Just keep running

Always take the higher number!!! Glad to have you back on the site. Hope you had a great vacation.

Glad to see you back! Did you have a good time? Good job on staying consistent while not at home! Good luck on the long run tomorrow!

All that treadmill running would drive me batty. Good for you. Don't get too worried about your milage with the Polaris. When you run on the treadmill your stride is different, which is probably the reason the milage doesn't match up. Have fun today.

Nice run! You enjoy that juicy steak it is well-earned!

Thanks April. I'm already starving!

Hove you are doing better. What bad timing for the injury, I really wanted you to do super-great in your HM! That means I'll have to shave at least 5 minutes from mine to compensate for your not-running! =) Team work is required!

Sounds good! So..a 1:45 or better is what we are shooting for?? I will run my half-marathon vicariously through you!

Nice 7 miles a day! You are ready for the HM--I can't wait to see your time! it will be interesting to see how many New Year's resolutions fizzle out and the park gets uncrowded again....

Thanks April. Ready? Well I guess I can finish the HM, but do a good time? We shall see...anyways, how is that ankle progressing? Hope you come back 110%....remember : "No pain, no gain"

Thanks Eric--the ankle is doing much better--not runnable yet, but better! It is healing at about the same rate my other ankle did. I have been using an elliptical and stationary bicycle to try and stay in shape. I have also scoped out a 10k in mid-February to run if things are going okay. Only short races for a while for me! I think you will surprise yourself with a great time in the HM!

You're doing great lately. I'm no expert, but it seems you're putting solid miles in consistently. That's got to be a good thing.

Gracias Burt.

Hope to keep up the good work. =)

Ah yes I love my cup of coffee! Hope those knees stop fussing!

Good luck on your long run tomorrow.

Ojala que tuviera respuestas para lo que te aflije. Quizas un dia de descanso antes.

Gracias Burt...creo que solo es mi cuerpo reaccionando al kilometraje que lo estoy sometiendo tan brutalmente rapido. Recuerda, hace un anio, lo unico que corria era de mi cama al banio, y eso solo cuando estaba enfermo de la pansa. =)

Entendido, amigo. Have a great day!

Hmmm, no habla espanol. I hope all these little aches and pains start tapering off--knee to ankle seems to be my problem too! I hope you find some shoes that make a difference. I have started putting these inserts inside my shoes that are soft and made of gel and just go in the heel area--they seem to really soften the blow of impact and make my feet and ankles feel immensely better.

I have those inserts too. I used them when my achilles tendon was very sore. Maybe I should try them a while more, no? Doesn't hurt to use them.

Hey Eric. Sorry to hear that you are having some issues. Hopefully it's nothing serious. You seem to have built your milage up rather quickly over the past few weeks. Have you been using the 10% rule? If you find yourself overtraining with milage it usualy will show up with issues in the lower legs. Here's an interesting article about the problems that Lance Armstrong developed during his first marathon experience. http://mysite.verizon.net/jim2wr/id192.html

This is a pretty good site that helps me from time to time with running related questions. I hope you find it enlightening also. Be safe out there. Paul

Eric; I sent you a private message. Did you ever get it? Maybe it went to junk mail?

Uh-oh. Not good. Oh that stinks. This seems to be a pattern--getting injured with the HM getting close. Have you looked online to try and identify the problem? Maybe it's nothing...I hope! Maybe it will go away in a day or two...ice and motrin. See a doctor! Keep me posted.

Looks like we have bad luck; I have not ruled out the HM yet, still time to heel & train, it all depends on how bad this is. After googling some more, I've found I have "Calf Strain" on the Gastrocnemius Muscle.

Rice, calf massage with special cream & Xtraining for me this week. Time to dust off my bicycle again.

Sounds like you will still be good to go on the HM. Have on that bicycle!

Eric, I did the same thing 1 1/2 weeks before my Half Marathon. I was not a happy camper. I took it easy lots of massaging and working the calf out. I uese the 'stick' to roll the calf muscles out and that helped a lot. Very painful at first but then worked its way back real fast. Go back and read my blog from 2 weeks ago. I was amazed at how quickly these things can heal. I ended up having a great half after all. You have plenty of time.

Scott, thanks for the tips. Can you elaborate on what to do? I read your blog, but I'm sorry to say I can't read the specifics on what to do. I would appreciate your help.

I have a 10k this weekend, I guess I should rule that one out? It was going to be my speed training....

I basically spent most of an evening and the next day really working the calf. I massaged it thouroughly working mu thumbs in deep. I also would rub an anti imflamtory cream into the calf. I has some 'Nikken wraps', a magnetic sleeve that I would wear constantly day and night. When I started my runs I would stretch out extra good and then try to keep the legs warm. It was in the 30's here so I wore long pants and kept the sleeves on. I took it very easy warming up on the runs. Strextched well after the runs and applied more cream. Within a few days I was out running pretty hard without the pain.

My calf got hurt by going out for a run without any stretching and it was too cold to not stretch. I pushed an 11 mile run to hard that day and it caught up to me.

Hope this helps you out some. I am no doctor but this is how it worked out for me.

Thanks Scott, I will sure try the calf massage. I even have an appointment with my wife for one. =).

See how things feel in the morning.

Way to take it safe. Most all running injuries can heal in little time if properly cared for. At least, that's what I heard.

SWEET! Looks like you will be able to pick up where you left off in no time! Glad it is doing so much better!

Yikes. Maybe it just needs a few consecutive days off. Maybe some biking and no running for the rest of the week and see if that clears it up? That really stinks Eric I wish your calf would feel better. What day in February is the HM? I know I already asked but I forgot...

During the morning it was painful with certain walking movements. My wife gave me a massage after lunch and that felt good; so I'm a little better now.

I'll have another massage + heat + cold tonight, hopefully that will help.

Yeah, I'll take the rest of the week off, bummer!! When one is finally feeling results come in from all that hard work, this has to happen!

My HM is on Feb 22nd, still time for that ! (My daughter's birthday is Feb 23rd.) (I know it has nothing to do, but I just remembered)... =)

Sorry to hear that the calf isn't improving. :( April has the right idea. Take a couple of days completely off and keep up the icing. It's starting to sound like a strain which is a lot better than stress fracture. Sometimes we have to take a step back to take a step forwards. Try to be patient. I know, easier said than done.

