First of all note the new snazzy graphic I have created for use after a run that breaks my Personal Distance Record (or PDR). This Saturday’s run was 9 miles which was farther than I have ever run in one shot so it was a PDR.

Next, note that this is a long post and you may have to read it in 4 or 5 sittings. Proceed with caution.

I decided to head down to my gym and dump my things into a locker before heading outside for my long run on Saturday morning. I put on all my gear which included three layers on the bottom – running tights, Runderwear, and running pants – and two layers on top – long-sleeve dri-fit shirt and a running jacket - and headed out the door.

Mile 1

My goal for the entire run, especially for the first few miles, was to go slow. The one thing I didn’t want to do was go out too fast and have to walk for long stretches during the run. I had some fairly fast music blaring out of my iPod but I managed to control myself during the first mile. This basically got me from the gym, across Lincoln Park, over the North Ave. Bridge and headed south along the lake. I noticed that the temperature was a little bit cold but since by the end of mile one the wind was directly at my back this was no big deal. It was nice to have the wind pushing me forward for a while.

Mile 2

This stretch basically encompassed the route from the Chess Pavilion to Oak Street beach. I’ve run this stretch of the lake many, many times by now but still love to look up at downtown while I plod on. Again during mile two I was fresh and the wind continued to push me. After mile two I took a very short water break and made good use of my CamelBak. I was following orders by keeping myself hydrated even though I wasn’t thirsty at that point.

Mile 3

Things got a little more interesting as I passed Oak Street Beach and turned south. I ran through what I can only describe as a pack of ice sitting right along the path. Since the wind was blowing very hard and it was cold enough for ice it made that part of the path (maybe 60 yards) pretty dicey. I slowed down long enough to make sure I didn’t slip and kept going.

I made it down to the next beach (whatever it is called) next to Olive Park and turned left (Northeast) down the path that runs through the park. This is where things got interesting because I was now running directly into the teeth of the wind. It was 24 degrees out with a wind chill of 14 and to me it felt like zero. My Garmin told me I was making a 10:20 pace while running out towards the lake but I was running hard. When I made it out to the end of the pier and turned around my pace quickened to 8:15 with the same effort – the wind had made that much of a difference. While I was happy to temporarily have the wind at my back again I knew I’d be running into the wind on Navy Pier, and back out where I had just run not to mention the last 2+ miles were right into the wind as well.

Mile 4

This one started with me exiting Olive Park where a small dog chased me for about 50 feet. It turns out the owner had accidentally dropped the leash but eventually got the pup back under control. I was happy it was a smaller dog and wasn’t worried about being attacked but I was trying not to step on the freezing mutt either.

I rounded the corner next to Lake Point Tower and made my way down the North side of Navy Pier. For a cold and windy day there were a number of tourists out just walking around enjoying the day. I did note there were fewer people fishing off the pier than usual and I’m sure the cold kept them away. I got a few odd looks that seemed to say ‘you are crazy for running outside today’ but I just waved and said good morning and kept going.

I finished mile 4 about halfway back down the South side of the pier.

Mile 5

This was my turnaround mile. I made it to the base of Navy Pier and rounded the drive there to make it to the 4.5 mile halfway point of my run. I was fairly cold by then and my gloves and hat were wet with sweat which just made them feel colder. I took another quick water break and started to retrace my steps.

Mile 6

During mile six I made my way back out to the tip of Navy Pier and back one more time and out into Olive Park a second time. This time the little dog, and his owner, were nowhere in sight which was a plus. Again I stepped into the wind tunnel that was the path out to the lake and again my pace dropped to somewhere in the high 10 minute mile range.

My legs felt heavy here for about half a mile and my calves were tight but this mostly went away by the time mile 7 rolled around.

Mile 7

With only three miles to go I was feeling good but getting very cold. By now I was unconcerned with my pace since an 8 minute mile effort was rewarded with a 10 minute mile result. Somewhere early in this mile I hit the one-hour mark of my run and took a CliffShot Energy Gel pack and washed it down with a little water. The influx of carbs felt good and kept me running strong until the end.

