I've been watching the forecast for today the past couple days. They've been calling for 50-60 degrees in the morning, and kept changing their mind when it was going to rain. I woke up this morning and it was about 55 degrees and sunny. Perfect, right?
Almost.
The only exception? The wind. My God the wind. I've ridden in wind before, some rides around 15-20 mph gusts and they were rough. They pushed me forward on the way out, and pushed my limits on the way back.
Today the winds were sustained at 23 MPH with gusts around 35 straight out of the south. I'll be honest, the thought of hitting the trainer crossed my mind... for about a second. The competition doesn't care of it's windy. And if they do? Well then, I just got a step ahead.
On the way out, there were flat stretches (not downhills) where I was pushing 30 MPH with the wind at my back, it was great. I felt pro, even though I knew it was only because of the wind at my back. Going east and west was probably the most dangerous, since the gusts were making it fairly difficult to control the bike, but I managed to keep control.
Going south was brutal. I was sitting in my granny gear for the majority of that stretch, working like hell just to go 10-12 MPH. Much less dangerous, though, since the gusts weren't threatening to throw me off the road or into traffic.
Finally, I got back to the school. And kept riding. Screw you, Ma Nature, I'm not done with you yet. Time to put you in your place for another 10 miles.
More of the same on the second lap. But I finally finished and really felt like I had accomplished something. Here's the numbers:
Time: 1:51:12
Distance: 31.01 miles
Speed: 16.7 mph
Cadence: 94 rpm
HR: 153 bpm
I'll leave you with this:
Why Do You Run [or Ride]?
Because you're wondering if your grandchildren will too.
Because its raining.
Because you can, and others can't.
Because its faster than walking.
Because that shaky-leg-thing is all about nervous energy.
Because you can't fly.
Because you can fly.
Because your personal best is just that, yours.
Because the pain of a blister is nothing compared to the pain of stopping.
Because you like the resistance the wind gives you.
Because you like the resistance you give the wind.
Just Because.
-NYC Marathon Ad
Showing posts with label Relentless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Relentless. Show all posts
Monday, March 3, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Bunch of Arrogant Exercisers!
Yup. Thats exactly what we are.
Last week a group I run with, Todd's Road Stumblers, was brought up in a complaint letter to the sheriff of the county we run in. Someone brought in a copy of the letter today, both to inform people and to poke a little fun at. Why poke fun at such a serious situation?
Because of the style of writing. It was perfectly obvious the author had a lot of bottled up rage and was trying his hardest to keep it there, but couldn't quite do it! About halfway through he slipped by calling us "a bunch of arrogant exercisers going around like the own the road!" (not an exact quote, but the 'bunch of arrogant exercisers' comes straight out of his letter)
From what I hear, we get about two of these every year and nothing ever happens. It is usually someone who wants to drive 70 MPH around a blind turn and could probably use a couple miles out there with us.
For example, last year there was a report that "hundreds of people were out running well before dawn with flashlights, trying to blind the drivers!" What were they talking about? Yeah, Judy and Mark (count 'em: one, two) were out on a long run to beat the summer heat and brought flashlights for their own safety.
When we get a complaint the sheriff always comes out to make sure we're following the rules of the road, which we do. In fact, we have them posted on a rather large poster inside the clubhouse, and always remind new members to look at them; we know who wins in a car-runner collision!
This morning the sheriff drove past me four separate times during my 7 miler; each time I hugged the shoulder as tight as possible, smiled, and waved (with all five fingers). It is a good thing, really, to make sure everybody does get through their runs safely. Maybe a few people trying to fly through the blind turns will take heed too!
Thats all I got about that. Here's this arrogant exercises numbers for the day:
Run:
7:53
7:45
7:28
7:13
7:20
7:24
7:15
(and change)
Pace: 7:28
HR: 163 bpm
Then I came back, ate some food, cleaned up, took an hour nap, and then jumped on the stationary bike:
Time: 1:00:00
Distance: 25.42
Speed: Oh come on, I biked exactly an hour. I don't have to tell you this do I?
HR: 152 bpm
All in all a great day. I felt really strong through everything. It was great to talk to everybody from TRS again; I caught a few people I missed last week! Its good to be back!