Thanks Pual, today is my first official day off. Long time since I got up this late in the morning in a long time...but feeling better.

Sorry Paul, wrote your name wrong...

Enjoy the rest. Your body probably appreciates it!

April, exactly what I was thinking. Nice to get up after sunrise for once.

Hanginthere Eric. Here's a link that may help with diagnosis.

http://www.injuredrunner.com/

There's a section whereyou can click on where it hurts and they give you a list of possibilities. Hope it helps.

Paul, cool link. Nice info.

Feeling 99% better, even getting more sleep than usual.

Glad the calf is better! Good job on taking it easy--it is hard to restrain yourself. Enjoy the extra sleep!

How's the calf today?

Hi April, better, although not 100% yet.

I have my number for tomorrow's 10k race. I will go, even if can only walk it...we'll see how the calf behaves tomorrow.

Waiting to hera howit went. Hope you didn't make anything worse. Get back to us will you? Paul

Way to go, hermano, y tu hermano tambien. I'll be gunning for a sub 50 this Sat. Hope I can do it!

Gracias Burt!

Hope that sub 50 comes through for you!

Wow! 51:00 for a 10k without trying too terribly hard is great! I bet you are easily sub 49:00 if you had been 100% and could have really gone at it. Glad the calf is letting you run! Sounds like you will have no problems making it to your HM.

Nice job for your brother too! That was his first 10k? wow

April, before the injury, I was aiming to do a 45:00 10k in this race. I really wanted to push hard and do a nice race. As I said, this was before the injury.

Calf is sore today, and was very sore yesterday. Did tons of ice, massage and rest.

I'm taking a few days off from running. I will see if I can be checked by a sports doctor. I need to get over this calf problem and also to get 100% on my achilles tendon (it is still there).

Yes, can you believe it? My brothers first 10k and does better than what I have done in 6 months!

For the moment, you and I are tied for 42nd place on the mileage board. :)

Get some rest and get healed.

Nice job with the race. Don't you just hate when the new guy comes out and beats you. :) Hard to complain too loudly when it's family. Glad to hear you didn't mess the calf up to badly with the race. It's so hard to throttle back when those competative juices get flowing.

WOW you both did a great job out there! Now you have a great incentive to get faster! Congratulations, awesome race! Imagine what you'll do once your calf injury is gone!

Paul, yeah, I feel I have to push harder to beat my baby brother now; put him back in his proper place (behind me!) ... ;) Calf is sore but ok. I'm going to get a check up on this anyways.

Lucia, thanks for the cheers...My brother was super...I was only aiming at finishing.

How's that calf?

Thanks for asking April.

Calf is good. Just a little bit of pain when I do certain movements. But I'll keep stretching.

I'll try running till next saturday, if everything is ok, then try to continue with training program maybe with a little less distance...

Yeah!!! Glad the calf has quit complaining and you had a nice run! What a nice, quick recovery!

Very happy Calf stopped complaining and let me run.

We shall see if all is well till tomorrow.

Thanks for the comment, Eric. Great to see you back running.

Glad to hear that everything feels good!!! Make sure to build in some recovery days with your schedule. It's important to give your body a break. An easy 4 mile run after a hard day can make a huge difference. Congrats on being up high on the board. I would have printed out a copy of the page for posterity. Paul

Ha ha, yeah maybe I should. But there were only two ( or was it three?) bloggers with mileage at the moment so it was sort of to simple.

Tomorrow will be a rest day, don't want to push too much.

At the moment you're 53. Still not too bad.

Sounds like you are up and back at it. Only 3 more weeks to your HM!

Thanks April. Feel a little bit less in shape, but I think I can manage de HM. Less than 3 weeks to go...all my friends have backed out of it, looks like I'm on my own on this one.

Looks like things are better! Glad to see you're easing back into it. Nice weather here yesterday too. I didn't plan on running but it was just so nice I had to. Have a great day. Paul

I hope you had a good day off! :o)

Sounds like a good plan!

Thanks all. Felt great and very rested!

Solid run today, my man.

Glad your run was okay! Good luck with the packing and moving. I despise packing and moving--it is no fun!

nice run. Good luck with the move. (yuck!)

April & Camille wish me grim packaging days, so inspiring...

Nah, just messing around, thanks.... =)

We're going to be cracking that whip in a min!

No more women cracking whips please. I already live with 3 women, one maid, 1 female cat, 1 gay cat.

Enough for me!

Mercy!!!

You are totally outnumbered!

Glad the machine is working! You gonna do a long run tomorrow?

Yes, this is my last opportunity to do a long run before my HM. I will try to surpass the 13.1 mile mark, but can't promise, we shall see what my body has to say about that tomorrow.

Next saturday I will run a "short" long run before the race.

You seem to be ready for a HM. You should come and run with me here in Mexico!

The last long run is under your belt and done before the HM! Two more weeks! I am really excited for you Eric--I think you are going to do great! If I was closer to your neck of the woods I would come run it with you!

Thanks for the kind words April. And yes, I finally made it over the 13.1 mile mark. From here to the HM I'll take it easier. Maybe I will be able to do the sub 2:00 HM?

Just two more weeks...it starts to get exciting now.

I'm just remembering that one year ago, I could barely run 1 mile...

Nice mileage or kilometage. The metric system is un-Amurkin.

Do you have any book recommendations? I'm into sci-fi.

I also love Sci-Fi books, but good ones. Arthur Clarke & Isaac Asimov are my favorites. The Foundation books (its a series) was very good.

2001, 2010, 2069 & 3001 from Clarke are also very good.

What is un-amurkin? Please forgive my ignorance.

The Foundation series is my favorite, at least the original trilogy is. I thought the prequels were very disappointing. I'll check out the Arthur Clark stuff. Have you read any George R. R. Martin?

Un-American :)

Great job Eric. You have definetly rebounded from the calf strain. :) You're going to have a fun time with that half in two weeks. I'm a huge Sci-fi fan myself. Have you guys ever read any Orson Scott Card? I read Ender's Game and fell in love with his writing. I've also read everything by Isaac and Clarke.

I have to confess I have not read R.R. Martin. Are his books sort of medieval type sci-fi?

Pual, thanks, and also, not read Soctt Card.

