Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Slightly overcast sky and daylight savings has made the morning a little later than I expected. I got up and did my usual bathroom ritual…hoping that there will not be any repeat of yesterday’s debacle.

Started out rather strong and felt really good. There was a light breeze that kept me cool as I ran to Parramatta Park. Once in the park I decided that I would run to the little dam and cross there to head back to the hotel.

I neared the dam and suddenly I was having a flashback to yesterday…I began to cramp up and I did not think there was a way for me to make it to the hotel without messing myself. Luckily the park, unlike the city, had a public bathroom near the dam. I stopped the watch and took care of business.

With that out of the way I headed on across the dam and toward the hotel. Finished my 3.1 mile run with a 8:56 pace.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

I should have figured that today was going to be bad when I spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom this morning. With that over I thought I’d be alright…how wrong was I?!?!

I had planned on a 2 mile run but about .7 miles out my intestines said it was over. Now I’m running in a downtown area that does not have much for public restrooms during peak hours much less anything being open at 6 am!

With a hell of a pain in my gut and a lot of clenching (I’m sure you can figure out the issue) I barely made it back to the hotel at a snails pace. The pounding of the run made things worse so I was in between a jog and a fast walk.

Ended the day with 1.3 miles at a 12:30 pace…OUCH!

FYI: I made it to the bathroom without a second to spare!

Monday, October 29, 2007

This morning was very difficult to get up. With daylight savings time starting here it was still rather “dark out” compared to what I have been getting up to. But I managed to drag myself out of bed and into my running clothes.

I ran just 1 mile and felt much better afterward…to bad it hasn’t carried for long…it is just 2 hours later and I’m ready to go back to bed!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Daylight savings time here so I lost an hour of sleep…I don’t like losing sleep!

I decided to stay in today and focus on my studying. I got a chance to talk to my wife today as well…it is so good to hear her voice, I really miss her.

Anyway I didn’t get to running until nearly 8 PM tonight but I did end up with 3.6 miles at a 10:05 pace.

10/21 – 10/27 Totals

10/21 – 10/27 total miles = 16.9 miles and one hell of a hike in the Blue Mountains…that was about an additional 8-9 miles!!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

There are two things I knew when I woke up this morning: 1 – I’m supposed to run 14 miles this weekend. 2 – I’m taking my auditors to the Blue Mountains to go hiking today and I don’t think I can do both 1 and 2!!

So with the impending hike today I opted to run just a simple 10k. I’ve really noticed how much better I run…consistency wise…when I run with people. my pace was all over the place but in the end I finished the 6.2 miles with a 10 + min pace.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Felt I was getting rather lazy in my pace so I decided to just run the mile today. It could also have to do with me staying up late to watch a TV show and that it was still raining or that I am planning on either a long run or hike tomorrow…

Ran 1 mile at a brisk 8:15 pace.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Last night I had a feeling that this morning wasn’t going to be great. It had started sprinkling on the way from work to the hotel. After dinner it was pouring.

This morning when I awoke the sky wasn’t visible and it was sprinkling. I decided that I still had to run a minimum of 2 miles but really didn’t feel like it. Took my time…kind of had to since there are many sidewalks in Parramatta that are tile and when it rains boy are they slippery!!!

Managed to put in 2.6 miles…time was horrible so I’m not sharing.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I got up this morning only because the alarm went off. I spent too much time last night working on a work project.

I really did not want to run this morning but could not figure out when I would run tonight so I got moving. I decided that I would take things rather easy and it worked by half way through the run I was feeling much better.

Total for today was 1.37 miles at a 9:37 pace.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

This morning I was not up as quickly as I have been in the past week but when the alarm went off at 5:30 I did get out of bed.

By 5:50 I was out running. In my head I was having a heck of a debate. One side wanted to go for 1 mile and call it a day. Another side wanted to actually do a long run…what ever that meant. Then there was the body saying why don’t we just see how things turn out.

I felt okay but I’m noticing that my pace is starting to fluctuate quite a bit. I’ll have to buckle down and start focusing on a more even pace throughout my run.

In the end I finished my morning run in just under 31 minutes and completed 3.2 miles.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Back to normal.

I woke up this morning at 5AM and decided to wait until the alarm rang. Since I ran last night I wasn’t completely up for this. I managed to drag my but out of the door, even while there was American football on TV, LIVE none the less!!!

