Chasing the Red Baron

Happy Father's Day! To my own pops, if you get the internet up in heaven, thank you for the guidance you passed onto me.

To my little daughter..

I always blink for the flash

Thank you for coming into my life, you have given your mother and I so much meaning to our life, today would not be a celebration without you.

Yesterday I noticed I was mentioned on +OptimalRun.com for running dad's that blog, pretty neat!

To my wife, thank you for pampering me this weekend! Part of my Father's day swag was some running snacks:

Yesterday I had some strawberry custard mixed with a nutella cupcake mixed in... YUM!!  Later we went to Dominicks and saw Red Baron pizza was on sale for 3.99. Anything less than 4 dollars has to be a meal just for one... So I ate the entire pizza for dinner. 1600 calories later, I felt content. Perfect food to charge me up for the long run. Just drank a LOT of water to counteract the sodium.
Today I woke up around 7:15 (yay sleeping in!) and I noticed my leg felt pretty good.. hmm? My wife went out and got me a yummy coffee from +Metropolis Coffee . I drink coffee black and the their brew tasted amazing. A lot stronger than the cheap coffee I keep at hand at home. By the time I was ready for my run, my hands were shaking lightly.  My wife also went out on a run with our daughter in the BOB.

I stepped out today feeling good, my right calf felt randomly a lot better after doing a lot of massages to my leg seen here and icing.

My first mile was pretty quick as my street is always cooler and breezier, but once I hit Hollywood, helloooo heat and sun. Instead of feeling like Red Baron was fueling me, I felt the entire run was a battle against the heat.. slowly crashing and burning like so:

We've been heat struck!

My initial goal was to not hurt my calf, just go slow. I amended this and added, don't get heat stroke. Drank +Gatorade every couple miles, and my pace slowed down every couple miles as well. Lesson for today: No more sleeping in on Sundays. Rather than start my runs at 9:30, I need to be done by 9:30am.

I saw a lot of people coming back from another Color Run (are these like every weekend now?). I saw people burning out on their pace, they would start off really fast and go by me, and be slowing down in less than two minutes. I hope everyone eases into the weather!

Today's run wasn't bad as I didn't try to go fast, which resulted in my slowest time in a few months. I'll take that though over getting sick or hurt.

When I finished my run, I refilled my bottle with water and just doused myself with it to cool off. I also noticed I was covered with gnats. I was going to take a picture, but a sweaty hairy chested guy covered in bugs isn't that hot.

After a recovery Gatorade and trying out the purple Nuun (yum!) , I had a cold shower and forced myself to eat a yogurt and banana. The heat run killed my appetite.

I'll make sure to work on my calf again today to keep up the recovery, but I must depart to go to the beach or something fun!

What did you do today?

Straining to Run

I seem to have a knack for straining my calf doing intervals.  Last fall I had a mild strain to my right calf due to over striding my intervals. Some PT and slower running and I was over it.  Tuesday I had intervals, which I felt I landed okay, but I guess not okay enough boo. I was questioning over the last couple days if its just an ache or what. Same calf, top left side but not as bad thankfully. Ice, compression wrap. No pain to touch, no redness, fine walking and stairs, and I can still run. The runs are a bit more effort.

Yesterday I did 10 miles, I am going to fall into the Hanson schedule now which called for an easy run, so I just did whatever felt comfortable. I almost turned back after 1 mile, as my leg was aching. Not a sharp pain, just that dull warm pain of a strain. I told myself to try a couple miles as these things tend to feel better after a little bit of running. The ache turned duller and by mile 6, it was fairly manageable.  I wasn't tracking my pace as I didn't want to feel some mental obligation to do more. It was also in the evening, which is not my usual run time and felt odd to be out with so many people and not on a Sunday. I got home and felt okay, lots of stretches and icing.