Which book would you guys suggest as a first book to read from both authors?

Loved Ender's Game. It's also one of my favorites. I remember reading it during class and getting choked up.

Card also has several collections of short stories that I enjoyed.

Martin is medieval. Rachel comes from a family of bookworms and they all love him. With the exception of Rachel. She gets hung up on the made up names and the goofy speech. Methinks you should start with Storm of Swords.

I'll look into the book from Martin & Card.

For medieval books, may I recommend "Pillars of the Earth" & "World without End" from Ken Follett? I've read Pillars of the Earth and it was very good, I have next to my bed the World Without End, but I have not started it yet.

You're building a good base. Keep up the good work.

Thanks my man!!!

7 mile recovery run. NICE!!! That just goes to show how far you've come. :)

Many thanks Paul.

I -DO- feel proud of myself. About a year ago I ran my first few yards, of course, after a cigarette.

Those cigarettes slow you down!

I am confused, help me out here: 11.25 in 1:07, what am I missing? It was 7 miles (which is an awesome time for a recovery run) so what is the 11.25? I am sure I am being stupid, but enlighten me.

Sorry Kelli, my mistake. I usually type in all the info, its: 11.25 kms in 1 hour 7 minutes (7 miles in 1:07).

I was sort of in a rush when I put it in this morning...won't happen again, I promise.

I'm in Mexico, and here we use the metric system, so I put in the reeal miles and blog my kilometers so I understand the mileage...weird, no?

=)

Hey, as long as you know what you are talking about!

Where were you born? I know you must have told this Mexico story, but I can not remember.

I was born in Mexico City, but my mother is Canadian and my grandfather (father side) was british.

So I'm sort of a "royal maple burrito guy".

Well, at least I am a royal pain sometimes...(some people say).

Okay, I see, RMB guy. That is a great name, just too long for my lazy self to type out.

So, you have always lived there, then?

You know, I'm starting to like how the "RMB" sounds, sounds good, no?

Yes, lived all my life here (unfortunately sometimes), but done well, can't complain on that part.

So, you're in Utah. How are things there?

Things are snowing and cold here!!! And, I was born here, have always lived here, and have rarely traveled outside of here (AZ, CA, and NV, as well as ID for a funeral, but just barely across the UT border by like 5 minutes). I am lame. I have never been to Mexico, but I want to! One day I will get a really nice vacation.

WOW you are one fast dude Eric! So thrilled that you had a good run! Enjoy the rest of your day.

Gracias amiga! Pero no tan rapido como tu!

You too, have a great day.

Oh man Eric ... those days are priceless!!

That is AWESOME!!!

Thank you Teena. I agree, priceless...

Excellent Eric! What a good feeling!

Thanks April. Wish more days like this....maybe with time...

GREAT RUN!!! It is awesome to have a day like that. Where can I get me one?

Nice run! It sounds like a great day. :o) I need to find out where I can find one of those runs too...

Solid running. Days like today are why we stay in this sport. Good job.

Camille, when you where they are tell me please. I would like some more... =)

Nevels, thanks. I agree, just wish it was more often...

Nice work! There's a place in Santa Barbara that makes a burrito, then wraps it in another tortilla with nachoes and cheese. I can only imagine what goes in Royal Maple burrito...

Royal (british) Maple (canadian) Burrito (mexican). Its the mix of blood that run through my veins.

It does have a nicer ring than limey beaver taco...

Weren't burritos invented in San Francisco?

Like the new blog title.

Thanks, I think its cool...

What a "novel" way to pass time on your runs--listen to a book! Glad things are going well--you are on the final countdown to the HM!

Its T minus 10 days to go.

I'm starting to get the jitters ...

How old are your daughters?

My two princesses are 9 & 7. They are beautiful, very active, fun & charming girls (what parent wouldn't say that about their kids?).

I know you have two girls too, right?

Yep, one will be 16 next month and the other will be 13 in Apr.

I asked about yours because you said you'd recommend your audiobook to them and want to see if they were of a like age with mine.

Still, your girls would like the way the book is written, I think its a book for all ages.

Cool, you get a new house!! I hope all of the ends meet where they are supposed to!

Have a good day!

Thanks Kelli, thought we lost you for injury back a couple of days...or am I getting confused?

A new house, how exciting! Anything special with the construction? Is it going to be your dream home?

Yes, dream home. House is huge (in order to fit in all the request's made by my wife).

Just don't know how I will pay everything...counting pennies.

I do not remember being injured....but that does not mean it did not happen.

Happy budgeting!

Good luck with the house. Wouldn't it be nice to get paid for running. We would all be rich!

Sorry Kelli, that was Camille...got confused.

April, thanks, not much fun, but getting somewhere.

Sue, don't I get a $1 Zimbabwean dollar for each mile?

Yeah. Isn't that like .10 After a while that is enough to pay for some sports beans!

Betcha that long run felt kinda' short(for a long run). Only a week out--I think you'll do great. Still shooting for a 1:45?

Honestly, it felt tiring...but yes shorter.

1:45...don't know. Not sure if that would mean pushing too much.

Haven't really thought about strategy, but, from the top of my head, this could be a plan:

First 5k take it easy, a 6:00 min/km pace; from 6k onwards, push pace to 5:15 min/km. The question is: can I sustain that pace from 16kms? I wonder myself.

At least I'll shoot for a 1:55. What do you think?

I think you could do a 1:50 without hurting yourself too much--6:00 pace seems a little slow to start--slower than your regular training pace. I say start at your regular training pace and then warm up into something faster but sustainable and then hang on until the end!

April, you are probably right. Should start at regular training pace.

Thanks for the tip.

I hate moving.

ditto.

Sounds good--save that energy! I guess this would be taper week!

Nice! The countdown is on until the HM! Are you going to wear your new shoes for the HM or the old trustworthies? I seem to be cycling into new shoes whenever I have a race coming up and it is always a dilemma for me as to whether to race in the new ones or not....

Yes, I'll wear the new one. Dont feel too great about the old ones. I'll sort of break them in the next couple of days.

Did you have another Garmin before or a stop watch?

I had a Polar watch.

Okay. I have a Forerunner 205. I just go into Training, then Training Options, the Auto Lap, and set the Auto Lap Trigger to By Distance, then set the Lap At to 1.00 mile.

