This morning was a cold one, but had to be done. I've found myself having one heck of a busy week, and am still flirting with the idea of starting to train for the Vancouver Marathon. My buddy Chris is running a marathon in early May (Grandmother's Marathon in Minnesota or something?) and he sent me the link for Hal Higdon's Intermediate Training Schedule. I looked at that over the weekend and realized it's an 18 week course. If my calculations are correct I've got a bit over 12 weeks before the Vancouver Marathon (3 months x 4 weeks = 12).

Nevertheless, I also know how much better I feel after I run and I wanted to feel good and rejuvenated today. So, the alarm went off at 6:20 (I made it to bed before midnight) and the weather said 21 degrees Fahrenheit and 12 degrees with the windchill. So, I put on all of the clothes I normally run with and then added a pair of sweat pants and a China-special North Face Summit Series layer (bought a mock version while in China a few years go, so it's probably not an actual North Face) and headed out.

Surprisingly, I actually was pretty warm. I moved at about an 8 minute mile pace (the actual run was just under 6 miles and took about 48 minutes) though my leges felt quite tired. I always tell myself it's okay to go easy (but I think 8 minute miles are easy). I have the track workout tomorrow night so I wanted to save something for my legs. Nevertheless, the run was what it was, and even though I'm feeling a bit tired (7-8 hours of sleep would have been much nicer) I am feeling good about the day and ready to go conquer it. That's why I really like running. On top of that, no matter how painful it is to get out of the house that early when it's that cold, it's always nice to see dawn break. That's truly worth it in and of itself.

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but there are often times when I am running that I think about all of the things I could talk about when I go to write about the run. Then, by the time I've managed to make it back home, exhausted (at this point in my "training" - in quotes because I am not currently training for anything specific), I have no desire to rush upstairs and get on the computer to say anything.

I must say, with winter upon us, I have had absolutely no desire to wake in the morning and go for a run. The problem is, I am really bad about making time for the run later in the day. Usually, if I want physical activity at lunch I will head to the gym, and in the evening I have been getting home pretty late, ready to eat, and surely not in the mood to begin running.

That said, i did manage to sneak in a lunch time run on Friday. I was feeling tired in the office and barely wanted to motivate myself to go to the gym. The gym, recently, has consisted of little more than running through 2/3 of my normal routine (I really only have two routines - one for chest/bi/tri and another for back and shoulders, both of which incorporate push ups, ab work and a bit of stretching). After rushing through a half assed work out the other day I decided that I could sacrifice even more time out of the office and hopped on the tread mill for half an hour. That run felt good. Most runs do. The release is what I crave.

I knew I wanted to run yesterday. I didn't push it hard on the treadmill on Friday. My body was still recovering a bit from the "classic-ladder" workout we did at the track on Wednesday night. I really enjoyed the workout, and felt that I was already getting back to my pre-Africa trip pace (I ended up heading up the "second group" which meant that I was running my splits at about 1m30s per 400m lap, but I needed a bit more recovery time). I will continue to use those workouts throughout the winter.

The weather yesterday was quite beautiful. I believe it was in the high-40s when I decided to actually step out the door. I was half torn on exactly when I was going to run. I didn't get up early to run, instead doing some reading, cleaning and heading to the grocery store. By the time 1pm rolled around it felt as if it would be as good a time as any. I started out quickly, running down hill from my house in Petworth/Columbia Heights towards the Capital (Pennsylvania Avenue). It was interesting to run that route during the day, especially on the weekend. By the time I made it down to the Convention Center (9th and Mass) I took a bit different route than I normally would on a morning with deserted streets.

Instead of cutting East on Massachussets and then running down 7th street through Chinatown, I went pass Mass. Ave and because of the traffic light situation ended up going East on H Street. The light at 7th worked so that it was easier to go straight through it, as opposed to turning right/south and heading by the Verizon Center as I normally would. That street would have been insanely packed, anyways. Instead I ended up going south on 6th street, on the back side of the Verizon Center and then made my way down towards Pennsylvania. I believe I ended up going East on C Street, and once I made it down to 3rd Street I encountered a huge crowd of people out for the Peace Rally (a rally to once again try to show Mr. Bush that most of the people who live in this country do not think his Iraq plan is a good, just one).

I would have normally cut in front of the Capital, but that route was cordoned off. Instead I ran up Independence (or was it Constitution?) and went behind the Capital. This added a bit of a hill and probably an additional half mile to my run. By now I was beginning to feel a bit tired and realized I had to make it all the way to 14th street and then back up the house. Luckily, dodging the people and traffic along Constitution (or was it Independence) as I ran along the back side of the Air and Space Museum kept my mind occupied and off of the run. My stomach, which had been upset by a meal the night before, was starting to cause me some serious problems and my mind wanted to lead me home quicker than my body.

