Logan Braman

I’ve had a few small reminders of the new year this week. I don’t often have a reason to write the date these days (other than my running-related logs) and it’s easy to think of this week and month as a logical extension of 2012. Time is always running away, and the details start to blend unless I’m forced to consider the date.

The few occasions when I thought about 2013 I always ended up coming back to my resolutions for this year. I wrote them after some careful consideration, but I’m still having a hard time keeping track of everything. Today I remembered to write a blog post for this week (good) but I couldn’t think of all my goals until I took a look at the post (less than good).

What was I doing again?

After another bout of careful consideration, I’ve decided that my goals were not overly ambitious and I will be sticking with them. My inability to rattle off every goal will be resolved by the time a few weeks go by, and if it isn’t I’ll just have to take a look back to see the plan. Perhaps I should have resolved to ask for a second opinion on matters such as these.

Sometime later this week I plan on writing a post about my strategy for collecting life and exercise data. My long-term goal is to figure out a way to passively collect the data then interpret it in a way that allows me to alter my behavior for the better. I’m hoping the output will be helpful in both general and specific situations. “More sleep leads to better run days” would be a great revelation, but I’m more interested to know if something like “Exactly 7.22 hours of sleep is optimal on the night before a long run” exists and can be teased from the data.

I have mixed feelings about data-driven running. Running for statistics is an easy way — for me, at least — to start running for specific numbers instead of actual improvement in a particular area. I’m also convinced the right data can illuminate very specific problem areas and solutions. This project is my chance to figure out which, if any, inclination is correct.

Stay tuned for the post about data collection. Please let me know if you have any data strategies or insight you think would help.

Happy running!

A year ago today I set three running goals. First, I wanted 2012 to be an injury-free year. I mostly succeeded in that goal, with only a few minor issues throughout the year. I also wanted to run 2,500 miles and complete my first marathon. I didn’t complete the second two goals because they were a bit too ambitious.

I also had some awesome (and somewhat unexpected) experiences in 2012. Cassandra and I got engaged (yay!). My work activities and responsibilities changed so I’m spending my time completing interesting and challenging tasks. My dietary habits changed for the better. I got to spend valuable time with friends and family. Overall, my 2012 was great.

This year I’m going to try to be more realistic in my plans. Here are the goals for 2013:

- Run at least 2,500 miles (I think I’m in a better place to do it this year)
- Run my first ultramarathon (I’m signed up for a 50-mile race in early April)
- Run at least two ultramarathons
- Keep running injuries at a minimum by listening to my body
- Write at least one blog post a week
- Find a way to (mostly) passively collect data about my bodily inputs and outputs (sleep, food, exercise, etc.)
- Find or create a way to understand the data I collect about my bodily inputs and outputs
- Travel with Cassandra
- Spend more time outside
- Start volunteering

I think I can find a way to put together many of the goals I’ve set out for myself. If the past is any indication then my ideas and priorities will likely change throughout the year. I’m OK with change, but I’m going to try to keep these ideas at the core of my daily life.

I hope you like what you see when you look back at your 2012. I wish you the best for 2013.

Happy running and happy new year!

It’s been a day since I finished my first marathon and I feel great. My legs are a bit stiff and I’ve been hungry all day, but other than that I couldn’t be better. I visited my Aunt Rebecca in Arizona and we ran the Lost Dutchman Marathon together. I’m glad my first marathon was with family.

I arrived in Phoenix late Thursday and didn’t do much that night. We decided to go for a hike on Friday to keep our legs loose. We thought a short jaunt would be good, but circumstance wasn’t going to allow it. We turned around after a while (probably a mile or so, but I’m not exactly sure on the distance) and started to head back to the car. That’s when Rebecca realized she didn’t have her wallet. We went back to the car to see if it was there and didn’t see it, so we walked the route we had just come back from. So much for a short hike! We didn’t find it so Rebecca left her information at the park station and we went back to the car. We looked around one last time and it ended up being in the car. It had fallen between the seat and the door without her realizing it. Crisis averted!

We didn’t do anything physical on Saturday. We decided to make it a rest day and ended up seeing the movie “Safe House.” It was nice to get lost in the simple plot and action in the movie instead of thinking about the race. We got to bed early and I slept fairly well even though I woke up two or three times from intense dreams about the race.

I set my alarm for 3:30 on race day because we wanted to be out the door by 4:30 or so. The race parking was at the end of the race so we had to be shuttled over to the start line to wait for the 7 a.m. start. I ate cereal and some juice for breakfast and used the bathroom to make sure I didn’t have any issues. We got to the parking area around 4:30 and got on a shuttle shortly after so we could get to the starting line.

The bus ride was somewhat bumpy once we got to the trail, and I think it got my digestive track going a little bit. It was either that or the nerves leading up to the race. As I was waiting for the facilities another runner came up to me and said she liked my bib number (55) because it was the year she was born. We talked a bit and she said, “You look like a pretty serious runner. Have you run this race before?” I laughed and told her it was my first — she seemed surprised. I told her the best part about the race was going to be running with my Aunt, which ended up being true.

My digestive track felt great after the trip to the portable toilets. The race organizers had multiple bonfires set up for us to hang out around until the start, so Rebecca and I picked one and talked with a few other runners. One guy had just gotten some of the Merrel Trail Gloves I was wearing for the race so we talked about them for a while. We made a few jokes about the smoke from the fires and whether it would affect our running, then the announcer got on the PA and said it was almost time to start.

Rebecca and I decided to hit the portables one more time and as we were waiting the announcer tried to find the person who had run the most marathons. It turns out one of the 600 participants had run more than 200 marathons, which is hard to imagine. If people weren’t inspired by that I don’t know what would do it.

We lined up at the line and got started right on time at 7:00. The first six miles of the course were on a dirt and gravel road, which was great except for the few huge rocks that I managed to step on. Thankfully the Trail Gloves have a decent shock plate in them that made it so I didn’t notice much. Rebecca was setting the pace on the run, but she didn’t wear her Garmin watch because she wanted to go by feel. I had mine on just so I could know (and to get the data) but we didn’t use it for pace at all during the race.

We discussed it before and Rebecca thought we would be starting out at a 10:30 pace, but I was a bit skeptical. I thought we would be going faster because of the adrenaline and excitement. It turns out that was the case. We ended up sub-10:00 for the first two miles and at 10:02 for the third. The course had aid stations and bathrooms every two miles, and we started hitting the bathrooms by mile four.

Rebecca had some digestive complications during training and she thought she had worked them out. It turns out they came back for the race, which meant we ended up making more stops than she planned for.

We got back out on the course and came across one of the best sights (other than the amazing mountains that were constantly in the backdrop) of the whole race. We came around a curve in the road and saw two huge longhorns waiting to cross the path. They looked at us as if they were wondering what these strange people were doing running out in the cold. One of the runners ahead of us started clapping his hands and motioning toward the massive animals, which didn’t seem like a good idea. Nothing came of it, but a goring would have been a bad start to the race.

We made it to mile 9 before another bathroom break, with all the miles at 10:30 pace or better. The trail gave way to pavement after six miles, and I was sad to see it go despite the rocks. The break at mile 9 was interesting because there was a turn that people kept missing. I had to keep shouting, “Turn, turn!” at people because they wanted to keep going straight. It made sense because the course took  a small detour into a neighborhood then went back on the main road and people saw the other runners coming out and thought they just had gone straight. I’m glad no one made it too far before turning back.

Miles 10 through 14 were relatively uneventful and took us through some nice residential areas. I ate my first peanut butter tortilla at mile 10. We settled in at about an 11-minute pace and ended up stopping for another bathroom visit somewhere in there. We hit the halfway point at about 2 hours and 27 minutes.

Miles 15 and 16 were on Highway 60, which was interesting. I never thought running on the side of such a busy highway would work, but it turned out just fine. This stretch is where we ran into the guy I’ll call The Beeper. The guy had his watch set up to go off every minute and was alternating between running and walking. That was all fine and well, but for some reason the beeping really started to get to me. The Beeper stayed with us to about 17.5 miles, then he inexplicably turned around at a random point and said “Don’t ask” when I gave him a quizzical look. I assume it was to go to the bathroom, but who knows. Either way I was glad to be rid of the beeping and us catching up to him every minute. I hope he finished well, despite my annoyance at his watch.

There was a turnaround just after mile 18, and that’s when people around us really started to slow down. It was also in the middle of a climb of about 200 vertical feet, so we slowed down some too. I had my second peanut butter tortilla at mile 20 and it tasted wonderful. I never thought something so simple would be so satisfying but it was like nectar from the gods and that point.

My legs had been feeling good the whole race, but they started to get a bit sore at mile 22 or so. That was the beginning of the last climb that went for two miles or so. We had been on our feet for about 4 hours and 12 minutes at the 22-mile mark. I couldn’t help thinking that if I had been running on my own I would likely be done, but I quickly put that out of my mind. I was there to run with Rebecca, and I quickly realized that a little discomfort wasn’t going to ruin that.

The last few miles were really about us and the road. We didn’t talk much, except for when I would remind Rebecca to breath deep (she had a habit of speeding up her breathing on inclines) or ask if her if we were making a pit stop at the next bathroom. We went through what they call The Wall (a literal wall where they take pictures) at mile 24 and I could tell Rebecca was pushing hard to keep going. I kept encouraging as I could and we moved along between an 11 and 12 minute pace.

With a couple of miles to go a woman came up and commented that she liked Rebecca’s running skirt and started asking her questions about it. Rebecca thanked her and said she didn’t know much of anything about the skirt right now, which told me she was really pushing it to keep going. We slowed down a bit to get water at the last few stations (they had them at every mile for the last six miles), but we kept moving.

The last mile was amazing. Rebecca wasn’t expecting to finish the marathon in under 5 hours and I knew if we pushed it we could make it under. I decided not to say anything, however, because I didn’t want anything to happen that would stop us from finishing. Instead I kept encouraging her and told her the finish was coming up soon. We turned right and saw the finishing chute. As we got closer Rebecca started to sprint, which surprised the hell out of me. I picked up the pace and we crossed the finish line together. My final chip time was 5:01:44.

I am beyond happy with the experience I shared with Rebecca that day. She was good company, despite what she may have thought. One time she said she was “losing her personality” when the running started to get to her, but I think it was still there. She even managed to tell an older couple that I was her coach, and we saw them a few more times down the course. They always yelled encouragement for her and my “coaching.” To top it all off, the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. I don’t think I could have had a better first marathon.

I wasn’t worried about time, but I was somewhat worried about whether being on my feet that long would lead to injury. It ended up being fine. My legs felt relatively good after the race and today they are holding up well. I am planning on going out for a couple miles tomorrow to see how they really are. I can’t wait until my next marathon, which is just a few short weeks away.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 26.4 miles  at 11:27 pace
- Week total: 0 (the week starts today, Monday)
- February total: 66.55 miles
- 2012 total: 137.35 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,362.65 miles

I will be running a marathon in a few days. That’s an awesome sentence, especially because I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. Sunday I’ll be in Arizona for the Lost Dutchman Marathon with my Aunt Rebecca. It’s going to be wonderful. I’m going to spend time with her and enjoy a nice (long) run while I’m there.

We’re going to go at her pace, which means I’ll be going a bit slower than I would on my own. The pace doesn’t matter because the experience of running my first marathon with her is going to be amazing. I enjoy the time I can spend with her because it’s hard to come by. I would make the rounds around the country to see all my family every month if I could, but my life (read: lack of a massive disposable income) currently doesn’t allow for that. Maybe sometime in the future, but for now I’ll take every chance I can get and enjoy it.

I’m thinking about taking a camera along on the run but I haven’t decided yet. Either way I’ll be back here to update the blog with words or photos describing the weekend.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.01 miles at 8:55 pace
- Week total: 5.18 miles
- February total: 40.15 miles
- 2012 total: 110.95 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,389.05 miles

I was bad about posting again, so this is going to be another 3-day report. Day 83 was a 4 miler, day 84 was a 3 miler with Luna, and day 85 (today) was an 8 miler. My legs felt good for all three runs. All three were on the cold side too because Austin seems to be going through a bit of a cold snap. I even saw a few flurries earlier today before my run.

Day 83 was something of an experiment. I’ve started to notice that when I push the pace my leg doesn’t feel bad at all, but sometimes when I slow down I start to get a weird twinge in my left knee. I decided to go fast the whole time on this run and see what happened. I ended up with a 7:48 average pace. It would have been faster but I had to stop to tie my shoe on the last mile. I also almost fell on my face a few steps later, but I managed to catch myself before I hit the ground. My legs felt great during the run and I didn’t have any issues afterwards.

Day 84 came after a day of rest and my legs felt great. I decided to take Luna on her longest run yet and she did really well. Usually she wants to stop quite a few times during the run. At first I thought it was because she was tired and needed to rest, but we went out for a run with Cassandra last week and she was practically sprinting the whole time. I found out she was just gaming me because she wanted to sniff around, so I made sure she knew we were out to run this time and she did great. She was super excited when we got home too, so I know she wasn’t too tired or anything like that. We ended up with an average pace of 9:34, which was much faster than she’s gone before.

Today’s run was really nice. It’s pretty chilly out there, but I was well prepared. I ended up wearing gloves and spent half a mile trying to get them off and into my pockets, which was fun. I had the park to myself so I didn’t need to worry about weaving all over the place when I was messing around with them. My leg started to act up about halfway through, but I pushed through it and it felt fine after that. I found the faster my pace was the better it felt, which is consistent with the previous runs. I’m hopeful this means things are about to get back to 100 percent normal.