Have fun!

Got it ! Thanks Burt.

Almost there! What is your re-fueling plan for the half? Are you just taking water or sports drink, or are you taking in any actual food?

I'll take a small bottle of sport drink. They will have plenty of drinking stations throughout the race, so why bother carrying more water.

On fuel, I have a couple of Gu's, guess that should be plenty.

No food, well, maybe a small bite before I leave home.

Looks like things are in place for a good run this weekend. I love my Garmin. Hopefully you get the hang of it before race day. The only advise I'd give is don't go out to fast. Nothing worse than the feeling of crawling home the last couple of miles. Remember to stay relaxed, easpecialy when you get tired. Good luck!!!! Looking forwards to your race report.

Paul, thanks.

I feel great. I really do feel very well, considering all the pain & things I've had, this is the best I've felt in ages.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try my best to make a good time for the FRB team!!!!

You'll do great Eric! Do you know when you'll be eating the gu? My mistake sometimes is that I don't take it until it's too late and I'm already feeling low in energy... it takes a few minutes for them to kick in...

Lucia, Gracias! Does km 7 & 14 sound good to you? I will only take two of them.

That sounds good, I think the usual is to take one every 40 minutes or so. If you're drinking a sports drink you may want to take only one, but that's a personal preference. So exciting!!!

Good luck with the moving! I will be looking forward to reading your race report--stay strong and have a good race!

Glad I'm good for something. :)

Thanks April, I hope I don't let you down! =)

Something is better than nothing Burt! ;)

Oh you are not letting me down just finish that race!--don't get injured! :)

You have gotten NEW TOYS for running. FUN! Now I will be all the more confused by your KM's. Are you sure you do not want to just tell us miles so I will get it???

GOOD LUCK on Sunday. Kick some butt.

Yeah!!! I love new toys. I love good gadgets, and the Garmin seems to be one.

And my shoes are soooo great, why can't I find these in Mexico????

Thanks, I hope to kick some, but we'll see.

Just remember Kelli: 1 mile = 1.609 kms... ;)

April, I remember my promise to you since you had to miss your HM! I don't forget! I'm a gentleman of the old ways: my word is my honor! I owe you five minutes in finish time...

I read somewhere that you should break a half marathon into two parts--a 10 mile and then a 5k. So run 10 miles and then bring it home for the last 5K! You will do great!

That is far too much math for me. Ask Burt, I can not add. I only go to 6th grade math, and then I am sTuPiD!! I am okay with it, though.

Have fun playing with your Garmin (my dang mode button broke AGAIN, dang toys!) And break those shoes in well.

It's quite simple, Kelli. 1 mile = 1.609 kms. 1 km = 0.621 miles.

1 cubic foot = 7.48 gal = 0.0283 cubic meters

1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds

Commit that to memory and the rest is Mickey Mouse.

Well, Burt's explanation is better....

My brain hurts just looking at it! But, alas, I am in luck becasue Sasha makes you enter your miles here!!!

I will memorize this day in case I ever need to refer back to it (or I will just make you do the math for me!)

Good luck on Sunday!

Good luck tomorrow! I can't wait to hear the race report! You are going to do great!

nice time. Good luck tomorrow! I can't wait for the race report! :o)

Well done - that's a great first time for your first HM!

Great job Eric!!!! That was an awesome time for a first 1/2 marathon. Just imagine how much better the next one will be with no move and plenty of sleep. Looking forwards to your splits. Paul

Sweet!

Man alive you are fast! Congratulations!!! And this was your first half? Fabulous! Wooohooo Eric!!!

Congrats on your first HM. Sounds like you had a lot of fun. You really went after it and it paid off. So satisfying, I'm sure.

SWEET TIME AND AWESOME RACE! CONGRATULATIOS! Looks like you ran very smart--started out in control and then picked it up and stayed in control the whole race. What an excellent pace. It sounds like you probably could've kept going too! Once again, CONGRATULATIONS! :)

Hey, hey, hey. Way to go! All those miles really paid off. You once said you wanted to be just like me. Well, you never made it. You passed right by me. Super bien hecho.

WOW, you did awesome, GREAT JOB Royal Maple Burrito man! Awesome time, although those km splits freak me out and make me think you ran a marathon!

Thanks everybody. Sorry for being so blunt, but have tons of works here...

Solid run.

Congrats

Chris, thanks for the cheers from the UK.

Paul, Can you believe it? Yes, hopefully without moving & better sleep would imply better time...

April, I have to be honest and say that I cried a little bit when I saw the finish line within my grasp. And, I owe you 1 minute 46 seconds, but tried my best! =)

Burt, es un honor su comentario. Pasarlo? No creo...imitarlo, tal vez.

Jun, you have no idea the degree of satisfaction I feel this moment. =)

Kelli, sorry for the splits, but in mile terms, I ran an average of little bit more than 8:00 min/mile.

Mike, as sweet as honey!

Thanks Nevel!

That was a smart one to attack your first half marathon. I noticed that you basically ran your 10K PR twice in a row!

Congratulations! Great running - hurray for negative splits and passing up the hares at the end! Enjoy your recovery!

Hey, you would be so proud! I actually figured that one out on my own (cause I ran a 1:48 before and your race was close!!!)

Whatever it is km's or miles, you rocked and rolled!

I am looking for a 50k to run, so then I will be in with the K's!!!!

Your time was spectacular--you did me proud!--especially with all the passing and sprinting at the end--way to bring it home! Looks like you have another HM lined up for next month? I think sub--1:45 is within your reach in the very near future!

Hi Eric -

I noticed you commented on my 8k race report. Thanks for that. Sounds like you had a great half. Congrats. I'll keep an eye on your blog.

Rob

Great Race Eric!!! Thanks for the report, it was very inspiring! Remember that recovery is the most important part of training. Take it easy for next week or so, no matter how good you feel. You are in great shape!

Just wanted to thank everybody for the comments. I really appreciate them all.

A boy I was talking to after the race asked me how long had I trained for the race, when I told him it was three months, he was surprised on how long it had been.

Now that I think of it, those were 3 long months of training, but worth every day of them! Now, if I can only restart the engine and continue the training ...

Thanks all, have a great day!