Last week a group I run with, Todd's Road Stumblers, was brought up in a complaint letter to the sheriff of the county we run in. Someone brought in a copy of the letter today, both to inform people and to poke a little fun at. Why poke fun at such a serious situation?
Because of the style of writing. It was perfectly obvious the author had a lot of bottled up rage and was trying his hardest to keep it there, but couldn't quite do it! About halfway through he slipped by calling us "a bunch of arrogant exercisers going around like the own the road!" (not an exact quote, but the 'bunch of arrogant exercisers' comes straight out of his letter)
From what I hear, we get about two of these every year and nothing ever happens. It is usually someone who wants to drive 70 MPH around a blind turn and could probably use a couple miles out there with us.
For example, last year there was a report that "hundreds of people were out running well before dawn with flashlights, trying to blind the drivers!" What were they talking about? Yeah, Judy and Mark (count 'em: one, two) were out on a long run to beat the summer heat and brought flashlights for their own safety.
When we get a complaint the sheriff always comes out to make sure we're following the rules of the road, which we do. In fact, we have them posted on a rather large poster inside the clubhouse, and always remind new members to look at them; we know who wins in a car-runner collision!
This morning the sheriff drove past me four separate times during my 7 miler; each time I hugged the shoulder as tight as possible, smiled, and waved (with all five fingers). It is a good thing, really, to make sure everybody does get through their runs safely. Maybe a few people trying to fly through the blind turns will take heed too!
Thats all I got about that. Here's this arrogant exercises numbers for the day:
Run:
7:53
7:45
7:28
7:13
7:20
7:24
7:15
(and change)
Pace: 7:28
HR: 163 bpm
Then I came back, ate some food, cleaned up, took an hour nap, and then jumped on the stationary bike:
Time: 1:00:00
Distance: 25.42
Speed: Oh come on, I biked exactly an hour. I don't have to tell you this do I?
HR: 152 bpm
All in all a great day. I felt really strong through everything. It was great to talk to everybody from TRS again; I caught a few people I missed last week! Its good to be back!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!
I hope everybody had a fun and safe New Years last night; I know I did!
After I got home this afternoon, on National Hangover Day, I made an attempt at a five mile run; but couldn't quite make it all the way since it was a little colder outside than I thought. I made it about 4 1/2 miles, but the last bit just wasn't happening. I was having similar issues to Steve a few weeks ago, which was nothing I wanted to mess with anymore!
Once I finished I took care of things to make sure there WASN'T any frostbite down there; and luckily it looks like I made it through unscathed! Maybe I could have made it that last half mile without losing anything, but thats one risk I wasn't wanting to take; maybe if I had another layer or two on.
The run really took a lot out of me. Running with a hangover always drains every last bit of energy out of me for the rest of the day, so I'm not surprised. Since the run I've spent the day being a lazy bum watching movies, and its been everything it sounds like it would be.
In my adventures of watching massive amounts of TV, I have a new favorite commercial from Nike:
Nic - I'll think about doing Flying Pig, its not too far from where I live. Its mostly friends who are fairly new to running trying to talk me into doing a race with them, rather than the reputation of the event. Maybe I could do both, who knows?
Nancy - If you want to give my training log a shot, send me an email and I'll get it to ya! My email is TheRelentlessRunner at gmail dot com.
After I got home this afternoon, on National Hangover Day, I made an attempt at a five mile run; but couldn't quite make it all the way since it was a little colder outside than I thought. I made it about 4 1/2 miles, but the last bit just wasn't happening. I was having similar issues to Steve a few weeks ago, which was nothing I wanted to mess with anymore!
Once I finished I took care of things to make sure there WASN'T any frostbite down there; and luckily it looks like I made it through unscathed! Maybe I could have made it that last half mile without losing anything, but thats one risk I wasn't wanting to take; maybe if I had another layer or two on.
The run really took a lot out of me. Running with a hangover always drains every last bit of energy out of me for the rest of the day, so I'm not surprised. Since the run I've spent the day being a lazy bum watching movies, and its been everything it sounds like it would be.
In my adventures of watching massive amounts of TV, I have a new favorite commercial from Nike:
Nic - I'll think about doing Flying Pig, its not too far from where I live. Its mostly friends who are fairly new to running trying to talk me into doing a race with them, rather than the reputation of the event. Maybe I could do both, who knows?