I have a day off tomorrow, then it’s 3 miles on Tuesday. More importantly, there’s only one week until I’ll be running in the Lost Dutchman Marathon with my Aunt Rebecca. It’s going to be amazing and I can’t wait to get out to Arizona to see her and run.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 8.01 miles at 8:23 pace
- Week total: 21.26 miles
- February total: 34.97 miles
- 2012 total: 105.77 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal:  2,394.23 miles

As you can see from the headline, I haven’t been keeping up with blog posts like I should. I aborted my run on day 80, went for a nice fast run on day 81 and went for a run with Cassandra and Luna on day 82.

Day 80 was supposed to be a 20-mile run. Unfortunately my leg wasn’t having any of that. I tried to go out twice and failed miserably both times. I was concerned about it because the pain was sharp and wouldn’t go away. I decided to turn back instead of risking a more severe injury.

For some reason my leg felt great on day 81. I have no idea why a day of rest cured everything, but I’m happy it seems to be getting better.

Today’s run (day 82) is my favorite of the year. I went out for a short 2 miles with Cassandra and Luna. It felt like we were a pack running through the night. It was wonderful and I’m happy we were able to do it.

I’m going for 4 miles tomorrow, likely in the morning. I’m hoping this week and the marathon next weekend will be the start of me staying on schedule with my planned training. I am not meeting my goal of staying injury free, which isn’t helping with consistency at all. I think I can get back into the schedule fairly quickly based on how I feel now.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.25 miles at 11:33 pace
- Week total:  6.18 miles
- February total: 19.89 miles
- 2012 total: 90.69 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,409.31 miles

I went out with my heart rate monitor today for the first time and it was fun. I wanted to push the intensity a bit during the run to see what my heart rate would do. I went at about 75 to 80 percent the whole time and ended up with an average heart rate of 175. I don’t really know what that means, but I’m planning on doing some research into heart rate and running.

The park was mostly empty for today’s run and it was mostly uneventful as a result. I had a happy dog jumping all over me toward the end of the run, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It probably slowed me down just a tad but it lifted my spirits because he was a happy dude. The worst part came when I was almost home. I was running on the left side of the street and about to pass a side street that dead-ends onto the road I was on. A driver in a Prius decided he needed to be somewhere and decided to turn left onto the road from behind me even though I was halfway through the intersection. Luckily I was able to slow enough that it wasn’t an issue, but I have no idea why the guy didn’t just wait. People scare me.

I’m going for a 20-mile run tomorrow, then it’s into a taper for the marathon I’m running in with my Aunt Rebecca in Arizona later this month. I can’t wait to get out there for a long run.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5.24 miles at 8:22 pace
- Week total: 11.38 miles
- February total: 11.38 miles
- 2012 total: 82.18 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,417.82 miles

(Update at 7:10 pm on 1/29/12: My official chip time was 1:55:50, which is about 5 seconds less than my watch time.)

I ran my first half marathon (and race in general) today. It was awesome. I was out there with 5,999 other runners and it felt just right. The official times aren’t posted yet, so this report will be based on my watch time.

It was chilly today, which is something I didn’t have to deal with much in my training so far. I tend to go for runs in the late morning or afternoon, so the temperature usually isn’t a factor. I didn’t even have any cold weather gear, so I picked up some Under Amour Cold Gear tights and a top yesterday. I wore the same stuff way back in high school when I ran and played football, so I knew it would work out just fine — and it did.

I woke up at 4:30 and had oatmeal with honey for breakfast. I also drank a nice tall glass of water. We ran out of coffee a few days ago so I didn’t have any caffeine. We left by 5:40 or so because we wanted to get there plenty early before the 6:45 start time. Cassandra was nice enough to drive me to the marathon. It was excellent to have that taken care of so I could focus on other things.

There weren’t many people at the race starting area when we arrived, which turned out to be a very good thing. I had to go to the bathroom despite going just before we left, and there was hardly a line. I made it just in time because when I walked out it seemed like the lines had doubled. Cassandra walked with me over to the staging area, which wasn’t a big deal because it was fairly laid back. I ended up peeing in the bushes again right before the race. I realized how cold it was when I jogged back to the staging area and my feet felt numb. I forgot to bring gloves, but Cassandra had some she let me borrow. She has much more common sense than I do when it comes to practical things.

They had signs for anticipated finish times and I started between the 1:45 and 1:50 markers based on my expected pace. I could have gone much faster if my left knee had been feeling 100 percent, but it was bothering me after I got back into training with a slightly altered gait after my calf injury. The announcer started a wheelchair division at 6:40 and we were off by 6:45, right on time. The first few miles felt good, but I remember thinking that my feet were really numb. I wore my Trail Gloves without socks, which was probably a contributing factor. I’m glad Cassandra had the gloves because my hands were also quite cold. I started out a bit slow for my first mile at an 8:51 pace, but then I settled into the zone between 8:30 and 8:45.

Surprisingly, I started to feel my bladder getting full at about the 3-mile mark. I have a small bladder to begin with, but I think the adrenaline put it into overdrive. I skipped the first water station because I could feel it creeping up on me. There were toilets at the 5-mile point, but there was a line. I ended up going on the side of a building instead, along with a few other guys who followed my lead. That slowed me down for mile 6, but I ended up finishing it in 9:27.

I was in the groove through mile 10. I had Gatorade at one station and water at another. I even got to see Cassandra between miles 9 and 10 somewhere. Apparently she was on the side of the road earlier too, but I was too engrossed in running and I didn’t even notice her. This time she ran out in the course a bit so I could see her, which was perfect. She took my picture (I had to make some kind of face) too:

It was the perfect place to see her because I was just about to start one of the only uphill miles in the whole race. I didn’t even realize it was uphill until a spectator started yelling encouragement that we were almost over the hill and I looked at my watch. I finished the mile in 8:57, which was my slowest mile without a pit stop.

The race was downhill after that. My left knee was acting up a bit at this point. It didn’t give out or anything, but I definitely couldn’t push it going downhill. I got extremely hungry at mile 11 or so and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was surprised at how much it was affecting my concentration. I ended up getting some Gatorade shortly after the hunger started, which satiated me somewhat until the finish.

I ran the last mile at about an 8:30 pace, which felt good. I definitely felt my knee more after I stopped running, but it still wasn’t more than an annoyance. It feels OK now, so hopefully it will be back to 100 percent soon. I grabbed a banana and an orange after the race and we headed home. Overall, my first race was a smashing success.

Like I said before, I don’t know the official chip time or anything yet. I’ll update the blog when I find out. My watch says I ran 13.23 miles in 1 hour 55 minutes and 55 seconds, which is an average pace of 8:46.

I’m off tomorrow, then it’s back into training so I can run a marathon next month. It’s crazy to think, but by this time next month I will (hopefully) be a marathoner as well.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 13.23 miles at 8:46 pace
- Week total:  19.38 miles
- January total: 70.8 miles
- 2012 total: 70.8 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,429.2 miles

I took it nice and easy on today’s run. It was the perfect temperature, there weren’t too many cars or people to deal with and the sun was out. I can’t ask for much better during a run. I took the wrong route, but I can only blame myself for that.

I should clarify what I meant by “wrong route.” Both times I’ve been injured it was on the same route. I took that route today, because I thought it was just superstition that the path I took was causing issues with my legs. As it turns out, I felt a twinge in my leg toward the end of the run. It didn’t turn into an issue, but I’m now convinced that there’s something about that route (likely the camber of the road) that’s causing issues. I’m done running there.

I’m set for 13 miles tomorrow and I can’t wait. I looked at my schedule and it turns out I was only supposed to run 5 miles today, but I went for 8 instead. Whoops! Maybe my legs will be a bit tired for tomorrow’s run so it will be a nice warm-up for my half marathon next weekend.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 8 miles at 10:33 pace
- Week total: 27.67 miles
- January total: 51.42 miles
- 2012 total: 51.42 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,448.58 miles

My legs were tired today. I went out way too fast, which probably didn’t help things much. I have a problem where I speed up as I come up behind people to pass and that happened a lot in the first part of my run. I don’t particularly care if I’m passing people or not, but there tends to be traffic coming the other way too so I speed up to avoid collisions.

Other than my tired legs and speedy start everything went well. I’m looking forward to my long runs this weekend (8 and 13 miles). Then next weekend I have the 3M Half Marathon, which should be lots of fun.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.82 miles at 9:48 pace
- Week total: 19.67 miles
- January total: 43.42 miles
- 2012 total: 43.42 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,456.58 miles

I split my run into two today. The first was a short 1-mile warm up with Luna, then I went out for about 7 on my own. It was a good run and Luna seemed to enjoy coming with me for the first part.

My legs feel good and I’m glad to be back to normal. I was in the zone for a good chunk of the run. I even “lost” a few miles in there because I was just cruising along. I looked down at my watch and two miles had gone by like nothing. I love it when I can run without thinking about an injury.

I have 5 miles on the schedule tomorrow and I’m already looking forward to it.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 7.69 miles (1.08 miles at 14:49 pace and 6.61 miles at 9:54 pace)
- Week total: 14.85 miles
- January total: 38.6 miles
- 2012 total: 38.6 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,461.4 miles

I felt great on today’s run. The weather was perfect, my leg felt good and I cruised through the miles. I probably could have gone faster, but I don’t want to get injured again. I don’t think today’s run could have gone better.

I forgot to mention on here that I got a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves and I’ve been wearing them for my past few runs. They are great and I’m starting to like them better than the FiveFingers. I felt like the FiveFingers caused my small toes to splay out in a way that wasn’t natural, which affected my gait. My toes want to splay out some as I touch down, but the FiveFingers spread the small toes so much that they became useless for balance. It’s amazing how much different my stride feels with the wide toebox on the Trail Gloves. I have enough room for my toes to spread out, but they don’t have material in between them like they did in the FiveFingers.  I feel like I have more balance and my foot isn’t rolling around on the ball like it was with the FiveFingers.

I still think running completely barefoot or with minimalist shoes is the best plan for me. I think my toes just happen to be of a certain length and orientation that makes the FiveFingers somewhat of a hinderance. If I could get the shoes in a custom fit to my toe length I’m sure things would be different. That’s not the case, so I’m going to stick with the Trail Gloves for now.

I have an 8-miler on the schedule for tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to it. I wasn’t sure if going the whole distance was a good idea, but after today’s run I think it will be just fine.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5.08 miles at 9:50 pace
- Week total: 7.16 miles
- January total: 30.91 miles
- 2012 total: 30.91 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,469.09 miles

I felt great on today’s run. My leg is very close to 100 percent and hardly bothered me at all. That said, my stride must still be compensating some because things started to get a bit sloppy around mile 6 so I came back home.

I’m glad my leg is continuing to get better. I think it will be back to 100 percent this week, and hopefully it will stay that way until my half marathon the next weekend. I don’t need to finish in a blazing fast time, but I would like to finish and do it at a decent pace.

Tomorrow is a cross training day. I’m flirting with the idea of going for a nice and easy 2-miler on my cross and off days but I haven’t decided yet. We’ll see how my legs feel and go from there.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 6.68 miles at 10:06 pace
- Week total: 19.99 miles
- January total: 23.75 miles
- 2012 total: 23.75 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,476.25 miles

I went for my first real run since my injury today. I had 8 miles planned but told myself I would cut it short if anything felt weird. I ended up doing just short of 5. My left leg (the injured one) felt fine but the right one started getting sketchy toward the end. I think it’s because I was compensating for the other leg in my gait, which was putting too much stress on the right leg. I decided to head back instead of causing another issue.

Everything else on the run was good. I wanted to keep it around a 10-minute pace and I succeeded (on average) even though I started out way too fast. Speed isn’t really my concern at this point. I’m running the 3M half marathon two weeks from tomorrow and the Lost Dutchman Marathon with my aunt a few weeks after that. I really want to make sure my leg is 100 percent so I don’t have any issues.

I’m supposed to go for 13 tomorrow but I don’t know how likely that is. I’m going to go until my legs tell me it’s time to stop.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.87 miles at 10:05 pace
- Week total: 13.31 miles
- January total: 17.07 miles
- 2012 total: 17.07 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,482.93 miles

I took Luna with me for my run today. After my run yesterday I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to go at all today. Thankfully my leg felt better than it has since the injury and I was able to get a couple miles in.

Luna is getting better at running. The first couple runs we did were full of stops and starts for her to sniff around and whatnot.  She still stopped a few times today, but the frequency has decreased quite a bit. One of our stops today was for a poop break, so I can’t hold that one against her. I think she’s going to be a great little runner after it becomes more of a routine.

I’m still not quite up to my regular mileage but that’s OK. I’ll start to add the distance as my leg feels like it’s up to the task. I’m supposed to go for 5 miles tomorrow so we’ll see how it goes.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.11 miles at 14:43 pace
- Week total: 4.19 miles
- January total: 7.95 miles
- 2012 total: 7.95 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,492.05 miles

I wanted to go for 5 miles today but I only ended up doing 2. My leg just wasn’t up for more and I didn’t want to push it. That said, it’s continuing to feel better during walks so the healing process is at least coming along somewhat.

I’m slated for another 5 miles tomorrow so we’ll see if I can do any more than I did today. I might not even go out depending on how it feels after recovering from today’s run. Staying in sucks, but it’s better than being injured for a long time.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.08 miles at 11:25 pace
- Week total: 2.08 miles
- January total: 5.84 miles
- 2012 total: 5.84 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,494.16 miles

I wanted to go for a longer run today but my leg didn’t agree. Instead I went on a short warm up jog with Luna then a slightly longer run on my own. My leg isn’t 100 percent, but it definitely feels better every day. It’s a small encouragement but I’ll take what I can get.