Eh, it was wise to take a few days off after your half. Glad you are up to running again--hope that Achilles settles down.

Thanks April. Still here, doing better. Still trying to adjust to the new house...

There you are! I figured with the move you were quite busy. Good that you are finding some time to run a bit--bad that your achilles is complaining. Keep taking it easy for a while!

Happy Anniversary Eric! It's amazing how time flies when your happy.

Looking at your short term running goals, you may want to update them a little. Those times seem a little slow after your effort last week. Have a great day. Paul

Happy anniversary man! 12 years! that's amazing. Not a lot of people can say that now days.

Congratulations on your Anniversary! 12 happy years! That's great! Have a good training week!

Thanks all, yes, 12 years. But happy 12 years. Full of memories, love & moments. Of course, 2 daughters are the fruit of this relationship !

Paul, yes, I'll review my goals, see if we need to update.

April, will try. I'll post info tonight.

Happy belated anniversay Eric!

I hope it feels better soon - maybe take one or two days off?

Sounds like a smart move to back off a little bit. Don't want that achilles to get too terribly angry!

Actually, I feel better if I continue running, but I have t avoid speed and hills. Just icing helps sooooo much, ahhhhhh!!! (icing as I type this).

I'm kind of getting tired of the achilles temperament, so childish. =)

How's the achilles tendon feeling today? Good plan, icing it 3 times a day.

Camille, thanks for asking. Much better, although not well yet, but I'm still icing!

Hope those dang tendons start to behave themselves! Keep being careful and hopefully you are able to settle into a routine soon with the new house!

Thanks April. Patience, thats what I need.

Pretty good time for a 10k for just a training run. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Burt...yes, good time, no? The best part was that I wasn't pushing at all, this was supposed to be an easy run.

Your "easy" pace has gotten faster! A by-product of getting in better shape! Good ol' loops huh? So...did you get dizzy? :) Glad the achilles are getting better.

I am sorry your Achilles is bugging you. That happens to my husband sometimes, too, and he says it hurts. Bummer.

Hey, when you build this big new house, can I move in? I am so sick of COLD, I am moving to Mexico!

Very festive. If that was the start, what did the finish look like?

Yeah, it looks like a party, doesn't it? The finish was not that exciting, well, for me it was.

That looks like an exciting start alright! Hope things go well with your client! It is probably wise to take a few days off--I bet your body will appreciate it and you will reap both physical and mental benefits.

How's the house going?

Burt, we have barely started with the measurements and lines on the lot. Digging should start this week, but this will take several months... and all of my money.

You must sell a lot of books.

Smart move Eric. You see so many folks pushing it and really paying for it. Look forward to your return.

Hope you get well soon.

Get that achilles healed once and for all! Smart move to let it heal. Are you going to do any cross-training? Keep us posted! You'll be back in no time!

Good Luck! Hope it gets better very quickly for you.

Sorry to hear that achilles is still a problem. Good to see that you're playing it smart. I just tweaked mine yesterday and a friend whose a P.T. gave me an exercise that should help. If it does I'll pass it on. Otherwise I don't want to fill your head with another 'cure". Look into some cross training- maybe get in the pool.

Hey Eric. It's been a few weeks and I'm wondering how you are feeling? How's the achilles?

Hi to all. Thanks for all the nice comments.

I'm feeling much. much better but not 100% yet. This monday I'll try jogging again, easy short run, see how things move.

Hope everybody else is doing great on their running!

Eric - I'm happy to hear you are feeling better! Good luck Monday!

Regresado de los muertos. Poco a poco mi amigo. Poco a poco.

Mr. Burt, como estas el dia de hoy?

Yes, you are right, little by little. Will go to the basics again. Start slow, increase mileage slowly (yes slowly), and take it by 'feel'.

Hey Eric! Good to see you back on the board. Wish the tendons were done bothering you after the rest! Tennis does not sound like a tendon-resting activity though!

ja ja, yes April, you are right, but after 3 weeks of rest, tendons should be well. Won't happen again.

I'm so happy your are back at it! way to start with a bang!

What kind of bad news is there in Mexico? I am just wondering if it is the SAME bad news we get. I avoid the paper and the news, it only makes me grumpy and scares me!

Welcome back, do not overdo it, take care of yourself, and good luck!

Corruption, government over-expenses, traffic, syndicates doing more messes, education getting worse, killings, death.

If I squeeze the newspaper, would I get a few drops of blood?

So, same news here.

I dunno, try it! I would like to burn mine somedays, but i get the paper for the coupons. Ever the frugal shopper I am!

At least you are back at it! How are the achilles today?

April, yes, at least back @ running. Feel's so much better when I run.

Achilles still there, but since I'm icing after run, does not feel to bad. Will continue with 6 kms daily for next two weeks.

Sorry about your Achilles! I hope it feels better soon, but good work running with the pain!

Interesting that the pain goes away as you warm up. Is that typical of achilles tendonitis?

I guess.

Trying ice & stretching. That seems to make me feel better.

How's the house going?

Very slowly, they are still digging. I wonder if I'll ever see 'a house'

LOL you are too funny!!! I hope your wife is doing better!

Slowly getting better, thank you.... =)

Haha! I hope she doesn't read this or at least has a sense of humor.

Not bad! I hope the achilles like the heel pads too!

Some people swear by those inserts. Sounds nice just to decide to go running and do it.

The during and after is good, so that has to be positive, right????

It should, its just that once the tendon is warmed up, it feels fine.

Its really the before that hurts most ...but today was a little better.

Sorry to hear about your wife. My sister just moved to Mexico with her husband. He had to be admitted to the hospital because he has severe diabetes and he was having siezures. I guess my sister wasn't allowed to be there with him and after being asked twice to leave, she was escorted out by security.

Oh dear Eric I hope your wife is home and feeling better soon! Looks like the tendons are a little troublesome today--stress perhaps? Way to get your run in!

Burt, where is your sister living? Normally they let the husband/wife to stay with the patient, unless they are in very critical case (I guess that was the case). Hope he is better...

April, she will spend another day at the hospital. So far so good. Studies came back negative, so that is good. Still, she is under treatment for Salmonellosis (spelled correctly?)

She lives in Juarez.

You had already told me that...sorry. So, is he better?

His blood sugar has leveled off and he's better now. I worry about him though. He seems to be getting worse. I think his kidneys are failing.

