly, most of them returned the wave/nod.  Nice way to start the day!

On my return trip home, I kept an eye on the lake to see when the sun was coming up and then when I could get a decent shot at it for one more picture.  I wanted to get a photo before the Sun took up its yellow color, as everyone is up for the yellow Sun, BORING! And its harder to look at.

I caught it with a few minutes to spare. Here is the result:

I was pretty happy to catch a person running in my photo!

 If I took a shot 5 minutes later, I would need shades on like my daughter and I would be looking at the Sun like this:

So bright!

Finished writing this just as my daughter is waking up! Time to go!

How was your run today? Do you take time to enjoy the scenery?

You know nothing Legs Snow

(Game of Thrones reference title)
Woke up 2 minutes before my alarm and snuck to the bathroom to change without waking my wife, good start...but the cat was awake and almost ruined my stealth. (Scratch scratch under the door)
Recovery run day, typically this day's post is a vent of how hard the run was and I pout. Today though, my legs felt strangely decent. I'm not talking 100% and ready to fly, but they felt stronger.  I didn't push the pace hard, but the training plan does say the run should top out at 2 minutes slower than marathon pace.  I've been doing mote like 2:30-2:45 on Mondays. So there is hope!
Training paying off? Or was that Gatorade recovery drink magic?
As usual, I tried to capture the sky before sunrise, it looked pretty awesome but I waited a few minutes too long and it lightened up a bit. Here is what I got. Note sure if I stopped my timer while taking photos, oh well.
Cheers everyone!

5am at the Lake

Two a days... sort of?

I woke up this morning expecting to be filled with the spirit of Haile Gebrselassie in my legs after eating some tibs last night. Sadly, I am not like Kirby and assume the powers behind what I consume.

A downside to doing an evening run when all your runs are in the morning is that when you go back to your normal time the next day, it is almost like doing a two a day. I knew it was a pretty quick turn around for a run time when my beanie  hadn't fully dried yet. I finished my run yesterday at about 6pm, and was out this morning around 5:45am. I wasn't too worried as it was a recovery/easy run day.

The sunrise actually beat me this morning, as it took me a long time to get ready for some reason. I did nab a couple shots of the sunrise, but my phone didn't grab the depth of the colors that makes is peaceful.

Time to make the donuts!

The weather app said it was 51 degrees, but the air felt a bit more brisk than that.  The lakefront path was mostly populated by the Elijah Running Club and a few morning runners.

I went out with the task of thinking of fun things to do today, as asked by my wife.  For some reason, I have a hard time focusing on specifics when I run. I started to try to think of some places/things to do, when suddenly its two miles later and I had last myself in my run, but if I just want to ramble or have random conversations with myself, I can do that easily.

I got back from my jog, only to be locked out of my building.  The radio key that residents swipe at the door wasn't working at the front or the back, uh oh! My wife has her phone on silent, so my rings for help went unheard, and buzzing our unit risks waking up our daughter.  So I sat and waited.  I had about 10 minutes left now before my daughter usually wakes up, and I'm starting to get worried, when another resident shows up, has the same issue.  Thankfully, his girlfriend is awake and comes down to let us in. SAVED!

Now the real challenge, get a few options on the table for today!

What fun things are you doing today?

La Brea Running Pits

Ah Monday, who has a case of it? My legs. An especially slow recovery day. My legs were so dead, you would think I found them in some tar pits.  I couldn't pass an open book test with my pace today. At least I didn't hurt myself.
Today was no Friday either, didn't have as many happy faces today.  My theory: morning runner jealousy.  We know the weather will get a lot nicer today, but we still don't get to work on our running tan.
On the positive side, I noticed the trees starting to bud and  the first moths fluttering around. Signs that maybe spring is here?
And in case you missed the sunrise for some reason, here it is:

A little bird told me to run today

I ended my work week yesterday with a short walk to the lakefront just to soak up some sun.  It was uplifting to see a volleyball net up and some people on the beach.  Although I did feel a little odd sitting by an area I run through, like being benched during  a game and you just want to get back on the court.