Mile 8

Early in mile eight I went by the ice field one more time next to Oak Street beach. Again I slowed to a crawl so I wouldn’t slip and break something in the process. The best part of rounding this corner near the beach was the wind died down. By now I was very cold in my face and hands and couldn’t really feel my chest. I’m no doctor but at this point I was thinking I should have considered a treadmill (like Rich) rather than running outside since ‘lack of feeling in chest’ is probably not extremely healthy.

Mile 9

I passed the chess pavilion and kept heading north in the direction of the North Ave. bridge and Equinox. With the end in sight and the Flogging Molly song “Within a Mile of Home” blaring in my head* I picked up the pace and passed 2 or 3 runners before making it back to Lincoln Park.

I headed around the baseball fields and crossed the street and completed the 9 mile circuit in 1:23:41 which works out to a 9:30 pace if you are scoring at home. I was tired and cold but felt that I could have pressed on and gone farther if I had needed to do so.

*Note that the actual song was not playing on my iPod but I always seem to sing this song in my head to myself in the final mile of any run. Go figure.

While I was cursing the wind and cold during the run (especially the 2nd half of the run) I’m happy I fought through it and kept going. It was certainly more interesting than watching cartoons on the treadmill. The bottom line is I want spring and summer to come NOW so I can run outside in shorts and a tee shirt.

The good people at my gym had the pleasure of getting to smell me while I stretched inside the gym following the run. It was nice to be able to take a steam and shower after that which warmed me up considerably.

While I will run much farther than 9 miles before this is over (26.2 - 9=17.2 miles farther) for the moment I’m proud of my new personal distance record and am looking forward to the miles to come. I felt excellent all day Saturday off my running fueled endorphin high.

The only soreness to report is in the calves which by today (Monday) has basically gone away. Tonight I am thinking about lifting, doing the woosher, or maybe both. Week #4 is in the books and this week I have a 3 mile, a 5 mile, another 3 mile, and finally a 10 mile run. Good times.

Look for several shorter posts in the days to come. I’d like to put one up on my thoughts on running music at some point.

For tomorrow a 9 mile round trip ...

Yesterday’s run went very well. It marked my first time running outside in over a week and the weather was in the 40s with no wind which made for a pleasant run. For my 4 mile run Wednesday I ran my usual 3 mile route (up Lincoln, west on Armatage, north on Sheffield and back and tacked on an extra mile. I discovered that my walk to the train everyday is exactly ½ mile so it was easy to tack on that route to make 4 miles.

The main notable thing about yesterday’s run is it was fast. I strung together four sub eight-minute miles which is as fast as I’ve ever gone at that distance (I have run a 5k faster).

For tonight’s run I was able to go outside again which was a treat. It was a little colder tonight than yesterday but still nice for this time of year. Tonight was my first time to the Chicago Niketown Running Club which meets weekly on Thursday nights at 6:15 for a 3, 5, or 7 mile run.

I managed to arrive at the store a little early and signed in – and filled out what felt like 100,000 forms. They got my address and phone number and my secondary e-mail address in exchange for an organized group of runners and freebies at the end.

Tonight there were 52 people that showed up to run which they informed us was a new winter record. Probably around 2/3 of the people there had run with the group before and the remaining third were new. At around 6:20 we left the store, hung a left down Michigan Ave. and another immediate left onto Erie.

The veterans of the group knew exactly where they were going so I made sure to follow a few of them until I knew where I was and could easily make it to Navy Pier and back. I kept up with some quicker runners for the first mile or so then they went ahead of me. My stupid Garmin was acting up so I only turned it on for the last half (1.5 miles) of the run.

From the midpoint of the course to the end I didn’t see anyone else but I made very good time finishing the last 1.5 miles in 12:10 for what I’m guessing was a total of 24:20 or faster or just over the 8 minute mile mark. In any case I finished before the majority of the others.

As far as the post run activities Nike provided, I was very pleased. If you had asked me 7 months ago what I thought of Nike and Niketown I would have said that they have some nice stuff that is extremely overpriced and were mostly glitz and marketing.