That's the nice thing about running marathons. I've said it once and will continue to say it - that mental preparation is invaluable in running. This was a run that I started out relatively quickly, feeling good, but not pacing myself for a full 8 miles. If I had been out for four, it would have been great. So, my mind had to really pick it up and carry me through the rest of the run. I had to block out the stomach ache and the pacing issue. Thankfully, by the time I fronted the Washington Monument and turned North on 14th Street I knew every step that I would make between that and home. For the past three to four years I've been on that road at least 50 times (I had been trying to figure out an approximation of how many times I'd actually been up the street and had to say that it was surely less than 100 but could be more than 50).

i finished out the run and all in all I did 8.11 miles in about an hour and 4 minutes (7:58 pace). I felt good about it and the warm weather surely made it easier to get out there. Today I have work to do and a bit of studying to do, so I'm unsure exactly when I'll make it out of the house. The weather is a bit rainy, and having gone up to Baltimore for the Earth Crisis reunion show means that I haven't truly gotten a great night's sleep. However, I know full well that if i get out there at some point today, I will feel better in the end.

Lastly, I'm beginning to flirt with the idea of running the Vancouver Marathon in May. Robert lives out there and I believe that he is going to run it. I may have business there the day before, anyways, so it might work perfectly. And, it'd give me a reason to really start training, something I might really enjoy!

I just stepped in from a 3.5 mile "recovery" run. I really don't know how to do a true recovery run. My pace still averaged about 8:15, which isn't too much slower than a lot of the regular runs that I do. It was really cold outside, probably around 25 degrees Fahrenheit. I wanted to ensure that I could keep moving in order to stay warm.

Like I wrote last night, I really hadn't intended on getting up and running. However, as my mind raced while I lie in bed between 5:45 and 7:00am, I couldn't stand the thought of getting out of bed in order to motivate getting over to the gym. Therefore running was the only thing that might ease the anxiety pumping through my system. The run itself didn't truly alleviate that, however. My mind continued to race, at an expedited pace, which is probably what kept my legs moving quickly, too.

My hamstrings are sore from the track last night. My eyes and brain are tired; they're exhausted, in fact. I don't truly know how to keep up. I think soon I'm going to lose my mind. Until then, running should keep me throttling.

Track Workouts and Returning to the Gym.

I returned to the gym this week. I went yesterday morning and again this morning. I went through a very light routine, though it isn't much different from what I normally do when I go in there. Nevertheless, with the insomnia and jet lag I haven't felt incredibly motivated. However, I've gotten in there just enough to make myself feel good and energize me throughout the day.

Though i worked out this morning I made a return to the track tonight. I run with a group called the Potomac Runners and I hadn't gone since a few weeks before my marathon. However, tonight I braved the sub-30 degree temperatures and went out once again. I love the invigoration that a track workout gives me. In fact, even though I've had trouble sleeping every night this week, it's a quarter til 11pm and I am showing no real signs of tiring. That's rare for me (and I hope I do get tired soon!).

The running plan for tonight was a series of 1200m runs, followed by a 400m jog, followed by a 400m run, followed by a 200m jog, then repeat. I think the intended plan was to do a series of 1200m runs followed by 400m jogs and then finish with a series of 400m runs followed by 200m jogs, but that's not how we went about it.

I was able to keep up with the front runners for the first set of 1200s, and even the first 400 run following that. However, I quickly realized that it had been a couple of months since I'd been out there, and that they were looking to increase their pace with each and every set. I wasn't capable of handling that. I had to slow down with each set, though I didn't fade too far from a 6:00 minute per mile pace.

I ended up running 4 full sets, and then followed it up with a mile cool down. I ran for 52 minutes, overall, and probably around 5 and a half miles. I am debating whether or not I will do any sort of work out tomorrow. I could get up and go for a nice recovery run, or I could just relax. I won't be able to hit the gym again until Tuesday of next week, so possibly I should go in there. However, I wouldn't mind just trying to sleep in! Lastly, and I always have to remind myself this - while days off are good, they typically don't work for me. I like the release I get from either running, going to the gym, or both.

Well, here it is: 2007. I remember my first run of 2006. It was a pretty glorious run in New York's Central Park. I had a relatively late New Year's Eve there, but wanted to start the new year fresh. I was fortunate enough to stay around the Gramercy area of town - 26th and Lexington Avenues. I ran from there up to Central Park, did the big loop, and returned. I think it was close to 10 miles. It was a fresh start for 2006.

I wasn't able to run on the first day of 2007. I was traveling around Africa and I spent New Year's on a slow ferry between the island of Zanzibar and the mainland city, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. From there I caught a bus to the small town of Moshi to meet my friends to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. We spent January 2nd through the 7th on the mountain. I spent the next few days on a Safari in Ngorongoro Crater and the plains of the Serengeti, all without running.