Got in a quick 1.2 miles and then was back in my room watching the next football game…oh and getting ready for work!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

I just didn’t want to get out of bed this morning so I didn’t but by the time I was ready to go running it was already too hot. So I opted to wait until evening.

After dinner I waited about 2 hours and set out on a nice easy run. I ended up hitting a few spots were I just couldn’t run slowly. But in the end it looks like I was able to keep a relatively moderate pace. Completed 1.4 miles at a 9:37 pace.

10/14 – 10/20 Totals

10/7 – 10/20 total miles = 15.8 miles and a lot of additional walking around Australia

Sydney

I went for a walk in Sydney today and managed to get nearly the whole city in!!

Here is the link to the map: My Sydney Walkabout

Saturday, October 20, 2007

I got up relatively early this morning and decided to milk it a little. Ended up rolling out of bed around 6AM and got running at around 6:15.

I knew that I wanted (needed) to run a little longer but was unsure as to how long I’d really go. I started running south away from my hotel and toward a paved bike trail I saw there the other day. Picked up the trail and followed it under the motorway and then along a parkway next to the motorway. That lasted all of .5 miles at which time I had to choose between going back under the motorway and continuing into a neighborhood to the south.

Since I was unsure where I’d have the opportunity to cross the motorway again I opted to go under. Once on the other side I face a rather large hill I trudge most of the way up in and begin walking…not very fun but needed. I continue running once the ground levels off. I make my way another mile or so when another rather large hill presents itself. I muster my way up this one and was grateful to be stopped at the cross walk.

Once I’ve crossed the street it is down hill to the park. This is the same park I spoke of a few days ago; the one that I didn’t know was here. Well today I decide that I will run the whole park. Very beautiful and about a 2 mile loop!! On the backside of the park there was at least 5 trees full of large bats all making a heck of a racket for this time in the morning.

Once I exited the park I continued up toward a nice peaceful neighborhood in north Parramatta and started my way back. I was starting to realize that I have not been drinking as much water as I usually do…the water isn’t bad here I just haven’t been drinking it.

I got back to the hotel and found that I had run 6.2 miles (10k) and did it at a much slower pace than last week…10:17.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Good morning from Australia! I was up, again, at 5 AM and beginning to wonder if I’ll ever get to sleep in while I’m here.

Since I was up I hit the road at 5:30. Yesterday I had hoped to get out and do another mile or so in the evening since I was short on time in the morning but that never happened so this morning I decided that I’d have to do 3 miles.

I had heard that there was a huge park in Parramatta but I never got to it last time I was here so I ran to it this morning…it is so near to the hotel and the apartment from last time I don’t know how I missed it.

The park is gorgeous so I’m going to have to spend a little more time running through here on the weekend.

My total run was exactly 3 miles and kept a pace of 9:00.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Since I had to be up early to day for a meeting I thought that it might be better if I did a little less this morning and try to run more this evening. So I set out from the hotel at5:30 and tried to find a new route around the area. I headed down through a quite neighborhood and only found the garbage man out collecting the trash. At the end of the street there was a great bike trial…not sure how far it goes but I know were me weekend run will go!

It is still cooler here than I expected in the morning but it is bearable. 1.1 miles in 9:57.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Up at 5:30 AM this morning and noticed that it was slightly cloudy. When I looked out the hotel window I noticed that it had rained recently. I got ready for my run and when I stepped outside I noticed how much cooler it was and how fresh the air smelled…I just lover running just after a rain!

Hit the streets trying to keep my pace in check this morning and did a rather decent job (9:36 pace.) I managed to get 2.5 miles in before returning to the hotel. Parramatta is a beautiful area and running along the river is particularly nice.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Got a great night sleep and woke up early this morning so I knew that I had to go for a run. Not sure as to where to go I just headed east and turned around after a mile. What a beautiful day in Parramatta!!

I got 2 miles in under 18 minutes (8:57 pace!!)

Monday, October 15, 2007

After a very long flight from the states I made my entire audit group go straight into the office and work a partial day and I was getting antsy. Mind you I was getting tired too but I needed to run.

We headed off to dinner and walked back to the hotel once back in the hotel I changed and went out for a run. Too much food made for a very uncomfortable run but I managed to get 1 mile in 8:22.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

I was in a plane heading to Australia so this day never existed for me.