Tomorrow is an off day then I have 5 miles planned for Tuesday. I’m going to try for the entire distance if my leg feels up to it. It sucks being injured, but it would suck more to be out long-term.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.36 miles at 12:45 pace
- Week total: 3.76 miles
- January total: 3.76 miles
- 2012 total: 3.76 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,496.24

It’s the 7th and today marks my first run in 2012. I only went for 1.4 miles and it took a while. I didn’t plan for the year to start out so slow, but my peroneus longus on my left leg is still acting up. I also took our new dog Luna along on the run and let her set the distance and pace. She didn’t want to go very far or very fast, which was fine by me.

I should be back to 100 percent sometime this week. I’ll probably go for a longer run tomorrow by myself. I might take Luna too, but I don’t want to overdo it with her. She seemed happy enough running today, but she needed quite a few walking breaks. I want to make sure her fitness/cardio is built up slowly before we go any real distance. I also want to give her paw pads a chance to toughen up before we go on longer runs.

It felt good to be out again, even though it was a short run. I’m looking forward to going longer tomorrow.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 1.4 miles at 15:29 pace
- Week total: 1.4 miles
- January total: 1.4 miles
- 2012 total: 1.4 miles
- Distance to 2012 goal: 2,498.6 miles

So here I sit, missing out on a 17-mile run that I had planned for today. If you’ve been following, you know I had an issue with the top of my peroneus longus (the upper part of the outside of the calf) on my right leg a few weeks back. It happened on a longish route that I rarely take because it’s on a sidewalk next to a fairly busy highway. I went on the same route yesterday and had the same issue — this time in the left leg.

I don’t know if the injury is related to the route, but I feel it’s probably unlikely. I have some ideas about what could be the culprit and I’ll be trying to address those issues in the future. Of course, I’ll document my experiences here. For now, it’s time for some RICE therapy. I figured it would also be a good time to get down some goals for the upcoming year.

I thought about making a really long, detailed list of everything I would like to accomplish in the upcoming year. It would serve as a checklist of sorts where I could just run down it and mark something off every so often. I started to compile a list and realized that I was focusing on the wrong things, so I decided to simplify the process. I ended up with three goals.

First, I want to stay away from injury. I’ve dealt with minor issues that kept me away for a few days or weeks and it was awful. I don’t want to repeat that experience, and I really don’t want to end up being out for a significant amount of time. My plan for achieving this goal is simple: Take it slow and listen to my body. Specifically, I’ll also be focusing more on proper warm ups before runs and self massage after.

Second, I want to run 2,500 miles in 2012. I’m around 30 to 40 miles per week now, and I think I can safely get that number up enough to get a weekly average that allows me to make my goal. I debated whether to include a mileage goal at all, but I think it’s OK as long as I make staying injury-free the primary goal.

Last, I want to run an ultramarathon. I’m signed up to do a couple of marathons already, but I really want to get past the 26.2 distance. Again, this goal is secondary to staying healthy.

That’s it! I think these goals will work together to keep me motivated in 2012. Let me know what your plans are in the comments if you’d like.

Happy running!

I had to cut my run short today because of a twinge in my calf that feels remarkably similar to the injury I just recovered from. This time it’s in the opposite leg however, and it isn’t nearly as severe. I slowed way down at the end and cut three miles off my planned 8.

I’m icing it down now and we’ll see how it feels tomorrow. I’m supposed to go for 17 tomorrow but I’m not sure if that’s going to happen based on my run today. It’s frustrating that this is happening but I’m not going to make it worse by running on it when I shouldn’t. I’ll likely update the blog either way, either with the run and some goals for the new year or just the goals.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5.14 miles at 8:40 pace
- Week total: 17.24 miles
- December total: 99.29 miles
- 2011 total: 296.69 miles

I didn’t get to run the last two days but I finally got back on schedule today. I’m not happy about being off my plan, but I had to take care of our new dog Luna. She got into some people food and ate a paper towel, so she wasn’t feeling well. I couldn’t justify leaving her alone to run on Tuesday and we were at the vet yesterday. It’s over and done with now, but I’m going to have to be more diligent about getting my runs in properly.

I probably went too fast on my run today. I wanted to get it done with before the sun went down. I also had to get ready for dinner (which is also why this post is going up so late). My second run with the Garmin was decent, but I managed to get the watch in some weird training mode and ended up fiddling with it for half a mile before getting it back to where I wanted. I also didn’t give the watch enough time to warm up, so the initial path on the map wasn’t right on.

It felt good to be back out running, regardless of the issues. Tomorrow is an off day, then I’m running 8 miles on Saturday and a whopping 17 on Sunday.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.1 miles at 8:08 pace
- Week total: 12.1 miles
- December total: 94.15 miles
- 2011 total: 291.55 miles

So I was definitely overconfident on Saturday when I said a head cold couldn’t keep me from running. I didn’t run on Christmas, and I was only able to go for 8 of my 13 planned miles today. I feel much better than yesterday but still not 100 percent. On a positive note, I used my new Garmin Forerunner 405CX for the first time today. It took some getting used to, but I think we’re going to get along just fine.

I went on a meandering route because I wanted to see how the watch would fare. It did fine after a slight issue at the beginning of the run. Somehow the Start/Stop button on the side got stuck down so the watch wouldn’t recognize any of my inputs. I stopped for a minute and figured out how to restart the thing and that seemed to fix the problem. It also lopped off a quarter mile or so at the beginning of my run. I didn’t add it to my distance because I was fiddling with the watch the whole time anyway. I’m going keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t keep happening because I’ll definitely be sending it back for warranty or repair if it’s an ongoing issue.

I hope you all had happy holidays (and didn’t get sick like me). I’m slated for a 4-mile run tomorrow so hopefully my cold continues to get better.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 8 miles at 9:38 pace
- Week total: 8 miles
- December total: 90.05 miles
- 2011 total: 287.45 miles

Today’s run was wet and rainy. There’s a difference between the two, at least for me. The wet part came from the puddles on the ground that filled up my FiveFingers within the first few hundred meters. The rainy part came from the drops that plopped down and soaked my upper body the whole time. It was an awesome run.

For a split second I thought about staying in because I have a nice head cold going on. I decided to go out anyway because I don’t have a fever. It’s going to take more than some congestion and a runny nose to keep me in! I felt good during the run, so I’m glad I decided to brave the elements. I almost had the park to myself, but I saw one other person in the park. She was out looking for her lost cat. I helped her search but didn’t see a single cat. I can’t imagine a feline hanging out in the open during a downpour, but I guess anything is possible. No luck this time, but I’ll keep looking during my runs to see if I can find the kitty and take her home.

I’m slated for a 13-mile run tomorrow. I plan on being out there unless I get a fever or something like that. I’ll let you know if I see any holiday runners out there.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 6.9 miles at 8:11 pace
- Week total: 20.95 miles
- December total: 82.05 miles
- 2011 total: 279.45 miles

I went for a nice short run today. I didn’t have to go to work, so it was nice to go on my own schedule. I ended up getting out at about the same time I would have, but I still like having more flexibility.

The park was busy today. I had to go completely off the trail a few times to avoid various people and dogs. I was worried about stepping in a big sinkhole because we’ve been having quite a bit of rain here lately. I didn’t step in any holes, just some wet grass that left my feet a bit waterlogged for part of the run.

I’m on a rest day tomorrow, then it’s on to some longer runs for the weekend. I’ve been feeling good so I’m really looking forward to the longer distances.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.05 miles at 8:24 pace
- Week total: 14.05 miles
- December total: 75.15 miles
- 2011 total: 272.55 miles

My run was fun today. I kept telling myself to slow down but ended up with a relatively quick pace anyway. My legs feel good, so I’m not too concerned about going a bit faster than I had planned.

I had some nice encouragement on today’s run, which might have been the reason I went faster than I wanted. I was cruising along when I came up to a guy I hadn’t seen at the park before. He flagged me down and asked if I knew of any pull up bars in the area. I told him I didn’t and we went our separate ways until the next time I passed him and he called out, “Hey man, you’re making this look too easy!” I didn’t even know what to say so I just kind of nodded and smiled. It was unexpected and made my day.

I’m slated for 4 miles tomorrow, then it’s on to a 7-miler and a 13-miler on the holiday weekend. I didn’t want to stop today so I’m definitely looking forward to the longer runs.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 8:34 pace
- Week total: 10 miles
- December total: 71.1 miles
- 2011 total: 268.5 miles

Today I am two thirds of the way through my challenge to finish and blog about 90 runs. I should be a bit further along but I had to take some time off because of a calf injury earlier this month. I’m happy to report that my legs are back to 100 percent. Tonight’s run felt like nothing even though I pushed the pace a little bit.

I was wondering if my legs were going to be wrecked from the 15 miler I put them through on Sunday but it turned out to be quite the opposite. Toward the end of the Sunday run it felt like I was running through molasses. Today my legs felt springy the whole time. I even went an extra mile because I couldn’t remember if I was supposed to do four or five today.  I also ran a little bit faster than I wanted to because I got a late start to the run. It all worked out in the end and I made it home before dark, which was my goal.

I’m slated for another five miles tomorrow. I was thinking about it and I realized I’m going to be out for a nice run on Christmas this year. I looked at the schedule and it’s going to be 13 miles, which will be fun. I don’t know if anyone else will be running that day or if I’m the only one around here stuck on my schedule enough to do it. I’ll definitely remember the dedicated runners who are out there with me if we cross paths.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 8:23 pace
- Week total: 5 miles
- December total: 66.1 miles
- 2011 total: 263.5 miles

Today I went farther than I’ve gone since I started training. I went out the door and ran 15.15 miles by the time I got back. It was a good run despite some near misses (literally) that could have been disastrous.

I felt good for the vast majority of the run. I took a bottle of Gatorade and half a tortilla with peanut butter in it to see how my stomach would handle it. I ate it after about an hour because my stomach started growling at me. It went down fine and didn’t cause any issues, so I think I’ve found the base to my race fuel. I’ll probably add some honey or agave nectar in the mix too so it has some more sugar.

I was worried about eating on the run, but it turns out I should have been more concerned about getting run over. I had three situations where people decided it would be OK to turn into a drive or entrance when I was right in the middle of it and clearly had the right of way. I got wise to the issue on the tail end of my run, so I started looking out for the people because they obviously weren’t going to look for me. I’m going to try to go earlier in the morning on the weekends so I (hopefully) don’t  have to deal with it as much.

My legs felt good for the run. The biggest complaint my body had toward the end was in my core. I could feel it in my back and around my ribcage toward the front. It wasn’t painful, but I can definitely see why a lot of coaches/experts recommend core workouts for runners. I was planning on doing one Friday and I’m glad I didn’t because it would have been much worse had the muscles been fatigued. That said, I’m going to try to work one in toward the beginning of the week so I have some time to recover for my long weekend run.

I’m on cross training tomorrow, so I’ll be doing the core workout then. After that it’s back to putting in the miles with a 4-mile run on Tuesday.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 15.15 miles at 9:40 pace
- Week total: 37.05 miles
- December total: 61.1 miles
- 2011 total: 258.5 miles

I ran in the daylight for the first time in a long time today. It was nice to be able to see what was coming up on the path, but I had forgotten how the sun can get in your eyes. The squinting for a few hundred meters was definitely worth it.

The park was busy today. I had to juke off the path twice today to miss people at traffic jams. I also had to shift around on the path quite a bit to miss the run/walk folks as I passed them. It made for a good run and I was happy to see that my leg did fine with the quick direction changes. I’m itching to get out on some real trail runs because I really like the feeling of bouncing around and picking a path as I’m going along. I’m almost positive I’ll be investing in some zero drop trail running shoes after the holidays (or sooner if I can find a good deal).

I have a nice long 15 miles to do tomorrow. I’m going to take my water bottle filled with Gatorade and a tortilla with some peanut butter in it for fuel. It will be my first experiment with eating actual food on a run. I don’t think I actually need the food, but I want to try out a few things and see what my stomach likes best.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 6.9 miles at 8:39 pace
- Week total: 21.9 miles
- December total: 45.95 miles
- 2011 total: 243.35 miles

I made it out between spats of rain tonight and got in 4 miles. My legs have been feeling really good, which makes me want to push the pace. I’ve been holding back so I don’t have a repeat calf injury. It hasn’t been easy but I know it’s for the best. Whenever I think of going faster I just remind myself it isn’t worth being sidelined for another week or two.

I saw the deer family again tonight. I passed within about five feet of one of the fawns and it just stood there and watched me. I’m also starting to see some familiar faces now that I’ve been running after work instead of in the morning. My only company tonight was an older runner/walker guy who must be training based on heart rate. That’s all I can assume because every time I go past him something (a heart rate monitor?) is beeping like crazy and it’s usually going faster when he’s in running mode. I don’t know if I would enjoy something beeping at me the whole time, but whatever works.

Tomorrow is an off day and I’m going to try to get in a core workout. This weekend I’m slated for 7 miles on Saturday and 15 on Sunday. There’s a 30 percent chance of rain all weekend so time will tell if they’ll be wet runs or not.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.05 miles at 8:56 pace
- Week total: 15 miles
- December total: 39.05 miles
- 2011 total: 236.45 miles

The humidity was out in full force again for tonight’s run. I was prepared for it so it wasn’t too bad. I started out too fast because there were runners to chase at the beginning. It was fun to run them down but I felt it some toward the end of the run. I saw the deer again toward the end of the run so that gave me a boost.

I didn’t make it out as early as I would have liked, but luckily I remembered to take a flashlight tonight. It was decent for picking up most of the obstacles in my path but it’s not going to cut it as a long-term solution. I’ll be looking at headlamps once the holiday craziness is over. If you have any suggestions let me know.