I have come around some since then because of the following:

1. The One Hit Wonder 10k race they sponsored last September was a blast
2. The Nike “Awake” Commercial which makes me want to run in the worst way whenever I see it on TV. I gotta get that on my iPod ASAP
3. The people running the club were friendly and helpful and I think I’ll go back
4. Free Post-Run bananas and bagels for all!!
5. Best for last … drum roll please…2 free tee shirts and free reflective stickers

See the above picture for the free stuff.

About the only downside of the running club was the 15 minute presentation (infomercial) they did on the new line of Pre (Steve Prefontaine) shoes, shorts, and jackets. Hey they had a captive audience so they might as well try and make a buck I suppose.

My hard-earned dollar will still go to Fleet Feet first but there is some good stuff at Niketown also.

So bottom line, Wednesday and Thursday were above average outside running days and I think I will be back with the club on March 2nd (next Thursday) for my next 3 mile training run.

Wish me luck on my 9 mile run this Saturday morning. TGI(a)FAIHTDO = Thank God It's (almost) Friday and I have the day off.

I spent a long last weekend in Colorado where my cross training days were covered by skiing Breckenridge and Vail on Friday and Saturday respectively. I also went for my long run (5 miles) on a treadmill at a 24 Hour Fitness location in Denver before I flew home on Sunday night.

My ski weekend was excellent since there was no traffic, good snow and no lines at any of the chairlifts. The only downside was the cold – it was in the low 20s on Friday and the high 20s on Saturday but since we were dressed for the cold it was not too bad.

Since my last ski experience was over a year ago, I had forgotten what a good workout skiing can be. It was fun to ski some of the harder stuff at both Breck and Vail – especially the backcountry runs with lots of trees. The runs with bumps seem to take two to three times the energy of the regular cruser runs but we did plenty of both.

Thankfully the Sunday run was only 5 miles since I’m unaccustomed to the thin air in Denver. I started at 6.9 MPH on the treadmill and worked my way up to 7.3 and then back down to 7.1 depending on how fast the music was on my iPod. I finished the last mile at an 8 minute-mile pace (7.5 MPH) and felt pretty strong at the end. I finished the workout with a good stretching session and 3 sets of 10 pushups for good measure.

The mid-week runs remain the same this week … 3 miles today, 4 tomorrow, and 3 on Thursday. I get a rest day on Friday and have a 9 mile run on Saturday which will be my longest ever.

All-in-all I feel good now. My toe isn’t bothering me and I feel rested and relaxed. I hope this is true after this weekend and going forward when the mileage really starts to increase. I hope I can run outside on Saturday morning since 80 minutes on a treadmill does not sound like fun (see post below on Tutenstein).

I have one run in the books for week three. It was only a 3 mile run outside last night (Tuesday) and was pretty uneventful. The bigger worry I have had over the past 3 days I have been worried about my big toe.

I have always made fun of those athletes who claimed they had ‘turf toe’ but I believe that is exactly what I have been experiencing since Monday morning. It was strange that my long run last week was on Saturday and I felt no pain during the run, after the run or the entire next day.

The good news is the foot feels much better today but I still notice a very small, very dull pain when I walk around but it seems to be getting better. On my run yesterday I felt no pain. I even ditched the mp3 player in favor of focusing on how my body and foot felt. I was really trying to concentrate on my heel strike (if that is even a term) such that my heel hit the pavement first then rolled up to the arch and ball of my foot.

I run 4 miles tonight (probably on the treadmill) and 3 miles tomorrow (hopefully outside before work). My trip this weekend to Colorado should more than count for a cross training day since I will be skiing on Friday and Saturday. The 5 mile weekend run might be tough due to the elevation in Denver.

Week two of training is now complete. I ran 7 miles on Saturday morning on the treadmill at Equinox. Although I had my iPod, the only thing on the big TVs overhead was Saturday morning cartoons. I’m not talking about the good cartoons of yore like Transformers or He-Man but rather Tutenstein. That’s right, an entire cartoon centered on a mummy that is a cross between King Tut and Frankenstein’s monster.