I'm sorry to hear that. Hope you are wrong though (on the kidney part).

Picking up is better than dropping off. I hope all is well.

Sure is, and yes, all is well so far. Thanks.

Read in the paper that troops will start pulling out of Iraq soon, is it true?

Glad that your wife can come home. Hope she is able to get some rest today and feel better. It is always good to go home!

Yes :)

My thoughts are with your wife, and with you for being such a good hubby and taking care of her!

She is glad to be home with our girls again. We all missed each other.

What can I say? I am great hubby, no? ;)

I feel like a ton of brick has been taken of my back...

So glad to hear that!

So now that all is better I can ask you, do you still really like your Garmin 405? I'm thinking of investing in one and was reading the discussion board... not sure which model to get either, which one do you have?

Thanks!

Lucia, yes I did buy the 405.

I think its fantastic. I own a Polar RS800 & the Garmin 405. Go for the 405. The bezel does take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, its fine. I don't move, push, or change things once I start running so its no problem.

Maybe it would be wise to play with it a little bit before buying(do you know anybody that owns one?). I like a lot the part where you can set it up to give you automatic laps (km, miles or whatever distance you prefer), the gps mode is fantastic (no more foot-pod Polar). The battery does discharge rather quickly (3-4 uses per charge), but that is normally no problem (unless you forget to charge it).

Go for it!

I agree--something is better than nothing! I read that eating pineapples boosts tendon healing, and that some elite ironman triathletes eat loads of pineapples in the weeks leading up to their races to reduce inflammation.

Thanks for the tip. I will try it.

Pineapple? Interesting... I've been icing my tendon lots and it helps... someone else told me to take glucosamine supplements... But it's good that it's not worse, right? We will run pain-free soon!

Interesting tip from April, no?

Pain free? Can't remember that feeling...maybe someday =)

I just found out I don't get Easter off. I was looking forward to sleeping in. Glad to see your tendon's improving.

I'm glad the tendon pain is so low! That's good! Nice mileage and pace today!

You'll be pain free soon! Nice work on the extra k!

Always nice to have a good run! You will tame those tendons soon!

It is so interesting how there is NO pain while running. I wonder why that is? BUT I am glad it seems to be almost ALL better.

Great job on your LONG run!!!

I remember when 3 miles was my long run :)

Thanks guys!

Camille, yeah, pace felt great. Even managed to put in a 4:40 min kilometer today. That would be my fastest pace so far.

Lucia, gracias! One km more every two weeks, thats the plan.

April, yes, and feels good.

Kelli, once they warm up, no-problema. The worst is in the morning getting out of bed and going down the stairs.

Mike, there seems to be some running progress, no?

Glad the pain went away for a while after the run. Upping the miles a little bit this week?

Schedule calls for two weeks of 7 kms.

Taking it very gently ... and think my body is appreciating this.

Good luck with the schedule. If you want it to be a good week, stick to your plan and have fun doing it! I was starting to get negative the weekend about my upcoming marathon this saturday. I took a break from running and needed to re evaluate things and have a much better attitude now and it showed with my short 3.50 mile run this morning. Attitude is the key.

Hear you there Scott.

It takes guts to follow the plan, but I really want to get over the tendon problem. So, patience, lots of patience.

Good luck on your marathon, hope you do great!

Glad to see that the running is coming back around. I think the chart for judging the pain is a great idea. It should help to figure out what agravates it the most- tennis? Hopefully I'm back here a little more consistently. It's good to see you're playing it smart with the achilles.

Pretty soon you won't need a car. Just haul your wife and everything on your back and run everywhere.

1/10 is not too shabby! Good work, and sorry about the car. Buy a new one!

Burt, yeah, sure would be cheaper.

Kelli, no way, I payed a fortune for that car. I expect at least 5 years of good-intense use out of it.

Looks the tendons gave you a bit of a break today. I see first marathon in October? I have my eyes on the local marathon in October as well...

Same plan, eh?

My training program is oriented towards the marathon in October. Its also a local one. But only if my tendon problem is fully gone.

I am thinking the local half marathon in September, and then the full marathon in October. If I do the trail half marathon in June it will only be for fun and the experience--I will not be going full throttle. I hope your tendons let you run your races!

See? Same plan. The first sunday of September is the HM here in town. This is the best HM locally and you can even classify to the World Championship in England through this race (of course I won't try that). Then in Oct, the first Full Marathon...

Lets see what plans my tendons have for me this year...

Easy runs are my favorite part.

Glad the tendons are better but what is this new stuff trying to start!? Keep taking it super easy! What sort of surfaces are you running on? I know for me the softer dirt is definitely easier on my legs than concrete or asphalt.

Unfortunately, its concrete. No trails near the house. Ni modo.

We'll take it easy as suggested. =)

Good to hear the tendon's better, taking it easy should help the other stuff

Man, those tendons, they just don't learn, do they? Sorry you're in pain, take it easy and ice, ice baby!

yeah, after ice & bath & driving to work, my tendons do feel a little better.

But you are right, they don't learn! (or is it me?)

=)

It's not you, it's them! :)

Do you think your pain may coincide with which shoes you wore the run prior?

No Mike, I think I pushed to much yesterday (speed wise). Tendons are still too sore for speed. But still, those shoes will get a yellow flag for the moment.

It takes a lot more discipline to run easy when you feel like you can push it.

hey, thanks, well said. =)

You need to beat those tendons into submission! How frustrating! Speed always does me in too--my ankles don't care much for speed. I try to take it easy but it is extremely hard--especially when the sun is shining and I feel so GOOD!

glad the pain is down from yesterday!

I am glad that you are starting to feel better. Keep up with your program and you will do great.

Tendons looking good! 1/10 across the board. 8K, that is an interesting distance. I wouldn't know how to strategize for that.

Scott, thanks. Yes, still trying to stick to program.

April, They feel good today! Even ran at sub 5:00 min/km for first time in training. 8k is a funny distance, no? Don't know what to shoot for, maybe just try to beat my brother?

I think an 8k is the equivalent of 5 miles. Or very close to it. Anyway, win won for the vieja madre!

8k is 5 miles.

"win won" ?

Juan

I suck at spelling today.

Juan? or meant "one"?