This morning was an easy/recovery type run, 7 miles, slower than yesterday. I wore my compression sleeve on my leg and my warm up for my leg only took like 2-3 miles and I started to feel like I could push off easier. All I did was think about my leg and my training for the run. Would I be able to get recovered from this fast? I figure I can take it a little easier on the next interval day or so, but keep up my miles and keep the tempo days in.  I have to make it a point to make time in the evening to do hip work outs to keep my calves from overcompensating.  My wife is also getting back into jogging and we were able to talk aches that I could finally relate to!

Enough about my pity fest!

This morning's run was also pretty nice. Decent weather, Elijah Running Group was out in force, and on my return trip.. CARA pace groups were hitting the lakefront in mass. I passed at least 5 groups, and I'm sure there were a few more that were coming around an offshoot of the path. I swear I saw Fueling Strong out there in a pace group, or at least her twin ( if you read this mrs fueling, were you out there?).

After my run and getting the kid fed, we went to M Henrietta for breakfast. Anyone I go there, I MUST get the out of this world breakfast bread pudding: a bowl of our creamy vanilla and egg custard brioche bread pudding, topped w/warm peaches & blackberries. Simply AMAZING! I got the large portion, which can be a meal on its own.. But after not eating enough last night, it was a side :) I also got 2 eggs, house potatoes, and toast (which my daughter ate half of with the jam... fun to clean up :) )

Photo:

If I ever learn to make this, I will become 500lbs

Upon getting my eggs and potatoes, there were some cherry tomatoes on the plate.. which my daughter thought were grapes.. With the speed of a striking viper, snatched one from my plate, stuffed it in her mouth.. and hilarity ensued - sour face, spitting back out, and recovery time.. Thankfully we had an amazing waitress who brought her a little plate of fruit without asking!  My wife has an excellent meal which I was fortunate enough to finish off (including the plantains! YUM!)

Later today I want to go to Lickity Split to try their strawberry frozen custard and mix it with a cupcake.  I hope I can keep my calf fresh enough to do a long run tomorrow! I am in contact with a fairly fast runner who is recovering from an injury and his slow state run now is my fast pace (~7 minute miles for a long run, he is going back to 6:30 for 18-20 miles, yikes!) So I hope I can stay healthy enough to do a few runs with him and not let him down! (With that, ever you ever need a running buddy, let me know!)

Any plans for Father's Day Weekend?
Do you love Frozen Custard?
Any extra massages/stretches you do for tight/lightly strained calves?

Have a great one!

Happy Day of Venus!

Short post today as how do you follow up a photo with Fabio?

I didn't get my run in this morning, not due to lack of will/injury/sleeping in, but just some work commitments that would prevent me from getting 10 miles in before work today (unless I wanted to run at like 3:45am.. no thanks.. although I did wake up at that time.. sign?)

I'll do my miles after work today, so wave if you see me! I'll write my apology cards to my morning wavers tonight.

I was rereading a few parts of the Hanson Marathon Method book, especially about the Sunday runs. I didn't notice the first time through that they only prescribe a long run every other week, as they "don't want you to do a Sunday long run, a tempo run that totals 16 miles with warm up and cool down, and another Sunday run all in the span of 8 days". Good to know. I'll have to be mindful of the schedule so I don't hurt myself out of routine. Although I do plan on adding miles to my easy runs and such, so that at the peak of training I'll be hitting around 70+ miles. Hanson mentioned in the book that this is more typical of people hitting low and sub 3 hour marathons. He still says to try and not extend your long runs too much or your intensity runs, but rather your easy runs and your warm up and cool down distances.

Speaking of Hanson's, another lady at my work wants to use the method for a Marathon taking place a week after Chicago Marathon, so I'll be lending her the book for a few days. Yay! Another convert.

And in case you are itching for a cute photo of my daughter, here you go!

Heeeeeey!

With that, don't forget Father's day is this weekend! I'll be indulging at M Henrietta's tomorrow and some home made french toast on Sunday after the long run!

Are you running today?
Plans for the weekend?

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