I’m out for another 4 miles tomorrow, then Friday is a rest day. I’m happy my leg is holding up so well and it looks like my plan to go slower is working out well.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 6.9 miles at 9:36 pace
- Week total: 10.95 miles
- December total: 35 miles
- 2011 total: 232.4 miles

When I walked out of work today I knew the weather was going to make for an interesting run. The humidity was at 100 percent, which tends to make runs less enjoyable for me. That wasn’t the case tonight though. I felt great, and it’s likely because I’m so excited to be running more regularly again after my short break.

I saw my deer friends again tonight. They’re becoming a fixture on my route. I’m surprised they hang out in the park so much because there are always dogs (often off leash) running around. They don’t even flinch when I run by. Speaking of dogs, Cassandra and I are in the process of adopting one from Weimaraner Rescue of North Texas. I can’t wait to take our new family member out for some runs! I’m not sure when we’re getting her, but you’ll definitely see an update here when we do.

I’m going for 7 miles tomorrow, so I have to make sure to get into work early so I can get off before the light is all gone. The cooler temperatures are nice for running, but the lack of daylight almost isn’t worth it. I’m thinking about getting a headlamp or little flashlight to carry with me so I don’t have to worry about falling on my face so much.

Happy running!

The stats (I’m switching the beginning of the week to Monday from now on)
- Daily: 4.05 miles at 9:17 pace
- Week total: 4.05 miles
- December total: 28.1 miles
- 2011 total: 225.5

I went out for a nice steady 9.75 miles tonight. It’s the farthest I’ve run so far by three quarters of a mile, and the last time I ran that it was about two minutes per mile faster. I might be able to do that now, but I want to let my leg continue to heal so there’s no need to push it.

I saw quite a few runners and people walking with dogs tonight. I also ran into my deer friends, which makes me three for three in that category. I didn’t see any runners when I first got to the park, but by the second lap I ran by the first one. In total there were three other runners who came after me and I was out there longer than every one of them. Toward the end it became a game in my head. “Who’s going to head home first?” It gave me something to think about and a bit of motivation, so that was nice.

Tonight was also the first night I went out with a water bottle. I got a Nathan Quickdraw Plus and it worked out OK. I had Gatorade in it and it was definitely sloshing out of the bottle at first, but when I got it down to about halfway it didn’t leak. It was annoying and sticky, but not so much that I wouldn’t use it again. The pocket was a nice place to keep my key, and it was also good for tracking purposes. I know how far the loop at the park is, but when I’m going longer it can be hard to keep track of my laps. I put rubberbands around the top of the water bottle and took one off for every lap, and they stored nicely in the compartment. I think the Quickdraw is a good option for medium runs like this one but I might need to look into other options for longer runs.

I’m on cross training tomorrow, which will likely be a walk or maybe the elliptical if I can force myself to endure it. Then it’s back to running on Tuesday for 4 miles.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 9.75 miles at 10:30 pace
- Week total: 9.75 miles
- December total: 24.05 miles
- 2011 total: 221.45 miles

I decided today was going to be the day to test my leg out more thoroughly. I looked at my running schedule and found a big fat 7 staring up at me. I went for a few runs earlier in the week and my leg felt fine. With that in mind I decided to go for the whole distance and stop early if my leg started throwing warning signs at me. It took a couple miles to get warmed up but after that everything felt great. I ended up going for 6.9 miles.

I’m happy my recovery seems to be moving along. It feels really good to be back. It was nice to be back outside and active, and the three deer I saw in the park made it even better. The buck, doe and fawn seem like a family but I’m not sure if that would be typical behavior for deer. I’m somewhat surprised they hang out in a relatively urban park regularly, but there is some decent tree cover around the park and a lot of good grazing grass in the middle. Or maybe Austin deer just like the city, like me.

The calendar says 14 miles tomorrow, but I’m not sure if that’s going to happen. I’ll likely go out with the same plan as I had today and see how things go. Of course, I’ll be back here to report afterward.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 6.9 miles
- Week total: 14.3 miles
- December total: 14.3 miles
- 2011: 211.7 miles

I went for a nice short run tonight after work. My calf still seems OK, but I’m not going to push it because I don’t want to hurt myself. I have a day off tomorrow, then I’ll be back at it for some more miles on Saturday. I’m supposed to be going a lot farther than I have been, but I’m listening to my leg to tell me when enough is enough.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.15 miles at 9:35 pace
- Week total: 7.4 miles
- Month total: 7.4 miles
- 2011 total: 204.8 miles

I’ve been waiting for tonight for a long time. I finally went running for the first time since I injured my calf about three weeks ago. I’ve been training on the elliptical since then, but it’s not as satisfying as running. I went out for a couple miles to see how things would go and it was OK. My leg isn’t 100 percent yet, but there wasn’t any sharp pain either. The best way I can describe it is an ache, but that’s not exactly right either.

It was very cold, which wasn’t what I expected. I woke up this morning and couldn’t decide if I should run then or in the evening. I opted for the evening because I figured it would be a bit warmer. The forecast said it would be about 45 by the time I got off work, but it was actually more like 35. I wore shorts and long sleeves, but I probably could have used some protection on my hands because they got very cold very fast. Looks like it might be time to get some gloves, which I never thought I would need in Texas.

I’m going to keep going for runs as long as my leg doesn’t get any worse. I ran slow today and that’s the plan from here on out. I still haven’t found much about injury to the upper peroneous longus, so I’ll report back as things get (hopefully) better.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.15 miles at 9:51 pace
- Week total: 2.15 miles
- December total: 2.15 miles
- 2011 total: 199.55 miles

It’s been a week since I updated the blog last and it’s because I haven’t been running. I tweaked my calf on a run last Wednesday and I’ve been letting it heal since then. I got back into things on the elliptical for 45 minutes tonight and things seem to be doing OK. I still can’t run yet (more on that below) but I’m hoping to keep going with the training as much as I can.

The calf issue came about at mile 4 of my last run. I felt an ache in my right calf and thought it might have been a knot starting to form, so I kept going to see if it would go away. It didn’t, and it actually got worse quite quickly. The pain was sharp and deep and seemed to get worse when I landed on my mid or forefoot. I hobbled home, iced the injury down and rested it that day. That night was miserable because every time I moved my right leg there was a stab of pain all from my knee down to my ankle.

My calf has slowly been getting better, and I think I figured out what happened. There’s a muscle called the peroneus longus on the outside of your calf that goes all the way from the top of your fibula down to tendons underneath your foot. For most people, an injury to this muscle comes up as tendonitis in the ankle area. For me, the pain and inflammation is located at the top of the muscle where it attaches to the fibula. I think it was caused by overuse, but not because of distance. I was trying to go faster in the week leading up to the strain and that seemed to push the muscle too much. I’ll be slowing my training paces down when I get back on the road because I also found that I was probably going way too fast for the times I’m planning to run in upcoming races.

Since I’ve been running in the FiveFingers and barefoot I land on the balls of my feet. Even after a week of rest I can’t land on the right leg that way without some pain and discomfort. I would be fine if I switched to a heel-strike form, but that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid with the minimalist/barefoot running. The elliptical was a decent workout today and didn’t aggravate the injured muscle at all. I’m going to keep getting on the elliptical until I feel like the calf is back to 100 percent again. I’m going to refrain from adding my elliptical “miles” to the stats I usually keep at the bottom of these posts because I don’t think they match up.

If you’ve had an injury similar to mine let me know. I haven’t found a lot of information about the specific strain at the top of the muscle, so anything you can tell me about recovery time or treatment would be much appreciated.

Happy running!

I had to cut my run short today because of a sharp pain in my right calf. I haven’t figured out what caused it yet, or if I’m going to have to take a few days off to give it time to heal.

I was planning on going for 6 miles, but right at 4 miles I started to feel pain in my calf. I thought it would go away, so I kept running for a while. It started to get worse so I stopped and rubbed the muscles a bit to see if I could feel a knot. Everything was tight, but I didn’t feel any knots. I decided to walk for a little bit to see if it would get any better and it didn’t. I half walked, half jogged the mile or so back home. Luckily, I was planning on working from home today so I’ve been icing and resting it ever since.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can come back quickly from this injury, but the pain is still pretty sharp when I try to walk around. I’m supposed to go for a 3-mile run tomorrow, but it looks like I could just be reporting back about my injury instead. I’m going to play it safe and take some time off if I still feel any pain.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4 miles at  8:22 pace
- Week total: 12.9 miles
- November total: 54.8 miles
- 2011 total: 197.4 miles

I went for a nice short run today. It was very humid, but I guess that’s better than the torrential downpour Austin is probably going to get later today.

I was cooking along at a quick pace but I chose the wrong route because I couldn’t keep it going. My body definitely could have handled it, but I was slowed by obstacles in my path. I run by a school when I go this way, and all the kids were heading in for the day. I had to slow down quite a bit to dodge everyone but I still managed to run at a relatively quick average pace.

My race plans are officially coming together. My registration for the Lost Dutchman Marathon in Arizona is confirmed, and I can’t wait to run my first marathon with my Aunt Rebecca! I’m planning another marathon shortly after it and then some longer races later in 2012. I’ll keep the blog updated as I register for them.

I’ll be going for a 6 miler tomorrow. Let me know how your running is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile. You can also join me on Fitocracy if you want to compete to see who can get points faster. Let me know if you need an invite.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.1 miles at 7:22 pace
- Week total: 8.9 miles
- November total: 50.8 miles
- 2011 total: 193.4 miles

I went for a trail run with Travis today and it was fun. It was actually more like half trail and half road, but I enjoyed the trail part of it a lot.

The terrain was pretty rocky, but I was able to handle it fairly well with my FiveFingers. I had two or three times where I came down on a rock harder than I would have liked, but I didn’t hurt myself or anything. I would still love to find a place to run where the ground is more dirt than rock, but so far no luck. I see cyclists on 360 every time I drive to run with Travis, and I’m thinking that road might be a decent place to do some of my longer runs. It has some nice elevation changes that would make things more challenging. Plus, I need to get ready to run in the mountains in Arizona.

I’ll be cross training tomorrow, likely on the stationary bike. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile. You can also join me on Fitocracy to start earning points and competing to see who can level faster. Let me know if you need an invite (I even sent one to someone in New Zealand today!).

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5.8 miles at 10:36 pace
- Week total: 5.8 miles
- November total: 47.7 miles
- 2011 total: 190.3

I went out for a nice 5 miler today in the warmer weather. I had a nice run, but I definitely felt some of my muscles because of a core workout yesterday. I still ended up around the pace where I wanted to be, but it was a struggle for some of the run.

I’m going to be doing a core workout on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I decided to start yesterday because it was an off day and I was itching for something to do. The core workout consists of pushups, supermans, bridges, metronomes, planks and side planks. I want to get my core strong so I can use it for stabilization on longer runs. I find myself getting sloppy toward the end of some runs, and I think this will help out because I’ll be able to keep everything in line. Then the only thing I’ll have to worry about is my legs, and they can take a bunch of abuse and keep on spinning.

I’m going for a 6-mile trail run with my buddy Travis tomorrow. Let me know how your running is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want. You can also join me on Fitocracy and start earning points for your exercise. Let me know if you need an invite.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 7:46 pace
- Week total: 25.2 miles
- November total: 41.9 miles
- 2011 total: 184.5 miles

I went for a nice and easy run with Cassandra today. It was good to get out for some exercise with her because we haven’t been able to run together as much lately.

I’m planning on doing this daily log for 90 days, so today marks the halfway point. I decided to write about every run for a while to keep me honest. I’ll still write about running afterward, but it won’t be as frequent and I’ll focus on topical posts instead of a daily report. I’m satisfied with the progress I’ve made so far, even though the dangerous part of my brain wants me to push it past the limit. My goal for this stage in my running is to stay injury free. I’m happy to report that I feel great and haven’t had any issues lately.

I have my off day tomorrow, and I’ll be back at it again on Saturday with a 5 miler. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want. You can also join me on Fitocracy to see how quickly you can level up, just let me know if you need an invite.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.1 miles at 10:33 pace
- Week total: 20.2 miles
- November total: 36.9 miles
- 2011 total: 179.5

I had to fight the wind on today’s run and it was great. I felt strong the whole time and I was able to keep my pace where I want it to be.

I’ve been experimenting with some new routes in the last few runs. I’m trying to find a place with varied terrain (trails, elevation, etc.) that’s within running distance of my apartment. The idea is to run to a place where I can get in some varied terrain, run around there for a bit and come back. I’m not up to high enough mileage to make this happen yet, but I’m hoping it will work as I keep building up. I still haven’t found anything promising for my current mileage, so it looks like I’ll be sticking to mostly road running for now.

I’m going for 3 miles tomorrow. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want. You can also start leveling with me on Fitocracy, let me know if you want an invite.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 7:42 pace
- Week total: 17.1 miles
- November total: 33.8 miles
- 2011 total: 176.4 miles

I went out fast and stayed that way today. I ended the run at a 7:24 average pace, which is pretty good for the hilly route I took. The run felt good, especially powering up the hills.

I’m starting to get more antsy as I run more. I’ve gotten a taste of the gains I can make, and my brain thinks that doing more is always the best decision. If I went with my urges I would probably be running three or four times a day. I know I’ll be running more miles without injury if I follow the training plan I’ve put together. That’s the one thing that keeps me from going out and pushing myself past the limit.

I’m going for a 5 miler tomorrow. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile. I also still have some invites to Fitocracy if you want to unlock achievements with your running. You gain points for running (or any kind of exercise) and you reach certain levels when you accumulate enough points. So far I’m up to Level 6.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.1 miles at 7:24 pace
- Week total: 12.1 miles
- November total: 28.8 miles
- 2011 total: 171.4 miles

I went 9 miles today, which is the farthest I’ve gone in my training yet. I ran through some rain at the start, but it stopped after a few miles when the sun peeked out over the clouds. I felt good the whole time but I started to get hungry toward the end of the run.