Yes, today Burt. And I am surprised at you for this...never expected this from you...maybe I should report you.

No Eric! I could never live it down.

who is it that you are always fighting about spelling? ...trying to remember. mmmmm

I never...

Agreed that your comment was not racist. If you had said "beat those black bastards" then yes, that would be racist. Some people are just too sensitive.

Yay for the tendons, and careful with the shins... It seems I'm having a similar issue, switching shin pain for tendon pain... hopefully neither will hurt eventually!

I hope you can be pain-free soon! And no, I do not think your comment was racist! Some people are so oversensitive it is just silly!

All my boogers flew out of my nose when I read Rocket's comment! Nothing wrong with rooting for the underdog. The plain and simple fact of the matter is - anyone racing against those elite Africans has to be considered an underdog.

Yeah that was too much, I wish I could delete that comment... I was just trying to make a point...

I come from a culture where we say it like we see it and nobody gets offended... It's common to nickname a girl with darker skin "negrita", or with lighter hair "rubia", or a guy who is short "peti" or "petiso", or a guy with narrower eyes "chino", and they adopt those nicknames themselves. A very common loving name between couples, the equivalent of "Honey", is "gorda" (fat). Using a word to identify someone, like "she's black", "he's blonde" isn't racist, the racism is in the way it's used/expressed in a sentence, its intention, or the tone of the expression... but Eric's comment wasn't even about race, so it's not even on the same category!

I was rooting for the black bastards.

Filipinos, Mexicans, and Agentinians. If it ain't all right for them to make fun of other races, then I don't know who can.

That's right, Burt, we'll make fun of everyone on behalf of you Americans that are too sensitive to do it :)

That is the problem, Americans a too sensitive.

So, if we ever hear on a TV program "here comes the Mexican ...", I will sue the TV channel. Now, is this abusurd, or what?

Glad the tendons are better! Is the shin improving...or does it feel the same? I suspect running on concrete may be part of the problem...have you been running on concrete all along? Dirt, grass, even asphalt is better than concrete sidewalks. I have found that strengthening the muscles in my legs has helped immensely with aches and pains--particularly the ones below the knee which is where I have had most of my problems. One-legged squats with the other leg on a bench, lunges, calf raises on stairs(no weights needed)--I do several circuits of these and several others at least twice a week and I will vouch for improvement of aches and pains.

The shin is not really pain, is just like a little bit sore. Just thinking that I should take care of it before it becomes a problem.

Tendons are improving, but still quite a bit more of road to travel before they are fine.

Yes, concrete running, not the best, but don't have much of an option now.

I've been doing the calf raises on stairs (I think this has been the key to getting better of my tendon), and several other stretchings/strenghting. Maybe I should try the squats and lunges too.

And I do these every day, before and after the runs...

Thanks for the tips.

Try toe taps for your shins.

Stand with one leg in front of the other. Lean forward with your hands on your forward knee and tap the toes of your forward foot for 30-60 secs.

Interesting, should I sing something too?

Just kidding, I'll try it! =)

I've never tried singing, but now I'm going to start.

So educate me on this Tendon pain chart. What do the numbers mean? That is a good idea to keep track of the pain for my shins.

Yeah! You are healing!

Sue, I've been suffering of my achilles tendon for over a year now. After doc's, recipes, suggestion, rest, etc's I decided to take it into my own "hands" this year. The chart is to monitor improvements (or not's). Before, would be before I start running (when I get up in the mornings). start, would be the first km; during, would be the rest of the run; after, would be after stretching and having breakfast; later, would be a couple of hours after the run. The scale is 0 to 10, were 0 is no pain and 10 in awful pain. Hope it helps! =)

Okay, do not get mad at me here, but how many miles is that for the year??? GOOD JOB however many it is!

Glad the tendons are cooperating! That is a very good sign. How is the house stuff coming along?

Kelli, its 377.44 (look at the top of my blog).

=)

House?!! Slow, very slow.....but someday. Maybe I'll post a picture soon...

Need to find out how to post a picture first!

If I can post a picture, you can!! It is easy. Burt can walk you through it.

Okay, I did look at the top of your BLOG before and only saw the shoe mileage. The actual miles was up too far. DA!

GREAT WORK!

That is a great way to keep track of pain. I might do what you are doing. I am glad to see that you are healing. I have wondered about posting the pictures too. I will stay tuned into to figure that one out.

Nice work.

Sounds like a great run! I hope that feeling keeps up!

Are you not going to take a rest day, El loco?

El loco? Now thats a new one...

Tomorrow is my rest day. yeah!

That's pretty much the extent of my Spanish, unless you want me to call you El Pollo.

How about El Pollo Loco?

I didn't want to use up my whole vocabulary in one fell swoop, but okay. Did you know there's a fast food chain of the same name?

That's a pretty good pace on your run there, actually. Nice house! Now I need the training manual on posting pictures as well!

Okay, now you have to post weekly pictures so we can watch the progress!!!

Good running, glad the pain is at least being held at bay!

That swine flu is scary, Eric, why don't you find a cure for it, isn't that why you're there? :)

I hope you guys are alright!

You were running at sub 8:00/mile pace--that is pretty fast Eric! I hope you and your family stay healthy while this swine flu thing is going on--please be careful!

Yes, very scary, people are dying in Mexico City. Where we live, in Guadalajara, no outbreaks yet, but we prefer to be cautious (avoid crowed places, school, etc).

April, I'm training to not look so bad after Lucia's 8k. =)

Negative splits - solid. Good training lately...

Good call keeping your girls safe; that flu going around is a little disconcerting.

I just pulled up the pictures of the house; maybe it's just the engineer in me, but I love seeing new construction sites. Things are looking good so far...

I'm an engineer myself, although a computer engineer, but I also love construction. Maybe took the wrong career... thanks for the comments.

Look at you posting pictures like loco now. Check out the house construction. Looking good. The bottom picture is cute.

Its all due to my mentor.

I could've been a sanitation engineer if I had studied harder.

Bien hecho.

Do people really say 'buen trabajo', or is that something we silly Americans made up?

Buen Trabajo would be used only at work. So its silly americans ... =)

Looks like things are on the uphill swing! 10k on May 24 looks like a go!

Yes April, things look good. But still, keeping on program, taking it easy (well, sometimes).

