Saturday, July 30, 2005

Day # 13: Seven Miles in Portland, Oregon

Well, I got home from Seattle at around 1:30am this morning, but needed to stay committed to fitting in my 7 mile training run. I woke up at 7:20, and was out on the Portland city streets by 7:30am. Temps were in the low 70's, with no humidity and a light breeze, ideal for a long run. Instead of taking to the city streets today, I ran 1/2 mile down to the Willamette River. I then ran along the river, over the bridge, and again along side the river for several miles. When I ended up back at the Benson Hotel, I stopped my watched at 66:31, which easily eclipsed my 7 mile goal, especially considering that I ran 2 of the middle miles at around a 7 minute pace. Great run!

Friday, July 29, 2005

Day # 12: Oregon Trails

Checking in from beautiful Portland, Oregon. I did not run yesterday because I spent the bulk of the time on an airplane and exploring this awesome city. As a result, I woke up at 7am this morning and ran for 26:06, which should have eclipsed the 3 mile goal with relative ease. The temps were in the high 60's with no humidity, and the streets of Portland were perfect for training. Second LONG RUN of my training program tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005


Day # 10: Keeping it Fresh

In an effort to keep the runs from getting monotonous, I found a new 3.2 mile run last night that I thought was worth trying this morning. Although the run is very shady and offers one steep hill, a couple of the roads have far too much traffic on them at 6:30 in the morning. The run takes me on the road that brings drivers to 128, and another road that connects to route 2. Both are major commuter highways. Well, as for the results of my run, I finished the intense 3.2 mile run in 26:06, not too bad considering the traffic distractions, steep hill, 87% humidity, and not feeling my best.

Notes: - After waking up, I ate a small sized yogurt, took my multi-vitamin, and downed it with 8 ounces of accelerade before getting out the door. After my run I mixed a tablespoon of whey protein with 8 ounces of water and drank that as well.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Day # 9 Continued: GNC Visit

After reading through the latest copy of Runner's World, there were a few nutritional ads that caught my eye. Having competed as a track & field sprinter for 8 years, I have come to the realiziation that I will need to work hard to develop my slow-twitch muscles and opposed to the fast twitch muscles that are developed via sports like sprinting and soccer. Read about the difference between fast and slow twitch muscles here. Having said this, my trip to GNC this afternoon was extremely productive. I explained my marathon training program and goals to the employees, and they were quick to ask a few questions and make a few suggestions concerning my present intake of vitamins, protein, etc..


  • First, they reiterated several times that it would be important to continue my intake of whey protein after workouts to improve muscle recovery.
  • Secondly, they said that I should stop taking my "once-a-day" vitamin supplement and switch to a "twice-a-day" time-released multi-vitamin as this will be better for endurance based training when the nutrients and energy from the vitamin are needed for a longer period of time throughout the day. The time-released vitamin should prolong my ability to workout at an intense level.
  • Third, they highly recommended a drink mix product called "Accelerade" for my intense mid-week workout (wed) and weekend long run. The Accelerade product is comparable to a glorified "Gatorade Endurace" product, but one-step higher. The product is high in carbs, while very low in sugar (which dehydrates). It is designed to help sustain hydration in the body for a longer period of time than traditional sports drinks. Check out http://www.accelerade.com

I'll take be sure to follow up with my opinions of these nutritional changes in the coming days.

Day # 9: Raising the Commitment Level

The temps today are supposed to peak around 97 degrees without the humidity factored in. I had no choice but to raise the level of my commitment this morning and hit the streets for an early morning run. I set my alarm for 6:30 and was out the door by 6:35 for a beautiful, but humid morning. In fact, the humidity level is already at 83%. Believe me, 100 yards into the run I was already sweating profusely. So, I ran the 3.2 mile loop this morning in 25:26, which was right around what I wanted to hit. I really want my mile splits between 8:15 and 8:30 for now. I am just trying to build my base mileage, finish my runs comfortably, and the totally limit the number of times that walking is needed. I think I succeeded this morning as the only stop I took, was one after a half mile to stretch out. Oh, and a good night sleep is always important for a run like this. Well, I am looking forward to a great day at the office. Signing off.

Weight = 168

Monday, July 25, 2005

Day # 8: Feeling Surprisingly Good

Higdon's program specifically sandwiches the long run between 2 rest days. Being the rest day after the long run, I felt surprisingly good this morning and don't feel sore. Tomorrow, week 2 begins in earnest with another 3 mile run, which I am looking forward to.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Day # 7: First "Long Run"

Well, this weekend was the first of the "long runs" in the program. The program called for a 6 mile run today. While Sara and her mother were attending church in Vernon, NJ, I decided that I would hit the roads for a good workout in absolutely beautiful weather in NJ. The temps were in the high 70s with no humidity, and a light breeze. Additionally, the area near the church was incredibly shady as well, which also helped me on the run. So, I was not at all familiar with the back roads in the neighborhood I was running, but I knew I had to complete a long run, so I told myself to run between 50 and 60 minutes, and that should comfortably put me over 6 miles. Well, I ended up running for 60:11. At even a 10 minute pace that would have eclipsed 6 miles! I definitely concentrated on slowing my pace to ensure that I could finish comfortably, which I thought I did really well. It is actually pretty tough to pace at around 9 to 9:15 per mile, but I think I managed pretty well.