I always start out my running mornings with a banana and some water or coffee. So far the banana has been enough to keep me energized throughout the run, but based on today’s run I think that’s going to change soon. My stomach started yelling at the 8-mile mark, so it wasn’t a big deal today. I would have been hurting if I was going for much more mileage though.

I’ve been reading about people’s strategies for fueling during runs, and I think I’ve settled on trying out honey as fuel for my middle distance runs. When I get into longer runs I’m thinking honey and peanut butter sandwiches are going to be the way to go. Many people use packaged energy gels, but I’m only going to try those if my food options don’t work out.

I have a cross training day in the schedule for tomorrow, and I’m planning on going for an hour on the stationary bike. Let me know how your running is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want. I’ve also started using Fitocracy to “compete” in fitness activities with my friend Travis, so let me know if you want an invite.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 9 miles at 8:22 pace
- Week total: 9 miles
- November total: 25.7 miles
- 2011 total: 168.3 miles

I went for a nice 5-mile run today. The thermometer was at 35 degrees when I left, but it warmed up quite a bit during the run. I had a good time despite some temperature-related issues.

I was hacking out snot pretty much the whole run. I’m not sure if it was because of the cold or if I’m coming down with something. I feel fine and have for the past week, so I’m assuming it was the cold. It didn’t slow me down any because I ended up running the exact same pace as my 5-miler from Wednesday. I like the cooler temperatures, but I wouldn’t mind if it got back up around 45 or 50 for future runs.

I know a bunch of people who are running races today. They run the gamut from half marathons to ultras, and I’m jealous of every single person. My Uncle Dave (the ultramarathoner) is running 26.2 today. I’m trying to figure a way to get back to Indiana to run a 50-miler with him in May, but nothing is finalized yet. For me, the appeal of these races is more about the accomplishment than the competition. I’m going to push myself to go fast and do well, but I’m really more excited about getting to the point where I can run farther than I am now without issues. When I’m there I’ll worry about PRs and such.

I’m going for 9 miles tomorrow, which is my farthest training run yet. Let me know how your running is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 7:57 pace
- Week total: 24.95 miles
- November total: 16.7 miles
- 2011 total: 159.3 miles

I ran 3 miles with my dad and Cassandra today. It’s my dad’s 60th birthday so it was awesome.

Happy birthday dad!

Tomorrow is a rest day and I’ll be back at it on Saturday with a 5-mile run. Let me know how your running is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3 miles at 11:45 pace
- Week total: 19.95 miles
- November total: 11.7 miles
- 2011 total: 154.3 miles

I felt great on my run today. I’m into my marathon training schedule now, and the milage is a bit lower than what I was doing before so my legs feel strong. The schedule ramps up quickly so I’ll be feeling it in the next few weeks.

Today and Sunday’s run felt very smooth. It feels like I’m working, but not as hard as I was before. I also seem to be going faster with less exertion. I’ve been thinking about how that could be and I concluded it must be because of increased efficiency or better recovery from previous runs. I’ve been trying to fix some little issues in form and so far it seems to be working out. During my runs I focus on keeping my body straight, running from the hips, landing underneath my body and picking my feet up instead of pushing off every step. I like the results so far so it looks like I’ll be keeping it up.

I’m due for a 3-mile run tomorrow, and I’m planning on going with my dad. It’s his 60th birthday, so it will make the run that much better. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 7:57 pace
- Week total: 16.95 miles
- November total: 8.7 miles
- 2011 total: 151.3 miles

I ran with my dad today and it was awesome. We went for 2.5 miles at a nice 11:22 pace, then I went back out again for another 1.2 miles at a 6:48 pace. I haven’t run with my dad in years so it made the jaunt that much sweeter.

I can’t remember a time when my dad wasn’t running. He went out every weekend for a long run, like clockwork. I ran with him a few times, but fell out of the habit fairly quickly. It felt great to get out there and run with him again.

I’m back at it tomorrow with a 5-mile run on my own. It’s my dad’s 60th birthday on Thursday, so we’ll see if I can coax him out for a little celebratory run then. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.7 miles at 9:53 pace
- Week total: 11.95 miles
- November total: 3.7 miles
- 2011 total: 146.3 miles

Today I went 8.25 miles, which is the longest run I’ve done yet. I felt like a running machine. My legs were like pistons in an engine that could run forever.

My training schedule is getting moved around a bit. It looks like I’m going to Arizona to run the Lost Dutchman Marathon with my Aunt Rebecca (the Ironwoman) in February.  I am excited beyond measure about the chance to run my first marathon with her in this gorgeous place. I’m still going to run the Grasslands Trail Run marathon here in Texas in March, but I had to move everything up some to make sure I’m prepared for the Arizona race.

My training plan has me doing cross training on Mondays and taking Fridays off. My plan is to alternate between the elliptical and stationary bike for the cross training, but I might just end up doing very slow jogs or hiking depending on how it goes. Tomorrow will be the start of Week 2 in the training, so that means cross training for me. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 8.25 miles at 8:39 pace
- Week total: 8.25 miles
- October total: 103.45
- 2011 total: 142.6 miles

The weather was almost perfect for my run today. The temperature was right around 50 degrees and the only thing that could have made it better is a bit less wind. It made for an excellent run and a nice end to the week.

I looked at my training and the miles are adding up fast. I’m right around 30 miles per week, which is more than I expected to be able to do at this point. I’ve been paying attention to my body to make sure it isn’t being put under too much stress, and so far everything feels good. The biggest issues I’ve had are minor and are all foot-related. They’ve mostly been caused by shoes (or lack thereof when I’m going barefoot) but I think I’ve worked out how to avoid issues. I’m going to keep ramping up the mileage so I can build a good base fitness for the long races I want to run in the future.

Tomorrow is a rest day, but I’ll be back at it on Sunday. I’m planning on running 8 miles at a nice easy pace to see how it goes. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 8:11 pace
- Week total: 31.65 miles
- October total: 95.2 miles
- 2011 total: 134.35 miles

Today was a great day for a run. I went out for 4.05 miles with Cassandra and then I went out on my own for 2.15 more. It was interesting to go slow for the majority of the run and then kick it up to my normal pace for the last two miles.

I’ve been wearing my FiveFingers again because my feet were taking a beating from the barefoot running. I found out that I don’t have any issues with hot spots or blisters if I wear them with toe socks, so that’s what I’m going to do from now on. When I got the shoes they were fitted with socks on, so I think I might have gone a size up and my blister issues were the result of my foot having too much room to slide around in. I’m still going to run barefoot when I can, but I’m going to alternate until my feet get toughened up.

I’ll be out for another run tomorrow, likely a 5-miler. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 6.2 miles at 9:57 pace
- Week total:  26.65 miles
- October total: 90.2 miles
- 2011 total: 129.35 miles

Today’s run was excellent. I don’t have much more to say about it. I felt good the whole time and was able to get my pace down to around the 8:00 mark.

My Aunt Rebecca competed in a half Ironman this week. She rocks my face off and continues to inspire me. I can’t imagine how difficult all that swimming, biking and running would be. Maybe someday, but for now I’ll stand in awe of her achievements.

Let me know about your training here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want. I’ll be back at it tomorrow, probably with a double run day because Cassandra has the day off and wants to run.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 8:03 pace
- Week total: 20.45 miles
- October total:  84 miles
- 2011 total: 123.15 miles

Cassandra joined me for today’s morning run so it was excellent. I felt great the whole time despite some issues with debris on the path. Barefoot running requires hyper awareness of the ground and what’s on it.

Cassandra has been worried about me stepping on something and hurting myself, particularly glass. The sidewalks and roads I’ve been running on are anything but pristine, so I understand her concern. Today was my first barefoot run with Cassandra, so of course today was the day that I had my first minor issue. Toward the end of my run I kept feeling like there was a rock or something stuck on my foot. I couldn’t seem to brush it off even after stopping to swipe at it with my hand. I looked after we finished and saw a little red spot, so I figured I stepped on a sharp rock and it cut me. I found out later that wasn’t the case.

After I cleaned up my feet I saw a discoloration under the skin in the area where the pain was originating from. I thought it was dirt at first, but I couldn’t seem to get it out. I ended up taking tweezers to it and found out a tiny sliver of brown glass had worked it’s way under my skin. I cleaned up the area and everything seems to be fine now. Everything doesn’t include Cassandra’s concerns, which is understandable. I’ll be more watchful on future runs so she (hopefully) has less to worry about.

I’m planning on going for another run on my own later today. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.5 miles at 11:10 pace
- Week total: 10.45 miles
- October total: 74 miles
- 2011 total: 113.15 miles

I ran with my friend Travis today and we went 6.95 miles. It’s the longest run since I started training again and it felt great. It was also good to have someone to talk to the whole time.

I ran twice on Friday but I didn’t write a blog post about the second outing. I went for 5 miles on my own in the morning and went for another 3.1 miles with Cassandra later in the day. I wore my FiveFingers on both runs to give my feet a break from barefoot running. I shouldn’t have, because I ended up with a pretty sizable blister on my right foot. I’m going to let it heal before I wear the shoes again, and when that time comes I’m going to try out some Injinji toe socks I have. Hopefully that will solve the problem once and for all.

I’m glad these issues are coming up during training instead of in a race situation. I would rather figure everything out before so I don’t have to worry about anything but running the best I can. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 6.95 miles at 12:06 pace
- Week total: 6.95 miles
- October total: 70.5 miles
- 2011 total: 109.65 miles

Today’s run was great. My body feels like it’s getting into the daily rhythm of running. I had to push to keep pace today, mostly because my legs were feeling a bit tired from my Wednesday and Thursday runs. I wore my FiveFingers again because I’m planning on a long barefoot run on Sunday.

I’m also planning a shorter barefoot jaunt with Cassandra later today. She has the day off so I figured I would get in a few more miles with her. I can take it easy when we go out because we always go at her pace. This will be my first time running twice in one day. I’m only doing it because I have a rest day tomorrow so I’ll have plenty of time to recover.

Do you ever run twice in one day? Let me know here, on Twitter or on dailymile.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 8:19 pace
- Week total: 24.1 miles
- October total: 60.45 miles
- 2011 total: 99.6 miles

I made it to 30 days without a major injury! Woohoo! I went for 5 miles in my FiveFingers today because my feet are a little beat up from going barefoot the last few runs. I’m going to switch back and forth until they get tough enough to take the miles I want to run.

Today was the first day I could see my breath. Austin has had a couple of cooler nights and it made for perfect running weather. I remember when I would come back drenched with sweat because of the 90-degree heat, so this is a welcome change. The change in weather made me think about how long I’m going to blog every run (I hope you aren’t getting tired of it yet). I’ve decided on 90 days. That puts me right about the time when I’m going to start training for the marathon I’m planning on running in March. I’ll still blog about everything, but it will be less about keeping me honest and more about sharing good information that I’ve picked up or learned along the way.

I’m going for another 5 miles tomorrow and I’ll probably wear my FiveFingers again. That way my feet will be ready for the long run I’m planning for Sunday. Let me know how your training is going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want. I love to hear how things are going because it keeps me motivated.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 8:21 pace
- Week total: 19.1 miles
- October total: 55.45 miles
- 2011 total: 94.6 miles

I went for another barefoot run today. My feet are holding up OK so far, so I’m going to keep going without shoes for now. I went on a new route and it worked out really well.

I’ve become much more aware of changes in terrain since I started running without shoes. Concrete is more abrasive than I thought it would be. Asphalt is surprisingly smooth. I ran mostly on concrete sidewalks today, but every once in a while I had to go across stone driveways. I don’t know what you call this particular surface, but it’s basically a bunch of stones mixed together with a concrete-like binder. It doesn’t tear my feet up as much as gravel, but it’s definitely painful. The driveways only last for a few strides, but I was cursing them by the end of my run.

I don’t know if it’s the training or the difference in my stride, but barefoot running seems to require much less exertion. When I was wearing the FiveFingers I had to push it a bit to keep in the 8 to 8:30 range, but that doesn’t seem to be the case when I’m barefoot. My cadence is much higher because of shorter steps to make sure I’m landing properly. I could get away with a longer stride in the FiveFingers because of the extra protection for the soles of my feet. When I’m barefoot I have to make sure my feet land almost directly underneath me or it’s painful. I thought I would be sucking down air because of the increased activity in my legs but that hasn’t been the case so far.

I have two more days of running before my rest day, so we’ll see if my feet can hold up to more barefoot running. Let me know how your runs are going here, on Twitter or on dailymile if you want.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5 miles at 8:28 pace
- Week total: 14.1 miles
- October total: 50.45 miles
- 2011 total: 89.6 miles

I went on a new route today. I picked it because it has more hills and I wanted to try some for a change of pace. Unfortunately, I didn’t check out the route beforehand so it ended up being a much different run than I expected. I made it through OK, but I had to run through some ridiculous areas in my bare feet. Think lots of gravel and sharp sticks and you’ll get the idea.

The best part of my run came toward the end. I was just getting to the stoplight at the top of the last hill. The light was red and a few cars and a big truck were waiting to go. The truck driver stuck his upper body halfway out the window and yelled, “Hey Forest, where’s your shoes at?!?” as I went by. My first instinct was to respond in a less than polite manner, but I held back. A little ways down the road I started having trouble keeping pace because I was laughing so hard.

I’m sure it was unintended, but that guy made my run worth it. I was upset with myself after my lack of preparation, but this guy made it all better with his ridiculous heckling. It made me realize that a big part of why I run is for the fun.