I expected my first run of the year to be Saturday, January 13th, but I managed to sneak one in with my friend Victoria on Thursday the 11th in Rwanda. Her and her husband, Matthew, live there and that's where I based my Africa trip out of. I wasn't expecting to run that day, but Victoria was up for it and I really knew that it would make me feel better. Rwanda sits at around 5,000 feet. That's as high as Denver, Colorado. The air is a tad thinner there, which can make breathing while exerting oneself somewhat of a challenge. Luckily both of us were in the mood for a very slow run. It's also quite hilly, but we found a route that took us up a few steep grades and then onto some flat streets atop the hill. All in all it was a good way to start 2007.

I flew home all night Friday and arrived Saturday morning. It's now Monday, January 15th, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday Holiday. I've been struggling to catch up on sleep and transition back into my life here at home. However, I have managed to sneak in three runs.

None of the runs has been exceptionally great. I ran Saturday afternoon around 2pm. It was a short 4-mile loop that I use quite often. Africa is seven hours ahead so my "body time" felt as if it was around 9pm. On top of that, I'd traveled from around 10am "body time" until 1pm (our plane landed at 6am in DC) without much sleep or relaxation. Nevertheless, it felt good to get my first run of the year in DC under my belt.

Coming back from areas where the clocks are ahead (i.e. Europe, the Middle East, Africa) has always seen me suffer great amounts of jet lag. I really hate it and don't really know what to do. I've tried to combat it with all kinds of different things. This time I did a good job of napping on Saturday which enabled me to stay up until a very reasonable hour - 11pm. I went to bed but didn't sleep well and by 5am my body refused to allow me to sleep more.

The sun isn't rising here until almost 7:30am and therefore the first signs of light didn't appear until around 7am Sunday morning. I decided that I should head out for a run around then. Though I wasn't sure of the distance I knew I'd be able to log an hour by heading out of my house, down to the National Mall and Capital and then back up 14th Street. The run dind't feel bad, but it didn't feel great, either. I averaged over 8 minutes per mile, but was actually fine with that. I have no need to attempt to compete against anyone or myself with these first runs of the year.

The one thing that was interesting about the run to me was how little things have really changed in the month I've been away. I used to return from tours when I was working with bands and construction seemed to progress with leaps and bounds. Now, though some buildings had made obvious progress, the visible progress wasn't as prevalent as I would have expected. Though most people don't run off for a month of vacation like I was capable of doing this holiday season, I suspect that some of the developers and construction workers spent a bit of the time I was gone relaxing a bit on their own.

The run itself didn't wear it me out, but did contribute to my overall feelings Sunday. I was tired and couldn't motivate myself to do much. I did manage to get about an hour's nap in on the couch, which made me feel better. In an attempt to combat the depression which always settles in when I return from a lengthy trip I organized a get together at a local bar last night in order to share stories and see familiar faces. My running buddy Chris made the trip up from North Carolina and there were quite a few others who were present. We drank a fair amount, yet within reason, and I was asleep by almost 1am.

Unfortunately, another severe bout of insomnia presented itself to me throughout the night. I awoke to use the restroom multiple times during the night and around 4:30am I awoke for good. Try as I might, I was completely unable to put my mind at ease and return to sleep. This was a condition that I battled with before I left. I am not sure if this is a continuation (most of the effects completely dissipated while traveling) or just a natural bout with jet lag, but it's affecting me pretty severly.

I hadn't planned on running today. The almost 7.5 miles I put in yesterday combined with the 4 from Saturday left my legs feeling a bit sore and tired. However, I've come to realize that running for me is just as much mental as it is physical. The release of endorphins or whatever physical affect it has on my body is so positive that I will probably force myself to run almost every single day. Today I ran and now I'm benefitting from that release. I still feel pretty terrible, but that's a combination of the alcohol and less than four hours of sleep.

The run today was almost 6 miles and I averaged just over an 8:15 pace. By the time I'd put in 3 miles my legs were hurting a fair amount. I was surely sore as can be. However, we've been having a very mild winter in DC thus far (supposedly there were many days in the 70s during my month long trip to Africa) and the 55 degree temperatures combined with the rise of the sun made for an enjoyable time outside, even if the run itself wasn't exactly what I wanted.

So, that begins 2007. I am not sure exactly what my plans for running are going to be. My buddy Chris is running the Virginia Beach half marathon in March and planning to train for a full marathon in either April or May. I've done my marathons in the fall the past two years and am not sure if I will break that cycle. However, as I've realized that running benefits my body and my mind, and I plan on doing it quite frequently, I may just decided to pick a race and run it. Hopefully I'll be able to continue to write interesting things about it.