June

66.25mi

That was my total for June, which was a pretty good total. It was my longest month ever, and it included my longest run as well. I've lots of hi 50s, but this was the longest by almost a mile. Now if I can just get in about 61-62 a month for the rest of the year, I'll hit 720.

Total mileage this year so far: 357.97mi

Day 1024

Good, strong run. Kept thinking I'd make it short, but felt great and pushed along.

24:00
2.45mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/52774422

Day 1023

Felt good and was going to go long, but karate tonight, so I didn't go as far. Wore the cho-pat strap and the knees feel fine.

20:00
2.06

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/52774656

Day 1022

Slower run today, trying to get things knocked out with a busy day ahead.

20:00
2.02mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/52775286

Day 1021

Sick all day with some stomach bug causing cramping. I finally ate around 5:45 and then felt better, so I tried a run. Wasn't too bad, but feeling sick again now after cooling down.

18:00
1.76mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/52323134/

Diets

I’m not on a diet, at least not a formal one. My eating habits are OK, probably better than the average US citizen, but far from what many would consider a healthy diet. I eat too much meat, drink too much diet soda, and not enough fruits and vegetables.
I am trying to be better, but I don’t want eating to be a source of focus in my life, or more importantly, a source of stress. I used to do the Body for Life diet, which I enjoyed, but the cooking and food preparation created stress, which I didn’t like.
Right now I am trying to make better choices. Having the chicken instead of a burger when I’m out (easy), eating more salads at lunch (just need to build a habit), adding in fruit here and there (easy), and skipping diet soda some days (very hard). I do want to make better choices, but make them in a slow and sustainable way.

Day 1020

Baseball today, so I held up, even though I was feeling OK. An hour of yardwork had me a bit tired, so I struggled to get started.

16:00
1.57mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/52108812/

Day 1019

Nice, steady run today. Felt good cruising along.

22:00
2.26mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/51965414/

Day 1018

Excellent run, felt great, but stuck inside because of a little wind and not wanting to strain the eyes.

I got caught up in a movie, felt easy, and went beyond where I thought.

24:23
2.51mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/51827084/

Day 1017

Nice, calm run outside. Legs were tired, so I went with it, just a slow jog.

23:40
2.31mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/51668926/

Day 1016

A great run today. Eyes bothering me, so glasses and inside, but I went to 6.5mph and felt good so upped to 6.6 for the last 5 minutes. Felt great at the end.

22:00
2.25mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/51511064/

Day 1015

Felt good, and kept up a nice steady 6.5 for the whole run today.

18:00
1.81mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/51380540/

Stretching

I had someone ask me how/what I stretched, so I decided to do a post.

When I was a kid, and I started running, I ended up pulling hamstrings and Achilles tendons a few times. Not badly, but they would be sore and it would be painful to walk for a few hours. I learned quickly that 2 minutes spent stretching paid off.

I still do that today, and the Gastroc stretch (#4 in this link) is what I do for a minute or two before every run. Outside or inside, I spend a couple minutes stretching.

That’s about all I do before, but I do walk briefly before I start jogging, usually 30-60sec to get a little warmed up. It depends on if I’ve been sitting at the desk or a little more active as to how long I stretch.

After running, I try to continue with a few stretches as well, usually sitting down with my legs in front of my and then leaning forward. I hold for 15-20 sec, and repeat 2-3 times. In between, I’ll also twist my waist to stretch the lower back and hips, trying to keep them loose.

I often add in a few karate stretches as well, spreading my legs apart and leaning forward.

A few things to keep in mind. I’m fairly flexible naturally, so I don’t worry too much about this, but I keep an eye on it. I also have been looking at more stretches, and there are some more stretches that I’d like to add in. This link has a few more that I’ll probably add in to make sure that as I lessen my karate time, I don’t get hurt from a lack of flexibility.

Day 1014

Good, steady run today. Felt great.

22:00
2.24mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/51186766/

Day 1013

A hard run, after baseball, this one was tough. I think the lack of sleep last night affected me. I kept up the speed, but struggled.