I have an off day tomorrow, but I’ll be back at it for a 4.5-mile run on Wednesday. Let me know how your running is going here, on Twitter or dailymile if you want to give me some inspiration.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.75 miles at 8:35 pace
- Week total: 9.1 miles
- October total: 45.45 miles
- 2011 total: 84.6 miles

I went for another barefoot run today and it was wonderful. I’m really enjoying the feel and feedback I get without shoes. I’ll probably use my FiveFingers for some runs in the future but only when it’s absolutely necessary.

I ran with my friend Travis again today. It was good to have someone to talk to during the run. It took some of my focus off my running form, but I don’t have any pains or hotspots so I don’t think the lack of focus was detrimental. The talking slowed the pace down a little bit too, but it was well worth it.

I’m planning on going 4 miles tomorrow. The barefoot strategy seems to be working out so I’m going to stick with it. Let me know how your runs went here, on Twitter or on dailymile.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 5.35 miles at 11:16 pace
- Week total: 5.35 miles
- October total: 41.7 miles
- 2011 total: 80.85 miles

I went barefoot for my run today. The only protection I had was some moleskin for the abrasion on my foot, but it probably wasn’t necessary. It felt really great to run without shoes.

I decided to leave the FiveFingers at home in an attempt to get my foot to heal faster. It doesn’t seem logical to run barefoot when I have an abrasion on my foot, but in this case it was the right call. The abrasion happened during a wet run when my FiveFingers started rubbing the inside of my foot the wrong way. I taped it yesterday and it worked out OK, but I noticed that the tape actually caused a little line of blisters to start forming. The issues I’ve been having are obviously because of the shoes, so I eliminated the cause. I also decided to do it because of the location of the abrasions, which is on the upper inside of my foot.

My first barefoot experience was great. I tried to find as much information as I could about running unshod before I left. Most of the information I found was similar to what I had already been doing in the FiveFingers. My biggest concern was the soles of my feet and if they would be tough enough or if I would be running home with a bloody foot. I told myself I would turn around at the first sign of any discomfort in my soles, which happened to be after about 1.3 miles. It felt almost like a slight rug burn on the balls of my feet. I stopped to check for blisters but didn’t find any. I made it back home and ran 2.65 miles total.

There is a huge difference between going unshod and wearing the FiveFingers. The minimalist shoes definitely give you more feedback than a traditional running shoe, but they’re still muffling a lot of the information your feet can relay when bare. Even the slightest misstep or mistake in form was immediately evident.

Overall, the barefoot running wasn’t as hard as I expected. I had to pay more attention to the debris and obstacles in my path, but otherwise things were very similar to running in the FiveFingers. I quickly found out that I wasn’t ready for the gravelly dirt path I usually take, so I just switched my route around a bit to stay on concrete and asphalt. I think my running form might have been a little bit better and more economical because of the extra feedback I was getting from my feet. I wasn’t worried about pace and didn’t even track it during the run. I ended up finishing at a 9:08 pace with easy breathing and no issues.

I have an off day tomorrow, so hopefully my abrasions will keep healing. I’m planning a longer run with Travis on Sunday and I’m considering going barefoot again. I’ll blog about it either way. Do you run barefoot? I would love some feedback and advice for starting out.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.65 miles at 9:08 pace
- Week total: 18.85 miles
- October total: 36.35 miles
- 2011 total: 75.5 miles

I decided to go with Cassandra on my run today to give my foot some rest. The run went well, and my new method of wrapping the abrasion on my foot worked great.

Cassandra decided she wanted to try for a 10-minute pace for this run. She’s been doing about 12 minutes without a problem, and I thought she could probably take a bunch of time off if she put her mind to it. We came really close and ended up at a 10:37 pace.

The more I run the farther I want to go. I feel like I could just go and go some days, but I need to stick to my schedule. It’s there to make sure I have a plan to follow, but it’s also to make sure I don’t overdo it and end up hurting myself for no good reason. I’m in a building stage now, and I can’t wait until I get into the actual race training so I can start going on some longer runs.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.05 miles at 10:37 pace
- Week total: 16.2 miles
- October total: 33.7 miles
- 2011 total: 72.85 miles

I had a pretty excellent run today despite some issues with the abrasion on my foot. I treated it with moleskin before the run but it didn’t quite work out like I hoped. A nice red spot started to form on my FiveFingers at the 2-mile mark, but my foot felt pretty good so I ended up going the rest of the way.

I used a method I learned in my basketball playing years to treat the abrasion before the run. I had awful blisters every year during the basketball season so I tried out a few different kinds of treatment. Moleskin ended up being the best. I had to modify the recommended use for the moleskin and add some petroleum jelly. The directions on the moleskin tell you to cut out an area to go around the blister or wound so the adhesive wouldn’t get inside and cause more issues. I always found this method increased the chances of the moleskin falling off. Instead, I figured out I could use some petroleum jelly on the spot and then put an intact square of moleskin over the top of it. It worked for basketball, but apparently it isn’t going to work for running. It seemed to be doing OK for the first half of the run, but the adhesive failed and the patch of moleskin worked its way to the back of my shoe instead of staying put.

I’m going to modify this method for my run tomorrow at the suggestion from my friend Travis. I’ll still use the petroleum jelly and the moleskin, but I’m also going to wrap the area with athletic tape. The tape will allow me to wrap the moleskin and go around the whole foot so it will be much less likely to fall off. I’ll be going for another 4-miler if you want to #RunWithMe and let me know how your run went here, on Twitter or on dailymile.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.05 miles at 8:13 pace
- Week total: 12.15 miles
- October total: 29.65 miles
- 2011 total: 68.8 miles

I went on a nice run with Cassandra and my friend Travis today. We lost Cassandra to a cramp at about 3 miles, but she made it home and is feeling fine now. Travis and I ended up going 4.05 miles and it felt great.

Yesterday I mentioned an abrasion I got during my rainy run and said it wouldn’t be a big deal. I was wrong. It didn’t hurt today, but I finished with a nice red stain on my FiveFingers where the abrasion is. The run definitely didn’t help with the healing process, so I’m going to have to take a different approach. I tried to use a Bandaid to cover the spot but it fell off. I have a rest day tomorrow so that should help some. I’m also going to get some moleskin today so I can use it the rest of the week. The spot is like a burst blister, so I figure this method should work and help the healing. Anyone have another suggestion for treatment?

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.05 miles at 11:56 pace
- Week total: 8.1 miles
- October total: 25.6 miles
- 2011 total: 64.75 miles

Remember when I told you about running in the rain the other day? Today I learned the few sprinkles I ran through didn’t count. I ran through a downpour, and from now on that will be my definition for “rain.” Austin is finally getting the soaking it needs, so I can’t complain about a little bit of discomfort during a run.

I was supposed to run with a friend but he decided to stay home because of the inclement conditions. There was a flash flood warning out until 8 a.m. so I figured that would be a good time to start the run. I went on my normal route, which happens to go through a park that serves as a water runoff of sorts for the surrounding area. There are culverts that feed into the park and the water runs down toward the middle via a series of graduated stone waterways.

The rain wasn’t a problem for most of the path. It was nice to hear the water rushing down the waterways until it made it to the next drop-off and came crashing down over the edge. One section of the trail has huge flood warning signs all around it. They all say “This area may become flooded during heavy rain” or something like that. Of course, the area was flooded today so I had to run through half a foot of running water before climbing back out of the low spot.

Overall it was a good run despite the soaked conditions. My Vibrams filled up with water quite a few times, but they let the water out relatively fast. The water did cause something in my right shoe to rub against the inside of my foot, so I have a nice little abrasion to show for it. I think it will heal quickly so I’m not worried about it.

I’ll be going for another 4 miles tomorrow if you want to #RunWithMe and let me know how your run went. You can do it here, on Twitter or on dailymile.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 4.05 miles at 8:13 pace
- Week total: 4.05 miles
- October total:  21.55 miles
- 2011 total: 60.7 miles

It rained on today’s run. It was nice to feel the drops on my face, but my lungs hated me because of the humidity. Overall it was still a good run.

I paid for yesterday’s fast run with tired legs today. I had to push to keep pace for most of the run, but I was able to do it. I’m starting to wrestle more control of the mental aspect and it’s helping a lot when it comes to pacing and distance.

I’m really enjoying the dailymile interface and features. It’s fun to check out the other Austinites who are running to see what it’s like for them. I still need some more friends on there, so go make a profile and add me if you want to start tracking your exercise.

Tomorrow is a rest day, so if you want to #RunWithMe then you’re going to have to wait until Sunday. I’m planning a run with my buddy Travis, so at least one other person will be running with me in person. You can do it digitally and let me know how it went here, on Twitter or on dailymile.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.5 miles at 8:14 pace
- Week total: 17.5 miles
- October total: 17.5 miles
- 2011 total: 56.65 miles

Today’s run was the fastest pace yet. I wanted to push myself a little bit to see if my legs could handle it and they felt great.

I’ve been using an app called RunKeeper to keep track of all my running statistics, but I’m switching away from it because it lacks some social features I want. From now on I’ll be using dailymile to keep track of everything because it has good social integration. You can find me here if you want to add me so you can #RunWithMe digitally. The site has some neat features that I’m planning on playing around with. The one I’m most excited about is called Challenges. As the title suggests, it allows people to set up challenges for people to complete. I’m thinking about a challenge to create once I have some more connections on there.

I’m going for another 3.5 miles tomorrow if you want to #RunWithMe and let me know how your run went.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.5 miles at 7:50 pace
- Week total: 14 miles
- October total: 14 miles
- 2011 total: 53.15 miles

Today was a great day for running. I had to go a bit earlier than normal because I have a full schedule of stuff to do. I once hated getting up early, but now I’m up and out the door before my body or mind has a chance to protest.

There was a lot less light this early in the morning, which made things interesting. It was good because I couldn’t see as far into the distance. I felt like I was in my own little running bubble without any distractions. The bad part was trying to navigate the road/trail so I didn’t eat it by tripping on a rock or crack. I managed to do OK despite the low visibility, but I’ll probably bring a little flashlight with me next time.

Tomorrow I’m running another 3.5 miles if you want to #RunWithMe and let me know how it goes.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.5 miles at 8:27 pace
- Week total: 10.5 miles
- October total: 10.5 miles
- 2011 total: 49.65 miles

I went on a 3.5-mile run with Cassandra today. The weather was perfect yesterday and today was no different.

Cassandra was worried about being able to keep running the whole time, but we made it with plenty of energy in reserve. Running is a mental exercise, despite what my legs tell me on the day after a particularly taxing run. My body can keep going to incredible lengths as long as my mind doesn’t get in the way.

Tomorrow is a rest day for me, but I’ll probably end up going on a walk or a hike at some point. I’ll be back at it with another 3.5 miler on Wednesday so you can #RunWithMe then if you’d like. Let me know how your runs are going this fall.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.5 miles at 11:44 pace
- Week total: 7 miles
- October total: 7 miles
- 2011 total: 46.15 miles

Today’s run was perfect. I’ve been running in the morning to avoid the heat and today was the first day it got below 70 during my run. It was about 50 degrees the whole time and it was glorious.

I’m happy that my pace is staying in my goal range of 8 to 8:30 even when I’m adding a little bit of distance every week. My acclimation strategy for the Vibram FiveFingers is a lot better than the first time I did it and injured myself on a 4-mile run. If anyone else is getting into running with FiveFingers I recommend taking it very slow.

Cassandra is going to #RunWithMe tomorrow and we’re planning on going 3.5 miles at a 10 to 12 pace. You can run with us (any distance, any pace) and let me know how it went here, on Twitter or on Facebook if you want. I love hearing about your success and goals because it motivates me to keep going.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3.5 miles at 8:11 pace
- Week total: 3.5 miles
- October total: 3.5 miles
- 2011 total: 42.65 miles

Today’s run was solid. I felt good the whole way and didn’t have any issues worth mentioning. I think my body is starting to get used to the miles I’m putting in.

About halfway through my run I looked down to navigate some tree branches and noticed a flash of yellow and black on my chest. Normally this wouldn’t distract me at all, but I immediately realized that I must have left the house with the one shirt I own that has that combination of colors. It’s also the shirt that says ‘Do it with me’ in nice big letters right over my chest. I got the shirt on a visit to Purdue and kept it because if the funny innuendo. It was a marketing ploy from an apartment complex to get people to sign a lease, as in ‘I’m signing a lease and you should do it with me!’ Oh college, the place where we go to become experts in a field of study and ridiculous T-shirt marketing techniques.

Anyway, I laughed to myself about accidentally wearing the shirt out. I usually wear it at night and try not to take it out in public. I’m not particularly worried about offending anyone, but it does tend to attract attention from sophomoric strangers. That said, I wondered if any of the people I passed (all women today, of course) would think anything of it. That led me on to another thought: What if the shirt said ‘Run with me’ instead? That would be a good message, right?

I thought about it for a while and it gave me an idea. From now on, I’m going to end my blog posts with the plan for the next day so you can run along with me if you want. I’ll also be posting my plans on Twitter with the hashtag #RunWithMe if you want to follow me there. I think it would be great to get a bunch of people doing this. We don’t have to be running the same distances or pace, but it would be interesting to have digital training buddies if it all matches up. More importantly, I think it would be a great motivation for those days when it’s tough to get out and pound out the miles. We can run with each other digitally even if we aren’t doing it together in person!

Unfortunately, I have a rest day scheduled for tomorrow so you’re going to have to wait until Sunday to run with me. I’ll be running 3.5 miles with a goal pace of 8 to 8:30.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3 miles at 8:13 pace
- Week total: 17.15 miles
- September total: 39.15 miles
- 2011 total: 39.15 miles

Yesterday was the best I’ve felt during a run so far, and today I paid for it a bit. I had to struggle to keep to my goal pace of between 8 and 8:30 per mile. I made it and finished with an 8:20 pace, but it wasn’t easy.