Nancy - If you want to give my training log a shot, send me an email and I'll get it to ya! My email is TheRelentlessRunner at gmail dot com.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Most Relentless Runs of 2007
Amy tagged me a few days ago to post my favorite runs of 2007, but I'm putting my own little twist on it. Really, though, the crazy runs are the ones I seem to enjoy the most; after the fact, anyways!
The White Out
Ah, yes. The blizzard that shut down the Midwest! It caused the first snow days at the University of Illinois or Eastern Illinois University in over fifty years. Both schools got two days in a row off due to this beast of a storm. So, what did this crazy S.O.B. do?
Yeah. You guessed it. I tried to run. I had the roads to myself because nobody else would even try to drive in this mess, which was kind of cool. Ten miles were on the schedule, but that didn't quite happen. I only made it five in this absolute white out, but thats a hell of a lot more than any sane person would ever try. The run got finished up at the indoor track, but it still makes it as one of my top three runs of the year!
Freeze & Thaw
The weather this winter was, well, relentless. But so was I. Mother nature isn't going to keep me down!
I was home this weekend where we had some extremely low temperatures and extremely high winds; the wind chill was around -20 degrees. So, once again, what does this crazy guy do with this insane weather and 13 miles on the schedule?
Right again! I bundled up with underarmour as a bottom layer, and almost every other bit of clothing I could justify putting on. Weighing myself before and after getting dressed, I had around 8-10 lbs of clothing on. I smeared some vaseline on any exposed skin to make sure I didn't get frost bite on the bit of my face I didn't cover, too!
I still would get cold on this run, so I started alternating blocks into and against the wind. That way I could get cold, then thaw out repeatedly throughout the run. It seemed like a desperate idea, but it worked! I managed to make it through the run without a scratch!
The Death March
One of the great things about Illinois is that we really, really getting to experience all four seasons. But, one of the bad things about Illinois is that we really, really get to experience all four seasons!
The Chicago Marathon was a pretty good example of summer in Illinois, except one thing: it was supposed to be Fall! Sure, people can train for the heat, but who ever expects Chicago to be 95 degrees in October? Or who expects them to run out of water?
Regardless of the mayhem that was the Chicago Marathon, it was a pretty good run for me. I didn't have to deal with the lack of water since I was fairly close to the front, but damn was it hot!
During the race, it was not one of my favorite runs. Far from it. The last several miles of the race are, undoubtedly, the hardest miles I've ever run in my life; even if they might be among the slowest!
But after the fact, I feel like I've accomplished something huge. Because I was relentless through the brutal Illinois winter and summer, I made it through the race with a PR. Even though it was 95 degrees. And it was humid. And I hadn't run for a month. And I had a hip injury. Whats not to like about that?!
The White Out
Ah, yes. The blizzard that shut down the Midwest! It caused the first snow days at the University of Illinois or Eastern Illinois University in over fifty years. Both schools got two days in a row off due to this beast of a storm. So, what did this crazy S.O.B. do?
Yeah. You guessed it. I tried to run. I had the roads to myself because nobody else would even try to drive in this mess, which was kind of cool. Ten miles were on the schedule, but that didn't quite happen. I only made it five in this absolute white out, but thats a hell of a lot more than any sane person would ever try. The run got finished up at the indoor track, but it still makes it as one of my top three runs of the year!
Freeze & Thaw
The weather this winter was, well, relentless. But so was I. Mother nature isn't going to keep me down!
I was home this weekend where we had some extremely low temperatures and extremely high winds; the wind chill was around -20 degrees. So, once again, what does this crazy guy do with this insane weather and 13 miles on the schedule?
Right again! I bundled up with underarmour as a bottom layer, and almost every other bit of clothing I could justify putting on. Weighing myself before and after getting dressed, I had around 8-10 lbs of clothing on. I smeared some vaseline on any exposed skin to make sure I didn't get frost bite on the bit of my face I didn't cover, too!
I still would get cold on this run, so I started alternating blocks into and against the wind. That way I could get cold, then thaw out repeatedly throughout the run. It seemed like a desperate idea, but it worked! I managed to make it through the run without a scratch!
