Day 233

My neck was sore, I couldn't really turn it, so I struggled through a short one.

Day 232

It's a beautiful day outside, calm, 70F, I should have run outside. I know that, but I wanted to jam on in, and watch the rest of the Star Trek episode I'd stared last night, so I hit the treadmill.

6.2mph to get going and then a 10 minute 6.7 stretch before a 4 minute 5.5 cool down. A good run.

Day 231

A short one, trying to get it in late after a long day.

Day 230

I debated about waiting until later, especially with a tight back, but I like my lunch runs, so I slipped one in. I felt OK, and the back loosened a little, but is still tight.

Day 229

After baseball, the last thing I wanted to do was run, but I figured I should do it ASAP, get it done, and then lie down. My back was slightly tight, so I took it easy, but didn't bail on the running at 12:00, I kept going to 14:00, a steady 6.2mph pace.

In or Out

The other day the weather had cleared up, it was relatively warm, not much wind (which I hate), in other words, a great day to run outside. I took a break from work, but I went down to the basement and hit the treadmill instead.

Why?

Part of the reason was that I had been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation and was near the end of an episode. I wanted to see what happened, so I was pulled to see that. I don't really watch those except when I'm running, so this was a good chance to finish that.

I also was limited by time. I try to cram a bunch of work into a relatively short period of time each day, so taking extra time to run outside eats into my day. If I can minimize things, especially with karate tonight, I'd like to.

The other thing is that it wasn't great weather. 50F, slight wind, just enough of an average day that going outside, and potentially not enjoying the run wasn't something I wanted to deal with.

I have friends that hate the treadmill, and would rather run in the snow than inside. I agree there is something nice about being outside, but I've never minded the treadmill. I think some of it might be the bio-feedback that I easily get. Even with the Nike Plus system, I don't get as much feedback. Plus I'm getting a little entertainment I look forward to.

I'll probably run more outside as the weather gets hotter. I definitely prefer it when it's hot, and running outside is a bit more of a Zen feeling. But I also think that limiting the running outside means that those times I do go are more enjoyable.

Day 228

A 6:00am run before I left to head back to Boy Scouts camp.

Day 227

I was getting ready for camping with Delaney, so I knew I would be pressed to run and so I did a quick lunch run. It felt good, nothing too sore and a decent 2mi run.

Day 226

I started Snatch the other day and wanted to continue it, so I ran on the treadmill today. It's a busy day, and after a 3 miler and karate last night, and slightly tight shins, I decided to take it easy.

Day 225

A beautiful day outside and there wasn't any wind, the mud is about dry, so I had a nice long run outside. I felt great, tried to keep the pace steady and didn't push too hard, but I did push so it wasn't just a light jog.

We'll see how I feel at karate tonight.

Day 224

Well the iPod froze after my run, wouldn't sync to Nike +, and eventually had to be reformatted. So I lost the data, but I'd looked at it when I finished.

I did a 2.0 mi run, 17:30 of running, a 1:30 warm up and a 2:00 minute cooldown. The treadmill showed a bit more, closer to a 2.2mi run, plus I recalibrated the Nike + (I hope) with a .25 run after that. So a good effort on an otherwise off day.

Day 223

A nice lunchtime run today. Too muddy to go outside, and it was a beautiful day otherwise, I ended up finishing my Star Trek series and getting a comfortable 1.5mi run in.

Nike Plus Improvements

I like my Nike Plus system. It makes it easy to track runs, I don't have to write down or remember numbers, and I can see some history of my runs easier than I could any other way.

However, there are definitely things that I would like to see changed.

First, the module that attaches to the iPod is a little small, and it's hard to keep track of it. I'd rather it be a little wider, and match the size of the Nano better (or the iTouch). It would be nice if it were a pass-through of some sort as well so that I didn't have to take it off to sync up the iPod. I always worry I'll lose it. You can see it on a Nano to the right.

On the web site, they need to allow a few things.

1. Edits: I've accidentally stopped the device, or started it late sometimes and I have a treadmill, a watch, and known courses. So I should be able to mark  a distance. I've also had the iPod die (lack of battery) and I would like to be able to use MapMyRun.com, my watch, etc. to edit the run.

2. Manual Entry - A few times I haven't had the NikePlus, but I'd like to track that run in one place. The lack of capability to enter those runs makes me want to use some other system to track my running.

They also should smooth the interface. I realize that the Flash stuff seems cool, but I can't easily link people to something and I can't quickly get the code for my runs. It's a pain, 4 or 5 clicks, to get the code for a run.

Overall, however, I think it's the beginning of a great system, and apart from the iPod, a cheap way to automatically track your runs.

Day 222

I stretched out for a decent run today. The legs were feeling better, and I got out early before I did anything, including breakfast. I felt good, and it was a smooth run.