Aside from the cartoon the run was pretty boring. I did 5 miles, took a very brief water break and came back to the treadmill to pound out the last two. I was somewhere in the high 8 minute mile time (around 8:50 I think) which I don’t consider too bad. It was officially the longest I have run on a treadmill in one shot and look forward to running outside ASAP.

Aside from that there is little else to report. I skipped my cross training this weekend since my sister was in town. I could go tonight but that is unlikely.

The only other news to report is my big toe (left foot) really hurt this morning. Just walking around was painful. It is still tender now but much better than when I first woke up. I’ll monitor it today – hopefully it will be better for tomorrow’s run.

This morning I switched things up a little and did my run before work rather than after. Since it was only 3 miles this didn’t really modify my morning routine too much other than forcing me to wake up an hour earlier than normal. The reason for this change is that I’m attending the Flogging Molly show tonight at House of Blues and didn’t want to have to hit the gym before that.

One thing I did discover this morning is that I take a long time to stretch, steam, shower, and change following a workout. For example today my run was 26 minutes, my stretch was probably around 15 minutes, steam was another 10 and shower and change another 10 which means I spent more time getting ready than working out today. I normally wouldn’t worry about such things but had to make it to work this AM.

Overall I’m feeling pretty well. I’m a little tired from lack of sleep and this morning’s run and a little sore from Tuesday’s kickboxing. I’m looking forward to having a rest day tomorrow in preparation for my long run (7 miles) on Saturday.

I’m hoping to be able to do the long run outside but the temps will probably not get over 30 so I might have to hit the treadmill yet again. I think I’m going to have to reward myself with a pint or three at the show tonight.

I’m up to day one of week #2. Yesterday I did a 3 mile treadmill run in around 26 minutes, had a stretch and went to an hour class of kickboxing. The run was uneventful but the kickboxing kicked my ass a little. It was a great workout but I discovered I wouldn’t last 15 seconds with the likes of Chuck Norris.

Last night I was capital-T Tired from my workout. Today I’m having trouble lifting my arms over my head which is largely due to the 15,000 jabs, 10,000 crosses and 8,000 uppercuts I threw in class.

On the ‘other good news’ front we have a couple of new developments. So far the cheering section for Rich and I will include Jim, Cathy, Kraig, Laura, and Lindsey who will all be on hand for the race. The newest group to come and cheer us on is none other than my parents and possibly my sister and brother-in-law. This is good news indeed as having people to cheer you on around mile 18 will be fantastic.

Tonight brings a ho-hum 3 mile run with more of the same on Thursday. Needless to say I’m taking at least a week off of kickboxing.

So as of yesterday, week one of training is in the books. I ran 3 miles on Tuesday, 3 miles on Wednesday, 3 miles on Thursday, and 6 miles on Saturday. I took Superbowl Sunday off and had a cross training day yesterday. This involved a brief warm up and a lifting session.

Since I’m only one week into the program and the mileage isn’t too high yet I’m trying to focus on making some good habits for the remainder of the pre-marathon training. First and foremost I’m trying to put in a thorough stretch after every workout. Even if I only run 3 miles I want to take the time to stretch my back, arms, and legs well. I have noticed that if I stretch well it will decrease my muscle soreness, increase flexibility and help reduce my risk of injury.

Another resolution (as you may like to call it) is to listen to my body and not try and run too fast. Again, I don’t think that is a huge issue now since the weekly mileage is only at 15 miles but it will become much more important as the longest runs creep up toward 20 miles.
All-in-all week one went very well and I’m excited that I have finally started the ‘official’ training program. I’m starting to make some more plans for the trip now (booking a hotel) which makes the whole thing more real somehow.

Week #2 brings three more 3-mile runs (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and a 7 mile long run on Saturday. I’m also throwing in a kickboxing class with friends after my run tonight. The class is called Powerstrike! and I think will be taught by Jean Claude Van Damme or his lesser know brother Cletus Van Damme.

If you have any questions or comments for me – marathon ninja – post ‘em here!