The Death March
One of the great things about Illinois is that we really, really getting to experience all four seasons. But, one of the bad things about Illinois is that we really, really get to experience all four seasons!
The Chicago Marathon was a pretty good example of summer in Illinois, except one thing: it was supposed to be Fall! Sure, people can train for the heat, but who ever expects Chicago to be 95 degrees in October? Or who expects them to run out of water?
Regardless of the mayhem that was the Chicago Marathon, it was a pretty good run for me. I didn't have to deal with the lack of water since I was fairly close to the front, but damn was it hot!
During the race, it was not one of my favorite runs. Far from it. The last several miles of the race are, undoubtedly, the hardest miles I've ever run in my life; even if they might be among the slowest!
But after the fact, I feel like I've accomplished something huge. Because I was relentless through the brutal Illinois winter and summer, I made it through the race with a PR. Even though it was 95 degrees. And it was humid. And I hadn't run for a month. And I had a hip injury. Whats not to like about that?!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Relentless
It's more than a number of miles. It's more than taking on the heat, cold, rain, snow, ice, and wind. It's a mindset; and one that I've missed. But its back! And I'm back!
These past few months the theme has been "don't over do it." It was a theme I needed, but all and all I think it started to make me weak. I noticed this on the bike the other day. The game plan was to go for an hour, and after just 15 or 20 minutes a little voice kept telling me it was time to quit. Over and over "don't over do it", "you might hurt yourself," yadda, yadda, yadda.
Well, I've had it with them. I told them to can it. Forget relenting. I'm relentless again!
Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm still going to increase my running nice and steady, but the other parts of my training are going to start increasing in intensity. In the past, biking and swimming have been cross training to me; but thats not the case anymore. They're a part of my training that needs the same amount of effort as before; not just recovery days anymore!
These past few days have been good days. I've been working out every day, sometimes twice. Running hasn't been aggravating my hip, I've even run two days in a row without any pain whatsoever. With the rest of my time I've been pretty lazy, but I've earned the break after busting my butt these past few months.
But what did busting my butt result in? All A's, 4.0. Hells yeah! I've earned this mental vacation!
SLB - I think its too late to put a trainer on Santa's list. Although, we have one at home that I'll be using for the next couple weeks if the roads are bad. I have enough other biking stuff on my list to keep Santa plenty busy!
Bill - I've never heard that I look like my dad. Honest. I don't hear it from everybody that has ever seen us side by side! A lot of people say the same about me and my sis. Last year at her Christmas party a friend of hers greeted me with 'LOOK! ITS BRENDA WITH A BEARD!' By the way, how does Sunday morning sound for our run? I'm thinking 4-5 miles.
These past few months the theme has been "don't over do it." It was a theme I needed, but all and all I think it started to make me weak. I noticed this on the bike the other day. The game plan was to go for an hour, and after just 15 or 20 minutes a little voice kept telling me it was time to quit. Over and over "don't over do it", "you might hurt yourself," yadda, yadda, yadda.
Well, I've had it with them. I told them to can it. Forget relenting. I'm relentless again!
Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm still going to increase my running nice and steady, but the other parts of my training are going to start increasing in intensity. In the past, biking and swimming have been cross training to me; but thats not the case anymore. They're a part of my training that needs the same amount of effort as before; not just recovery days anymore!
These past few days have been good days. I've been working out every day, sometimes twice. Running hasn't been aggravating my hip, I've even run two days in a row without any pain whatsoever. With the rest of my time I've been pretty lazy, but I've earned the break after busting my butt these past few months.
But what did busting my butt result in? All A's, 4.0. Hells yeah! I've earned this mental vacation!
SLB - I think its too late to put a trainer on Santa's list. Although, we have one at home that I'll be using for the next couple weeks if the roads are bad. I have enough other biking stuff on my list to keep Santa plenty busy!
Bill - I've never heard that I look like my dad. Honest. I don't hear it from everybody that has ever seen us side by side! A lot of people say the same about me and my sis. Last year at her Christmas party a friend of hers greeted me with 'LOOK! ITS BRENDA WITH A BEARD!' By the way, how does Sunday morning sound for our run? I'm thinking 4-5 miles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