Day 221

My back was actually feeling better, and I had plans for a nice 2-2.5 mile run. However at about 7 minutes, my thigh was chaifng. I'd put on sweat pants to go outside and I left them on to run, which was a mistake. I made it a few more minutes, but then had to quit. When I got them off, there was a nice raw patch on my leg. Ouch!

And I was feeling good about the run :(

Day 220

A nice steady, 2 mile run today. I felt good, but with a sore back, I decided not to go too far.

Day 219

A nice lunch run. Felt pretty good, though my back was slightly tight.

The Nike + Interface

I know I have some issues with bandwidth, but the Nike Plus interface is a piece of junk. I've been in many places, and every time, that flash interface is just slow, forgets my password half the time, and is flaky.

I wish they would just do a series of pages, no reason not to. Once we've signed up and we're using the product, make it easy to use.

Day 218

I think I have a nice, new steady time of 16:00 min and a slightly higher pace that keeps me at 6.2 or higher.

Day 217

I missed karate last night, and without more exercise, I pushed a little harder today. I ran a good portion at 7.2mph, and then slowed down a bit every few minutes. This was a nice hard run, had me working to breathe a bit.

Day 216

Starting the week out with another short run. With karate tonight, and a tired week last week, I took it easy,though more than I usually would with karate at night. Ended up with a nice steady pace.

Day 215

We went skiing for Easter, and my schedule was messed up. We drove home and grabbed dinner to go at 7:30, I ate a few fries, but then held off until I could get home and get a quick run in.

Not a hard day skiing, but a long day, and with kids to get ready for bed, I kept it short.

Slow Days

How do I get a slow day on this streak?

Mostly I slow down, go at a 5.5 pace or something around that, and then lower the the distance. My 1.2mi runs are sometimes because of time, but they also happen when I'm sore or injured and looking for a lighter day.

I have plenty of days where I feel beat up. Between karate 2-3 times a week, baseball once a week for 3+ hours, taking days to go snowboarding, I feel pretty beat up. I've had a couple weeks where I did all that, plus lifting here and there, and my body needs a break.

So I jog through the mile, sometimes that being my only exercise for the day, trying to take it easy.

Day 214

I got back from Scouts, knowing Tia had a massage, and expecting that we were all going to go with her, share a car, and then do some family stuff. So I ran downstairs at 1:45 to get 14minutes in and then go out.

Turns out we weren't all leaving, so I could have run more, but I thought that the break was good.

Day 213

A sore body, decided to take it easy, just a slow, minimal run. I was short of time, so I kept the pace at 6.2, but just went to 14:00min

Day 212

Probably a good day to run outside, but I wanted to finish the episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that I've been watching, so I did that instead.

I went steady, working along at 6.2 for most of the run, but then getting up to 6.4 for the last few minutes. Wanted at least 1.5 mi

Day 211

Another run jammed in the middle of a busy day. I had an early lunch this morning, and then needed to get some work done, but I didn't want to leave the run until just before karate, so I jammed it in between a couple conference calls.

A nice steady run again, going at 6.2, just getting through it. My back has been a little sore for a couple days, so I didn't want to push too hard.

Day 210

A nice steady late morning run before lunch. I kept a nice steady pace, about halfway at 6.2, half at 6.7, and I felt good.

Pushing Through Injury

How far do you push through injury? I'm not sure, but you should push. As long as you're not making things worse, I think you keep going. At least if you're a pushy person and driven. If you want to take care of your body, you have to keep pushing it, which often means dealing with pain. I've had a sore left elbow, maybe some low tendonitis on it for 2 weeks, a pulled and tight right hamstring for a couple weeks as well, and now a sprained wrist.

I've avoided lifting, but I'm still running, and I played baseball. Planning on playing this Sunday again. My thought is that I'm going to have a sore wrist for 6 weeks before it heals. That's if I do nothing with it. Likely that with some playing baseball, it will extend out to 10-12 weeks, but that's the price I'll pay since I don't want to stop and I don't think I'm making it worse. It's just healing slower.

I've had lots of sore muscles, sore joints (usually ankles) and more while on this running streak. I've dealt with the pain, gone slower, and pushed past it. And I've been surprised that over 2-3 weeks the pain will go away and things will heal. Pushing the body to keep going I think forces it to heal on its own.

Day 209

I ran late in the afternoon, and even though it was a slow run, I felt more gassed at karate. I think I was short on food as well, so I'm going to try and complete my runs prior to lunch from now on.

Day 208

A nice steady run in the afternoon.

Day 207

A nasty day outside, 25F and 30-40mph winds. So another treadmill run, stomach a little full, so I just cruised nice and easy at 6.2.

Day 206

A post skiing run. It wasn't a hard day, but my knee was sore, so I didn't push it. A lot of tourquing on the knee while going downhill.

Day 205

A nice, steady, longer run. I ran a steady 6.2mph, with some good 5 minute stretches (2) at 6.7. Overall I felt good during the run.

Day 204

A nice steacdy run at 6.2mph. Stopped myself even though I was feeling good since this was a 5pm run with a 7pm karate class.