65 Degrees works for me!

Ah Saturday! The start of the weekend, and for many of us, a time to recharge, and to stop and smell the roses. No different for me! It was a recovery run day (run about 2 minutes slower than pace) and I started about 30 minutes later than normal since I didn't have to get back home as fast.

I got out of the lakefront to see the water painted pink and couldn't help but stop and capture the moment:

A few minutes before sunrise

It was a pretty relaxing run, the first 20 minutes was filled with the song of what sounded like a plethora of birds singing to me from the trees.  I'd like to think they were cheering me on, thanks birds!

There were fewer people than normal for the first 1/3 of my run, until I came around cricket hill and I ran into the Elijah Running Club. Last Saturday I saw this group and had no idea who they were, I initially thought they were organizers for the Cara 10 miler.  Today I caught the logo on their shirts.  Seems like a cool group! My favorite runner was in the front, waving her hands up high, you could tell she had a song in her heart, and love in her run. *internet high five*

Now to start the rest of the day and hang out with my ladies!

Hope runs eternal

I went to bed last night contemplating joining a run for Boston run with some area group today. Most are starting around 6:30pm, and after this last weekend, its just not going to work.  After talking with my wife, she was kosher with the idea of at least joining a running group every week or two.

Get up today 4:45am, mid 40s temp, just a little brisk to start. This jog is for Boston, now if I can only Boston qualify.

The day after a long run is always a slow run where you practice patience more than anything.  As expected, there were not many people out. Some regulars, one even changed it up and tossed the peace sign up for me.

Note: if you see me out running, wave, I treat morning runners like jeep owners treat each other. You get a wave, and you get a wave (Oprah voice).

Stomach still felt a little off, better today than tomorrow. I'm a really weak drinker apparently.

And what good is a slow run without taking in the scenery.

Of Zombies and Runners

[Note: Recap of Saturday]

Saturday began with sleeping in to 5:15! what a difference 30 minutes can make. It was a crisp run, 30 with a 20 something windchill.

The view at the start of my run by the beach

The lakefront path was extra icey, anything pavement that was even damp, was slick.  This was nature's way ensuring I stayed at my slower pace speed.

After my run, I got changed and went to a local Chicago Park District location to wait in line for two hours to get my daughter signed up for toddler and parent gymnastics! Ran into several other husbands from the new mother's group my wife goes to, who signed up for the same class.

Now the preparation for the debauchery begins.  The Chicago Zombie Pub Crawl was happening today in Andersonville.  This is my one day I let myself be a little very stupid, drink more than a couple beers, and be a zombie! It is my fifth year doing it.  Hopefully I'll find more photos, but here is a fuzzy one.

BRAINS!

Fast forward to when I get home, I provided plenty of comic relief to my wife and mother in law, and proceeded to fall asleep three different times after the kid went to bed.

Now here we are in present time, prepping for the long run. I'm leaving later than normal since my toddler is having some major fits if she leaves my hip.  No rest for the wicked or zombies.

Running with all of the lights

4:45am, alarm turns on your running brain.

4:47, fend off the siege to put you back to sleep. A hard fought battle, but running prevails again. Flawless record.

Suit up. Game plan review, 7 miles at 2 minutes slower than pace. Easy day.

5:05 out the door. LED light turned on and clipped to arm. 6th run in 6 days, no stopping now, feels good man.

Jog to the street lights and car lights, get into your mental escape.

Turn to lakefront path. Dark blue sky giving way to the red breath of the Sun.  Nobody running first two miles out, did I miss a memo?
Finally see someone, world is right again.
Shadows take life with every minute as dawn wakes up.
Keep my legs in check, run slow or die trying.

2 miles from home, all of the lights turn on in the sky. LED light off. Sun on.

Get home , clean up, catch bus to work.  See people running and smile, then frown. When can I run again?

A minute before sunrise