10/7 - 10/13 Totals

10/7 - 10/13 total miles = 30ish (not completely sure how to count the marathon)

Saturday, October 13, 2007

I decided this week that I would start to run at the head of the pack of the Saturday Morning Running Club and boy did that kick my ass!

My wife has been running with a relatively new member, Ken, and he has been keeping her pace up there, so I decided to run with Ken, Kristin, and my wife. For the first 2 miles we maintained around an 8:30 pace. Now I can handle that for that distance but knowing that I still wanted to do 4 more this was going to be a problem.

My wife was at a conference the latter part of the week so she was feeling very lethargic and decided that 4 for the day was going to be enough so she turned at this point. I continued on and had to play a little catch up with Ken and Kristin. They pulled my along. Kristin was having foot problems so she peeled off with about 1.25 to go, Ken headed home at about 1 to go, so I was one my own to the end. I managed to keep my pace and finish 6 miles in 53 minutes and change.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Wife came home today from her conference and we headed out for a nice 1 mile run. Nothing hard or fancy. Completed the mile in around 9 min pace.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Without the wife around I slept in and didn't get up to go running which means that when I got home from work I not only had to cut the grass but get out for my daily run.

By 7Pm I was done with the yard work and ready to go for a run but boy had the weather turned cold and windy! Still wearing shorts but the t-shirt has been replaced with a long sleeved-tee I hit the road.

Wasn't sure how long I really wanted to go but knew that I needed to put 2 miles in so that is what I ended up doing: 2 miles. Pace is still an issue with me since I managed to have an average pace of 8:36! Either I run too slow when I do the longer distances or I'm running too fast at the shorter distance. I'll figure it out one day.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

What a difference a few days make!! I woke up this morning to 40 degrees…it was only Sunday when the Chicago Marathon got called off due to excessive heat.

Well we got up this morning and did our 1 mile run in 9:05. Not too bad considering the wind was blowing full force.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

This morning I was feeling pretty good so I thought that I’d start on my extra distance today. Instead of doing 1 mile each day I’m going to try to do a minimum of 2 miles a day.

It was much cooler today that it has been for the last few so I knew this was the right day to start things. The pace I chose was a little harder than I thought I could handle for 2 miles but I was wrong, since I did the second mile faster than the first!

Finished 2 miles at a 8:39 pace. Great way to start the day!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Well the day after the marathon and I’m feeling pretty good the only issue is that it is still hot and muggy outside. We decided on running after work so that I could recover a little more. It was nice and humid when we started and we took out time. 1 mile easy as that.

Chicago Marathon – My first DNF

How is that for an opening to a race report?

I was ready. I had put the training in and made the necessary modifications to my process. I knew that I’d be able to finish this race as easily as any of the others.

The weather reports all week were calling for high temps for Sunday. They were predicting 85 degrees with high humidity. I just kept my eye on that storm hoping that we’d get rained on. But when we woke up Sunday morning, at 4 AM mind you, it was already 75 degrees. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

I kept a positive outlook. I knew what I needed to do to keep me moving and I planned to just stay with my pace group and know that in the end I will be happy that I did the race. The high temps meant that I would need to drink a little more and to be sure that I kept my self cool.

At 8 AM we were off. It took me 16 ½ minutes to reach the starting line but once I did it was pretty easy running. I took my time and maintained my pace. By mile 2 I was starting to heat up a bit so I eased off and continued to run. I started pouring water over my head to stay cool.

I arrived at the first aid station to find that it had already been abandoned and no water or Gatorade was available. I didn’t panic because I was carrying my water bottle that was still half full.

I trudged along and by mile 4 I was completely drained. I was overheating and the water wasn’t enough. I was lucky enough to find a restroom by mile 5 because I wasn’t feeling very well.

Once things had passed I got back out there and found that we were being told that there was no water at the next aid station. Thank god this was incorrect! The aid station was still operating but it appeared that they were unprepared for the onslaught that fell upon them. The volunteers tried their hardest to accommodate everyone and I was thankful to have some Gatorade and a full water bottle.

At mile six I took some much needed gel to try to recoup some of my lost energy but it was no use. I took off my hat in hopes that it was holding in the heat and making me feel much hotter than I really was but it was not the case. The sun was just cooking me and I was not handling it very well.