16:00
1.61mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/51058352/

Day 1012

A beautiful day for my lunchtime run. Not too hot, and a little breeze. Felt great.

24:00
2.31mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/50907952/

Day 1011

I was all set to go outside, but it started hailing. So I bailed and went to lift weights before running. Not a hard workout, but a steady 15 min. The run felt good, and I wore the strap on the left knee today.

20:00
2.03mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/50778566/

Day 1010

Sore left knee, not sure how, so I took it a little easier. Not much, but a little

18:00
1.81mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/50645812/

Day 1009

Nice one today, felt great taking a break from work

20:00
2.05mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/50487946/

Day 1008

A steady run today

20:00
2.02mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/50475504/

Day 1007

Tia wanted to go with me, so I waited until late afternoon to run. Slow for me, but a nice pace on a warm, breezy day. A fun run.

3.05
41:47

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/50178388/

I miss subtitles

I got a new blu-ray player for the treadmill recently and I’ve been using it to stream Netflix movies and TV shows. I run when the weather is bad, or windy outside since the wind kills my eyes. And I probably end up with more runs inside than out, so having some entertainment is nice.
However the Netflix app for the DVD player doesn’t include subtitles.
Grrrr
I’ve been used to running with subtitles for a couple years, and depend on them sometimes to understand what’s going on. When I get up to close to 7mph, the treadmill is loud and it’s hard to hear at times.
So far the Heros: Season 2 I’ve been watching isn’t bad, but I worry about some other movies. I’m sending a request in to Netflix to get that fixed ASAP.

Day 1006

Before baseball, a short, easy one

16:00
1.52mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/49982888/

Day 1005

Hit the treadmill since it was so windy outside. Felt good throughout the run, and instead of stopping at 18:30 as planned, I ran to 20:00 and felt great.

22:00
2.25mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/49870332/

Day 1004

The left ankle was a little gimpy today. I think the long run on gravel roads, combined with karate, made it a little sore. A little hard to get started, but it numbed up quickly.
20:00
2.05mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/49745154/

Day 1003

Just another day. After karate on Mon and a long one yesterday, I had a gimpy ankle, so I started slow, but it felt better as I went along.

20:00
2.02mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/49609700/

1000 Days by the numbers

My wife noted that I hadn’t included any mileage in my post yesterday on the 1000 days of memories. So here are some items:

Day 1: 1.02mi

Day 1000: 5.72mi

Total miles for Day 1000 by other people: 454

First 7 days: 9.4

Last 7 days: 18.46

First year of running: 587.25

Mileage in 2008: 167.06mi (Sep-Dec)

Mileage in 2009: 603.6mi

Mileage in 2010: 592.5mi

Mileage in 2011: 312.18mi

Total mileage for 1000 days: 1675.3mi

Looking back at 1000 days

It’s been an interesting journey running every day for 1,000 days. I never thought I’d get this far, even after running for a whole year. One thousand is a big number.

Some interesting things I remember along the way.

I started on Sept 10, 2008.

My inspiration came from Jim Garrett, on the Hard Knocks TV show.

I’ve run with every member of my immediate family along the way.

My middle son, Delaney, has been with me for the most runs, probably 40-50 of them.

My most memorable run was with Delaney, when it started raining on us.

I have run in Colorado, Washington, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas, Nevada, the UK, St Marteen, the Bahamas, New York, Ohio, and probably a few other places along the way.

My hottest run was at 2:00pm in Las Vegas last summer, when it was 110.

The most humid was probably in Baton Rouge, cruising around University Lake (which I thoroughly enjoyed).

The coldest was at Copper Mountain, just after Thanksgiving when it was about 7F outside.

I’ve run in a snowstorm (Breckenridge), the rain (above), and in lots of wind. I prefer the hot days.

I watched 7 seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, one season of Battlestar Galatica, one season of Heroes, two seasons of Dexter, and numerous movies while on the treadmill.