I know my body is capable of keeping to my relatively slow goal pace because I’ve been able to do it over and over. It really comes down to the mental aspect of running. I felt gassed at the 2-mile mark and I started to focus on it way too much. The more I thought about it, the more my feet wanted to slow down. Luckily, I realized what was going on and tried to think about something else. Today, like many other days, I decided to do some people watching.

My new route has all kinds of people (and dogs) running and walking when I’m out. I’m starting to recognize some of them because I see them every day. I pass by the pregnant woman who walks and talks on her cell phone and wonder if she was a runner before the baby started growing. I scoot around the body builder with the Jack Russell terrier and try to fathom how such a big guy got paired with a small dog. I smile at the tall lady with the perpetual scowl and wonder if it’s me or her life that brings darkness to her face. Before I know it the run is over and thoughts of the day ahead replace my musings about strangers. I wonder if they know the role they play in my running. Probably not, which is for the best.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3 miles at 8:20 pace
- Week total: 14.15 miles
- September total: 36.15 miles
- 2011 total: 36.15 miles

I think today’s run was the best one I’ve had since I started. Everything clicked together just right and I felt great the whole time.

I registered for the 3M Half Marathon last night. It’s the first milestone on my running journey and should help get me to the next goal, which is a marathon. I have goals after that, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. For now, I want to focus on increasing mileage and nailing down my ideal pace. Most importantly, I want to do it all injury-free.

I did some research about the tightening I was having in my Achilles and found the likely cause. According to the experts, Achilles tendonitis is usually caused by some deficiency or issue in other muscles in the leg. I was having tightness my right Achilles last week and I also noticed that my calf on that side was tight. A few things I read suggested that massaging the calf might help. I’ve been doing it myself since I read that and it seems to be doing the trick. I’m not sure if I can attribute the lack of stiffness directly to the massage, but I figure it can’t hurt any so I’ll keep it up.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3 miles at 8:10 pace
- Week total: 11.15 miles
- September total: 33.15 miles
- 2011 total: 33.15 miles

Today was supposed to be a rest day but I decided to run. I went with Cassandra on a nice short run, so I don’t think it’s going to affect my training schedule much.

I like having a schedule, but I think it’s good to go do what feels right every once in a while. Today felt like a good day to run, so I did it.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.15 miles at 11:41 pace
- Week total: 8.15 miles
- September total: 30.15 miles
- 2011 total: 30.15 miles

Monday runs are high on my list of awesome things. It’s a great way to start the week, but what makes it even better is being able to run with Cassandra. We don’t go as fast, so I get to enjoy the day and the time that much more.

We took my park route again today. I think it’s going to be my regular route until I get tired of going in circles. It takes two loops plus getting there and back from my apartment to make 3 miles. It’s working great for now, but I suspect I’m going to need a bit of variety once I get into some longer runs.

I’ve been thinking a lot about why I run. I haven’t quite formulated everything yet, but I did come across an interesting thought. I was trying to decide if I’m running for something or away from something. Am I driven to run because of goals or am I doing it to use the fuel that’s created because of something off-center in my life? I suspect there are runners who fall into either category and some who fall into both at times. I’m not sure where I stand yet, but it has made for some stimulating thoughts as the miles go by. I’d love to know what you think. Why do you run? Does it matter?

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3 miles at 12:05 pace
- Week total: 6 miles
- September total: 28 miles
- 2011 total: 28 miles

I went for a 3-miler today and took a brand new route through a nearby park. It was nice to stay off the road and get away from all the exhaust fumes I’ve been running through on my previous route.

The mileage is adding up quickly and I’m glad to be moving forward. I had a bit of an issue with my right Achilles the other day, but things seem to be OK now. My right leg feels a bit more stressed than my left after today’s run, so we’ll see if it translates into bad news later. I tend to favor my right foot when getting into new terrain (up curbs, over stuff, around stuff) and I think that’s putting more strain on that leg. I’m happy to have an elliptical available in case I need to take a break for a few days, but nothing beats running outside.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 3 miles at 8:48 pace
- Week total: 3 miles
- September total: 25 miles
- 2001 total: 25 miles

I went for a nice run on the elliptical today. It wasn’t my first choice, but I thought it was prudent after some slight swelling in my achilles and ankle region on my right foot. I had a similar situation on my left side the last time I started running. I ignored it and ended up paying for it big time.

I haven’t been on an elliptical in years, so it took a bit of getting used to. Once I got into the rhythm of the machine it ended up being a pretty good run. I felt like I could go forever and my recovery from the exercise was a lot faster, despite a similar pace. I have a rest day tomorrow, so I’m hoping the swelling will be gone so I can get back out on the road. If not, I’ll definitely be going farther on the elliptical than I would on the road because it doesn’t feel like the same workout. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed until then…

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.5 miles at 8:26 pace
- Week total: 12 miles
- September total: 22 miles
- 2011 total: 22 miles

The run was an uneventful 2.5-miler today. I cramped up a bit toward the end, but I think it’s because I ate a banana right before I got out the door. It wasn’t enough to stop me, so overall it was a pretty decent run.

I watched a documentary called “Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135″ last night. As the name suggests, it’s about the Badwater 135 ultramarathon. It’s a ridiculous route through Death Valley and up a mountain — in July. I don’t know if it will ever happen, but I think it would be cool as hell to run in it someday. I recommend the movie if you’re interested in running or just want to be inspired by some insanely awesome people.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.5 miles at 8:18 pace
- Week total: 9.5 miles
- September total: 19.5 miles
- 2011 total: 19.5 miles

Today’s run was a good learning experience. I’ve been changing around the start time for my run based on my schedule for the day, and today was the first time I ran into a lot of traffic. I’ve been running in an urban area that’s close to my apartment because of the convenience. Today was the first day that the exhaust from vehicles got to me.

I found a park that’s relatively close to my apartment so I’m thinking that’s a better option for my lungs. I’ve been sticking to routes that follow roads because it’s easier to map out and track my distances. I’m thinking about trying to get a GPS training watch to make things a bit easier in that regard. I have my eye on the Garmin Forerunner 305 but I’m not sure if I’m willing to spend that much for it. Anyone out there have experience with a GPS training watch? Is it worth it when training?

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.5 miles at 8:11 pace
- Week total: 7 miles
- September total: 17 miles
- 2011 total: 17 miles

I went for a 2-mile run with Cassandra this morning. It was a nice easy run until we got to the 1.5-mile mark. That’s when a little dog came bursting out of a house on the route and chased after us for a minute or so. I wasn’t concerned about the dog hurting us, but I really didn’t want it to get run over by a car or something else unfortunate. Thankfully, he decided to stop and head back home after a short chase.

Which brings me to today’s public service announcement: Make sure your dogs aren’t going to chase after stuff if it runs by! In less than a week I’ve had two dogs come bounding after me because of negligent owners. I love dogs and I want to see them live long and happy lives. All it takes is a bit of training or a leash to make sure that nothing bad happens when someone like me runs by early in the morning.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2 miles at 11:55 pace
- Week total: 4.5 miles
- September total: 14.5 miles
- 2011 total: 14.5 miles

I started my second week of running in a fog. My head felt fine, but there was a blanket of fog outside because of the rain Austin got yesterday. It made for an interesting run, especially because I added a half mile to my distance. I wasn’t able to keep the same pace as my last run. I only added about 15 seconds to it, however.

Everything else is going great. I’m still working out the nutritional aspect of running. I’m probably going to end up moving from a pescetarian diet (fish, eggs, dairy, veggies and fruit) to an all-plant diet. I haven’t worked out all the details yet, but I’ve been reading up on some research and I think it’s a viable and healthy option. If this guy can do it and compete in triathlons and the Ironman then there must be something to it. I’ll post more as I transition into the diet and learn more about it.

Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2.5 miles at 8:32 pace
- Week total: 2.5 miles
- September total: 12.5 miles
- 2011 total: 12.5 miles

Happy Friday! I started out my day with another 2-miler today. Texas has been in an incredible drought this year, but the skies decided to open up for a few minutes on my run. It was a refreshing surprise. Unfortunately, I think we’re going to need more than a few minutes of rain here and there to get out of these drought conditions.

My legs are adjusting to running in the Vibrams much better this time around. I think it’s because I’m taking it nice and slow. They are starting to beat up my feet a little bit, but not to the point where running or walking is uncomfortable. I can’t believe the week (my running week, at least) is already over. Tomorrow is a rest day, and then it’s back at it on Sunday.

I’m thinking about getting a group of runners together in some kind of digital way. I think some blogging and virtual cheerleading would be great for everyone. Let me know if you want to be involved. Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2 miles at 8:14 pace
- Week total: 10 miles
- September total: 10 miles
- 2011 total: 10 miles

I’m almost a week into the running and I keep going faster. Today I went for another 2-miler and upped my pace to 8:49. I think an 8:00 pace is a good starting point for a few weeks, so that’s what I’ll be shooting for in the near future.

I had a few interesting things happen on the run today. I ran at dawn to avoid the sun and heat. The sun was barely above the horizon when I hit the mile mark. As I turned to head back, I was greeted by the cockadoodledo of a rooster. I never expected to see one in urban Austin, but there it was. I laughed as it called the morning sun, and a few steps down the road a puppy from another yard ran up to me and wanted to play. It felt like a Disney movie and it made for a happy run.

The awesomeness continued with breakfast, which was my take on a rice pudding recipe. I substituted fresh strawberries for the raisins, added a bit more milk and sugar and switched the cooking times around (longer) to get the mixture nice and thick. I recommend it as an after-run meal or an indulgent breakfast.

It’s time to get started on my work for the day. Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2 miles at 8:49 pace
- Week total: 8 miles
- September total: 8 miles
- 2011 total: 8 miles

A habit isn’t formed in three days, but I’m happy to report that the running routine is starting to feel more natural. I found a new route and went for another 2-miler today. The new route came after the realization that my old route — which included a huge hill — probably wasn’t a good plan this early in training.

So far, the biggest issue I have is holding back. I need to ease into my training so I don’t repeat the achilles injury (or a different one) from the last time I started running a few months ago. I feel good enough to go faster and longer, but I know there’s a huge potential for issues if I don’t keep myself in check.

I started putting together a few motivational and training tools after I decided to get serious about running again. You’re reading the first tool, but I’m also planning and tracking all of the relevant data with Google Calendar and Google Docs. The calendar makes it easy to plan out the runs, but I find it’s easier to plan long-term with a spreadsheet.

My long-term goals are a bit more solid now that I’ve been thinking about this and getting suggestions for a few days. The plan is to run a half marathon and a marathon by March of 2012. Specifically, I’m looking at the 3M Half Marathon on Jan. 29 and the Grasslands Trail Run marathon on March 24.  I used the aforementioned spreadsheet and some training schedules from Hal Higdon to map out a plan. I think my goals are well within reach. I still want to do more than a marathon at some point, so don’t stop sending suggestions my way.

I’m also using a spreadsheet to track some basic nutritional data to make sure I’m fueling my body correctly for what I’m going to put it through. I’ve been eating a pescetarian  diet for a few months now and I want to make sure I’m getting all the nutrition I need without the meat. I’m planning a more in-depth discussion of my training/tracking/data/geekery in the future when I’ve massaged it all into something a bit more elegant.

The mental and physiological benefits (endorphins) are pouring in, so it’s time to go have a great day. Happy running!

The stats
- Daily: 2 miles at 9:05 pace
- Week total: 6 miles
- September total: 6 miles
- 2011 total: 6 miles

I made it to the second day of running. This time I had a bit of help from Cassandra, who joined me for the run. We went a bit slower than I would have if I was on my own, which is probably a good thing at this stage.

The runs have been great so far. I’m starting to feel the benefits from the Vibrams in my calves. The shoes make me run on the balls of my feet and work muscles that are definitely underdeveloped at this point. My main goal is to stay injury-free so I’m going to keep taking it slow.

I still haven’t figured out an ultimate — or even first — goal to work toward. So far, my family has chimed in with two ideas. The first is a Ragnar relay, which involves a team of 12 people running 200 miles combined. As I understand it, each person runs three legs and the race isn’t over until the team has finished the mileage. The second idea is an ultramarathon, which is just the basic name for a number of really long races. I’ve been looking at a list of races in Texas and the one that popped out at me is the Grasslands Trail Run. They do a half marathon, a marathon and a 50-mile race. I would love to do the 50-mile monster, but I don’t know if I can be ready by March. Time will tell…

I should mention that the suggestions come from experience. How awesome is it to have relatives that do crazy stuff like this? Thanks for being awesome Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Dave! I’m still looking for ideas so feel free to send them my way.

That’s all for today. Tomorrow is an off day, so I’ll be back with another update after Wednesday’s run.

The stats
- Daily: 2 miles at 11:28 pace
- Week total: 4 miles
- September total: 4 miles
- 2011 total: 4 miles

I ran today. I went two miles at a 9:41 pace, but the statistics shouldn’t be the focus. I’ve been wanting to get back into running for a while now, but I kept finding excuses to stay home. I would think, “It’s too hot,” or “I don’t have time.” The heat concerns were somewhat valid, but I could have run in the morning. I can always make time. The important thing is that I’m running again, and it feels good.

I decided that my success depends on two things: A schedule and keeping to it. Blogging about my runs is one way to keep me honest. The plan is to run five days a week (Tuesday and Saturday off, for now) and I want to get my weekly milage up in the 30 to 40 range.