I drenched my hat when I could and took in as much fluid as I thought I could handle but I realized that this was not going to be my day.

I saw more and more runners around me starting to walk and I knew that this was not a good sign.

At mile 11 I decided that when I saw my wife at 13.1 I was going to make the decision to drop out. I just could not take this abuse any longer and did not feel that it was worth hurting myself to try to complete this marathon.

When I saw my wife I began to cry knowing that for the first time I was not going to complete a marathon. She calmed me down and told me to take a break. I rest at the side of the road in the shade for a minute. She gave me some beans and told me that I was not going to drop just yet that I could walk some more and that she would accompany me for a little while.

I crossed the half-way point at 3:25 (3:07 chip time or 11:25 AM) and we continued to walk. My wife kept me moving and feeding me the beans when we got to the aid station near mile 14 it was closed, no water and no Gatorade but we were told there was some water about 3 blocks away. My wife said sorry but I have to do this and tasted my sweat (before becoming a runner I don’t think she would have ever done that) and said there is no salt…you need some electrolytes now!

She saw a convenience store about a block away and said that she would go get some if I wanted, I told her yes! When I approached the store the firefighters had opened up they hydrant and they were giving water out to the runners directly from the tap. I once again filled my bottle and kept moving.

My wife caught up with me about a half mile down the road. She reported that the store was full of runners doing the same thing she was doing for me. I opened up the bottle and started drinking like there was no tomorrow. I had to stop myself before I got cramps.

About a mile later I had finished the bottle of Gatorade and was starting to feel like myself again. I decided that she was right I could finish this race even if it meant walking the rest of the way.

All of the sudden we saw a bunch of people coming up the side streets. These we fellow runners that had been diverted and we were being told by police and medics that the race had been cancelled.

Well I thought that I might have enough in me to finish and said that I would continue anyway but that option was taken away from me as we approached the turn to mile 17. At this point the road was barricaded with a 4 foot high gate and police standing there telling everyone that we were to walk back to Grant Park. Anyone that was running was told, rather sternly, to stop running, the race was over, and that we were to walk to Grant Park.

I had no options. The race was over for me and my fellow runners.

The view ahead of me was quite wondrous seeing thousands of people walking down the streets and all of the fire hydrants open on both sides of the road spraying large arcs of water across the street.

I have some very mixed feelings about this race. I received a medal even though I did not complete the whole course; that is just wrong. According to the website and comments made by the RD “all runners that made it past the halfway point before noon were allowed to finish”…I beg to differ, if you look at my time on the website I past the 15 mile mark around noon and was not allowed to finish.

But what if they had let me finish? This race is not considered official unless you came in ahead of them canceling the race, around 4 hours, so I would still not have been able to count this race.

It was a memorable experience to say the least. I am not proud that I wanted to quit but I am glad that the race officials had enough common sense to see that this race was no longer safe for the participants and called the race over.

The Chicago Marathon was unique. I still have to get Illinois but I just might look at one of the smaller races and hope for cooler weather.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

We step out of the car this morning and I start getting the third degree from the group that is there. They all want to know what I’m doing here and how far do I think I’m going to go. I reassure them all that I’m here only to do a mile or 2 and that I plan on taking everything very slowly.

Completed 2 miles in 21 minutes. I think that qualifies as an easy day.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Marathon only 2 days away so we took things easy this morning. Ran 1 mile in a 9:30 pace. Still feeling pretty good but the weather for Sunday is going to be hot!!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Wife was going to yoga this evening so we got up and ran a mile. Tried to take it easy and we still completed it in under 9 minutes!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

My wife was going to work out with her trainer tonight and since I just so love mornings I decided to sleep in and run after work.

After work and before I headed out to the gun club I stopped home for a quick 1 mile run which I completed in 7:58. Not a new record mind you but quite fast. Let’s just hope I keep my wits about me during the marathon.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

This morning we were up earlier than normal and got to running. With the thick fog out you couldn’t see to the end of the block…it was kinda cool! Managed a good pace for our morning mile

Monday, October 1, 2007

It was raining pretty hard this morning so my wife let us both sleep in. I’m not so sure that was the best idea since we both complained that we didn’t feel very well the rest of the day.

Once we got home we both changed and headed out for our run…we both complained about not wanting to do it but we persevered. Tried to keep the pace slow but still managed a 9:07 mile.