My latest run was about 11:00 one night, after a busy, busy day.

My earliest run was 4:30 am, hitting the treadmill in a hotel at Heathrow airport before starting my journey back to the US.

My hardest run was Thanksgiving 2009, day 443, after we’d skied all day, then had Thanksgiving dinner at Wendy’s, checked into a hotel with no treadmill, and I had to get out in the cold, tired, about 15-20F, and run through the streets of Frisco. A hard one for sure.

On quite a few days that I’ve run, I’ve also had karate class, played baseball in my adult league, snowboarded, or played tennis with the kids.

I’ve run with a pulled hamstrings, slightly sprained ankles, sore knees, and very tired legs. I’ve been surprised that after a few weeks of running, most injuries seem to heal up.

The day I was almost sure I’d end this streak was Jan 3, 2010, day 481, where I stupidly went off a jump at Breckenridge, caught an edge on my snowboard when I landed and my right knee hit the ground. Hard. I barely made it down and that ended my day. Ice, a couple beers, and 4 or 5 hours later I managed to get on the treadmill, determined to give it 4 or 5 minutes. I wasn’t going to push it, but I managed a little over a mile, albeit slow (about 4.5mph).

There are some other memorable ones, like the broken treadmill in Breck that had me running in a sweatshirt and knit hat as a snowstorm started because I didn’t have other clothes, or my daily runs down Tottenham Court Rd in London while I stayed there. My time on the beach in my native Virginia Beach, and a group run after SQL Saturday #60 in Cleveland.

It’s been run, and I look forward to many more runs in the future.

Day 1002

Or as my son puts it, day 10^3.
My kids and my wife rode their bikes alongside me for a mile today, supporting me on this milestone. Here we are, cruising along

I went on ahead, doing what I think is my longest run on this streak, almost 6 miles.
1:02
5.72mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/49477658/

Edit on Sept 8, 2011: I had misnumbered things, and Day 1000 was actually two days earlier, but the celebration still stands.

Day 1001

A nice run, back in CO, warm, cruising down the road.  Felt good to be back outside on my regular track.
25:53
2.54mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/49322086/

Back at Sea Level

In Pensacola for work and vacation across 4 days, I took advantage by going a little quicker and further. Not much, but enough that I might feel it the rest of the week. I added in some weight training as well, trying to build a little more strength in my upper body that I’ve let go.

It’s hot and humid, especially today where I ran with glasses and by 15 minutes had sweat pouring down my face, dropping into my eyes. Normally I’d have to get above 25 minutes at home for that.

However I enjoy it. Growing up in humid Virginia Beach, I loved running in the summer, almost masochistic, but enjoyable for me to get out there and work in the hot sun.

Almost 9 miles in 4 days, with one being an off day that I spent with my daughter all day at a water park and another being a half day at the beach. Normally that would mean I’d have been at 6mi or less of running, just maintaining, but I pushed here.

The milestone doesn’t hurt either. It’s very motivating.

Day 1000

A quick one today, while my little girl was sleeping. Last day at sea level for a month, so I enjoyed it.
25:00
2.59mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/49117958/

Day 999

After a day at the beach, the insides of my thighs are sore and irritated. I think wet pants are to blame the other day.
In any case, I had a nice strong run this afternoon.
24:00
2.43mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/49036872/

Day 998

Up to run before working today. Trying to keep my 2mi/day pace up as much as possible. 700 for the year, but need to get to 720 if I want to avg 2/day, which means going above 2.0 some days.
20:00
2.02mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/48843090/

Day 997

Back at sea level. After a day in the water park with my little girl, I was crunched for time and hit the treadmill. Not much close by for runs, but I’ll try a better route on Sunday.

16:00
1.59mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/48781764/

Day 996

Early morning workout, tough to get started, but my daughter said I should run before we hit the airport.

16:00
1.57mi

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/48569546/

Day 995

A nice easy treadmill workout with a crunched schedule. I needed this run.
20:00
2.01mi
http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/48482040/