This week (and the next few weeks) won’t include a long run. I want to get right into the longer runs, but I’m transitioning from shoes to Vibram FiveFingers. I tried the transition once before and ended up tweaking my Achilles after pushing it too hard, so this time I’m taking it easy. Two miles felt right today, so that’s the plan for the rest of the week. We’ll see about next week when it comes.

Ultimately, I want this to lead up to a ridiculously awesome finale of some sort. I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I do know it won’t just be a marathon. It’s in my nature to take things to the limit — and often past it — and this is one time when that tendency is an asset. If you have any crazy ideas, let me know. For now, it’s oatmeal time.

The stats
- Daily: 2 miles at 9:41 pace
- Week total: 2 miles
- September total: 2 miles
- 2011 total: 2 miles

Some friends and I do a musical #ThrowbackThursday every week on Twitter, and this week I wanted to use some John Lee Hooker. Here’s what I ended up with:

The first guy really captures what the blues does to me. It hits me right down deep and pulls me along for the ride.

If you didn’t already know that John Lee Hooker was one bad dude, now you know.

I’m fortunate to have many friends who I consider to be artists. They are word wranglers, graphic masters, picture makers, video shooters and creators of awesome things. Some time ago I dreamt about buying a house and giving my friends a free pass to decorate. They would create beautiful work — as they do every day — but they would do it in my home. Then, I would be able to see them in their work all the time.

I shelved the idea as impractical. I’m in Austin with my friends spread all over the place. I also don’t have a house (yet). It keeps coming back into my head though, so there must be a bit of a good idea in it. I’ve thought long and hard, and the only thing I can think of is to ask everyone to make something cool for an art project. I don’t even know if anyone would be interested though, so here goes nothing:

Would you, my friends, be interested in creating for an art project? I see it as a collaborative effort that we can each document in our particular way (blogs, Facebooks, Twitters, photostreams, videos, whatever) and then we can bring it all to one central place. The place could be physical or digital. The project could have a theme, or it could not. It could have multiple parts or one. It could be anything!

Before all that though, I wonder if anyone wants to do it. So what say you?

Here we are in the first hours of the day and I’m thinking about projects. I feel the need to conceptualize, create, mold, destroy, inspire and work. It’s a feeling that comes often, but one I’ve pushed back lately.

I created a folder on the laptop called Projects. It’s where these needful things will live in whatever form they take. I’ll show them off when I can. The first project is titled SleepyTime. It could take a year to finish. Maybe less. The next will be TimeLapse, but I have no idea what shape it will take.

It’s sleep time for now. The edges of letters are  going soft and my eyes are starting to scream. I’ll sleep better knowing that Projects has begun.

As you can see from the post below, I’ve been bad about updating my blog lately. I’m being very generous in my use of the term “lately,” but you get the idea. I’ve been meaning to write more on here but I haven’t made the time.

Until now.

I’ve been hard at work on Rooted Austin, and things are about to change in my life. You can see some of them here, and some of them are still in the works. One of the changes involves more personal writing. Anther involves more photography. I hope you’ll come back to see more of both here.

That’s about it for now. I’m not sure when the next post will come, but it will likely be about the changes that are about to take place. The first change is the theme of my blog. It’s called modernist and it’s free, so check it out here if you like what you see. I’ll be building my own little pieces into it as I find the time.

Thanks for stopping by. I’ll see you soon.

I was planning on writing a heavy, lengthy blog post tonight when I got home from work. I’ve been thinking about it for days, and the process tonight would have eaten up at least three or four hours. I’ll likely still write the post, but not tonight. No, when I got home this was waiting for me:

It’s a cookie jar. I’m going to call him Froggy. Or Freddy. Or some combination of both. Whatever the name, it gave me pause tonight.

My Moms is amazing. She didn’t have to send me this totally rad jar full of cookies — and another box full of more sugary goodness — but she did. It made my night. There I was, walking around overanalyzing everything that could be in life, and this guy shows up on my doorstep. What’s it mean? Probably nothing in particular. To me it’s a message. It says, “Slow down. Appreciate the small stuff. Eat cookies. Be happy.” We all need a reminder like this every once in a while.

I postponed digging into the treats to write this post, but now it’s cookie time.

It’s still hot in Texas. That’s not the reason for this post, title withstanding. No, this is all about dogs.

It seems I’ve been seeing more canines than usual in Austin. I know it really just seems that way, however. In reality, I’m just missing the joy that comes with having a dog around the house.

I grew up with dogs. First, we had Maggie the black labrador retriever. Then, we had Bailee the chocolate labrador retriever. We had to put her to sleep this year (it sucked, if you want to know what it was like you can read this) but not before Palmer the Super Puppy came into our family. He’s awesome, and I wish he could be with me here in Texas. That wouldn’t be very nice to my Mom and Pops back home though.

So here I am, without a dog and wanting one. Obsession is probably a more accurate description than anything else. Take tonight, when I spent 45 minutes looking at various breeds and trying to find a place to buy them in Texas. This wouldn’t be a problem if getting a dog was even a somewhat reasonable dream.

To have a dog, I would need money and time I simply don’t have. I’ve thought about ways to make the time and it’s probably doable. There’s no way I could afford to buy a dog, pay for all the initial costs, pay a pet deposit and still have enough over to make sure we both have food to eat. So I dream. And I try not to get too excited when I see a particularly awesome dog running around town.

Someday.

In the past, much of what went on in my head was affected by the seasons. The weather would change and so would my brain. Summer usually meant it was time for relaxation and introspection. Winter was all about work. Spring and autumn were full of new ideas and people. I wasn’t always cognizant of the changes, but they were there. I think it was a natural progression that just happened to correlate to the seasons, but I suppose it could have been caused by the different atmospheric conditions.

This year has been different.

Things are changing, but the scale is huge compared to the past. I’m going into a new season of life, and it’s wonderful and scary at the same time.

Sometimes I find myself thinking about the past and things that could have been different. The time spent here is minimal, but it’s heavy nonetheless. What if I hadn’t made some poor decision or another? What if I had chosen the second choice when faced with two seemingly equal opportunities? What if someone hadn’t come into my life? What if someone had stayed?

Other times I think about the future and what it might bring. It’s usually early in the morning when my synapses aren’t firing quickly enough to distinguish what’s real and whatever dreams are leftover from the night before. I imagine myself in some exotic place doing the things I love with the people I love. Then, as I wake up, I realize the dream is becoming reality.

The jaunts into the past and future are short, maybe one percent of my thought-time and probably much less. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that the present is the place to be for me most of the time. If I stray away from it too much or too often bad things tend to happen. I haven’t been devoting any more space in my head to the future or the past lately, but the implications of the time spent there are growing. The thoughts come one after another.

I’m in a new place with opportunity all around.

I’m starting a business with three awesome co-founders.

The business feels like a calling.

We’ve been successful so far.

It looks like we’ll keep being successful.

Sometimes I have no idea what I’m doing.

I love what I’m doing.

It seems like the seasons are getting ready to change. I feel like I’m on the leading edge of something big in life. It doesn’t correlate to any of the seasons I’ve experienced in the past, and I like that just fine.

I love my family.

It didn’t always feel that way. I remember times when I wanted to leave everyone behind and go off on my own. I considered running away quite a bit as a wee one. As it turns out, I was the one who was making all those hard-to-live-in situations instead of my family.

Now that I have gone off on my own, I find myself missing my family. I’m still in regular contact with everyone, but it’s no substitute for a conversation over a homemade dinner. Moving to Texas has allowed me to be closer to one family member (my wonderful aunt, who I had dinner with tonight). It’s meant leaving a lot of people behind as well.

I still hear their voices.

My Pops says, “Logan, remember that you can’t speak beyond your experience.”

My Moms says, “Logan, chill out and stop taking everything so seriously.”

My brother, in a playfully scolding voice,  says, “What’d you do that for buddy?”

My aunt and uncle say, “Logan, give us a call if you need anything,” and they really mean anything.

My cousins say, “Logan come play with me!” and, “Logan, look what I have!” and, “Logan, this is what I did at school today.”

The words go on. They come unexpectedly and from different family members every day. Like any voices in my head, they were off putting and baffling at first. The words have since become a comfort. They make the good days better and the bad days bearable, and for that I’m thankful.

I look forward to hearing them again.

The headline on this post is for me, but if you find it helpful that’s great. I have a job (it pays the bills) and a passion I pursue 24/7 (it keeps me sane, or somewhat so).

I still feel like a slacker. It isn’t because of any external feedback. If anything, the people in my life tell me to slow down. No, it’s just me. And I think I know why there are some mornings when I wake up and think, “Slacker, slacker, slacker.”

I’ve picked up quite a few interests, passions and hobbies (too many, according to some) in life, and I want to pursue all of them. That’s when lack of time comes in and I end up making the choice to neglect one thing or another. Then the slackeritis sets in and something feels funky.

This time I think it’s because of writing. I’m still writing every day, but the vast majority of it is just sitting on my hard drive. I’d rather be working with words that are meant to be published, so that’s what I’m going to do.

From now on I’m posting at least two updates per week on this blog. It’s an initial goal, and you should definitely get on my case if I start slacking. If not, I’ll keep doing it myself.

I’ve been in Austin two months now, but it only feels like a few days. Last week was busy (got a job, launched a blog, moved out) and this week I’ll be couch surfing until I can move into my next apartment.

To make it just a little bit more interesting, the first place I’m staying at is being renovated. A friend of mine (who also happens to be from Fort Wayne) is remodeling while still living in the house. It’s a major overhaul, so the inconveniences will be well worth it in the end.

After I spend a few days here I’ll be surfing in a different locale. Peter, one of the co-founders of Rooted, is moving down here from Indiana as I write this. I’m going to help him move in when he gets here and stay with him for a few days afterwards.

Until then, here’s the view from my bed for the week. It makes me appreciate the simple things in life.

“Turn to clear vision.” That simple phrase struck me as I looked out over the water in Saint Petersburg. I was there for a Poynter Institute seminar called “Bottom Line News: Creating Sustainable Journalism Start-ups.” It was an amazing week. I learned more than I thought I would, I met some amazing people and I found even more energy for my plans, hopes and aspirations.

The micro details aren’t important, but I did want to touch on one revelation that came unexpectedly. I’ve tried to be transparent in all things digital. All my social networks are open to the world, and I try to make sure to keep the interaction there rich and real. It came out of a shift in my personal life, one that made me feel I no longer had anything to hide.

In any case, I realized during the week at Poynter that I hadn’t applied my new way of interacting to the world to my plans for the future. I haven’t been able to figure out exactly why that happened, but I think it has something to do with a little nagging voice in the back of my head. It wants me to talk to all my friends and family about this before I put it out there for the whole world to see. I’ve done that, so now the nagging voice I shouldn’t have listened to in the first place is gone.

I, along with my three amazing co-founders, am going to start an online journalism start-up. It’s called Rooted Austin. At this point it’s just a page telling you we’ll be coming soon, but we hope to have a blog up soon so we can start getting feedback on our ideas and plans. We want Rooted to be Austin’s home page, the place you go for the best curated news and immersive storytelling. We’ll do the curation, and when you tell us you like a particular topic that’s when we know it’s time for us to go get the story and apply our particular brand of storytelling to it.

I can’t wait until Cassandra Adamson, Peter Gaunt and Becky Rother get down to Texas so Rooted Austin’s full team is here and ready to grow. In the meantime, keep on the lookout for a blog on the site and feel free to tell me what you think in the comments or send me a message at logan@rootedaustin.com if you’d like.

My vision is getting clearer by the day. I hope you’ll join me to help focus even more.

It’s Father’s Day. I’m in Austin. My Old Man is in Indiana. Maybe next year I can make the trip back, but for 2010 a phone call is going to have to do.

I’m thankful for being able to call my Pops today. In 2008, Father’s Day fell on June 15. I didn’t make any calls that day, but the Old Man made one that saved my life. That’s not how Father’s Day is supposed to work. This year, and hopefully many more, I’ll be making the call.

Happy Father’s Day Pops. I love you.

I’ve been in Austin for a week now.

It’s still awesome.

Last night I went to the Congress Bridge for Night of the Bat. It was created because Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony on earth. The night included honorary guest Adam West, a 1960s Batmobile and a group called Blue Lapis Light that danced on the side of a huge building.

It was awesome beyond words. If you’ve seen the photos on Facebook, you’ll be seeing them here again. It was just that cool.

I want one.

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I made it to Austin this morning. Here’s what the drive did to me:

The world was a bit surreal during this photo. I was still wired from the drive but my body knew it was time for rest.

I could write thousands of words about the trip down here. Frankly, I’m too tired (even after a four-hour nap) to do that. So here are the essentials:

I drove for 24 hours, 18 minutes and covered 1,187.2 miles.

I stopped six times for gas, two times to nap, one time to eat a meal and one time in Dallas to pick up my key and parking pass for the apartment I’m subleasing.

I saw someone hit a deer in Indiana. The deer limped away and the damage to the car was minimal.

I watched a semi’s tire explode in front of me. At first I thought the pop was from one of my tires. The driver pulled over like it was no big deal, which is probably the case after the first few times it happens to you.

I depleted and recharged my phone’s battery four times during the trip.

I loved the drive.

I will budget in more rest stops the next time.

That’s all for now. I’m going to try to find time to take the camera out and about sometime this week. Austin is awesome, I’m so happy to be here!

I previewed this post way back in February.

Whoops.

Thankfully, the topic is still just as timely now as it was when I first wrote about it. Some journalism schools have seen an increase in enrollment, despite the treacherous state of the industry.  The economy seems to be on a rebound, but the central questions and concerns about the business (yes, business) of journalism remain.

The time for journalism schools to evolve has come. (more…)