This week & next one, will be 5 mile days.

Way to stick to the program. I need your dedication.

You can have it any time... you can do it!

Feelings!!!! Glad that all is going well.

Wow that is really scary...you are probably right though, ahe was just a little overheated for the day. It seems with my kids those midnight fevers are always the worse. I hope you and your family continue to stay clear of the swine flu--I'm sure you are being very careful already. At my job they are wanting us to wear N95 masks into any call that comes out with flu-like symptoms--a little extreme I think since we have only had a few cases in Kansas and none in the immediate vicinity--I really hope this thing levels off and stops spreading.

I hope she is feeling much better today. I would have been terrified. We spent 3 hours at and Instacare last night and everyone was coughing and wearing masks. It freaked me out! Scary stuff. And it is so hard when your kids are sick and you feel like there is nothing you can do!

She is better. She wants to play and have fun (so all is good). Wifey is also more calm.

Tomorro is a holiday here, so family day!

What holiday?? Glad she is happy today. How old is she?

We now have 3 possible cases in Utah. I guess I better start paying attention to what it is!

Tomorrow is Labor Day in Mexico.

Kelli, this is what you can do:

- wash hand very often.

- do not hand-shake ANYBODY

- do not kiss ANYBODY

- do not borrow or lend ANYTHING to ANYBODY

- avoid crowded places

- on first symptoms, go to the nearest healthcare center. The vaccine works, but only during the first 24-48 hours.

- of course, don't panic.

THANKS!! what a crazy thing, I hope they get it all under control very soon.

Glad to hear your daughter is feeling better. It's kind of scary to think going to the hospital may be more of a risk than staying home.

It's great to see those training run times coming down in time. Hope you enjoyed your day off.

Sorry your tendons are hurting again! Aren't they totally annoying? Have you been icing?

Feliz Dia del Trabajador!

I hope things get better soon over there.

Your tendons are so FRUSTRATING! Get better and enjoy your family day! Stay healthy!

Ice after run & at night, but still, some days are better than others...

Odd to celebrate Labor Day by not working...

Things are snail slow here....

Good miles today! Glad you had a good day yesterday. Enjoy your weekend!

Nice pace Eric!

So, you got a holiday yesterday and another one next week?

Glad you had a great day in the SUN while the rest of us were almost taken downstream with the rain!!!

What's going on Eric? You're going to let Lucia chick you?

Man that girl is fast. If I don't better than her, I'll probably have to join the air force ... =)

Wow Eric your training pace has really gotten a lot faster! Just think how fast you will be in a race! I can't wait for your next 10K--I think you will demolish your PR.

April, yes, my pace is getting better. My tendons are getting better very, very slowly.

Thats exactly what I wanted to do in my Jan race, but injury prevented it from happening; hopefully, this month. I have a 10k race on May 24th (already registered). But we shall see.

20 days away. Good luck.

Just re-reading my last comment. It sounds arrogant, thats not me. Maybe should have written: it feels like the pace is getting easier... or something like that.

Nah--I don't think you sounded arrogant at all, the pace IS getting better and you are getting FASTER and you should feel proud and celebrate that! You have worked hard and have waited patiently through injury.

Eric - you will be amazing!!! Nice workout today. And how nice to be able to visit your "long lost friends" and meet their son for the first time. I bet that was fun.

Didn't the bubonic plague happen when you were a child?

Don't remember.

I just remember going to school day after day after day...man, it took forever to get out of school.

Well the bubonic plague happened in 1340, so that sounds about right for you old man.

Feliz cinco de mayo! :)

ha ha ha! Got me!

darn it.

Great pace, especially on that sprint. I think i have only ever managed to get into the 5's twice and it lasted about 2 seconds!

Take care of the tendons, they are kind of important!

Nice run-but do watch the tendons!

Kelli, but you go 20 miles without stopping. I think that is harder than 250 meters at 5:20 pace.

Chris, thanks, trying to...

Call it easy but still a nice pace--hopefully things are progressing with your house!

Happy belated Cinco de Mayo! Or better yet Happy Seis de Mayo!

Funny part is that 5 de Mayo is not a big holiday here in Mexico ...

8k on Sunday right? What sort of time are you going for? I bet you could go 36 minutes or less if you are feeling chipper! Are you planning on racing or just running for fun? Either way good luck and have a good race!

Hey stranger, how you feelin for the race, can you beat 37:27? April seems to think so... I'm not so sure ;)

Sounds like a challenge Eric! No pressure...:)

Right now Mexico is not very friendly with Argentina...so yes, I will try my best to surpass that 37:27...it will be for my country's honor! =)

The challenge is ON. Lucia, what are we betting?

It's a well know fact that rockets are faster than burritos.

... but a burrito would run down the digestive track faster than a rocket...

If you win I have to run my next race wearing the Mexican flag colors... if I win, you have to wear the Argentine flag colors in your next race... deal?

Not if it was a fiber rocket.

I like the bet. Either way, someone's gonna get shot.

Lucia, you are on!!!

But, lets make a little change. If I loose, I'll wear a head band that says " I love Argentina" and if you loose you'll do the same but with Mexico. Ok?

Otherwise, it could look like if you were wearing the colors of Italy ...

Mike, burritos are faster than rockets. Eat one and I guarantee you will be at the bathroom stall within a few minutes... =)

And rockets fall (ask Lucia), burritos don't.

By the way, I have a 10k on May 24th. When is your next race? We will need evidence from the looser, aka pictures !! ok?

Good luck on the race this weekend!

Very much needed, thanks.

You guys are too funny!!!! And ever so quick with the comebacks.

I think if Eric loses he should wear a skirt (real runners wear skirts, ya know) and if Lucia loses she should...I dunno. I will have to think on that one!!!

Was that the kind of help you were looking for?

I'm laughing out loud...

Ok, I'm gonna have to find a white headband to write that on i guess...

Ohhhh a skirt, that's a great one Kelly! If you wear a skirt I'll wear a clawn's nose...

I'll probably run a 10k on May 17th... If not I'll definitely run a race June 13 or June 20. I'll make sure I get pics taken... but wait, what am I saying, I'm not gonna lose!

Not much of a help there Kelli.

Skirts!! sure ....maybe in next life. =)

Lucia, make sure your camera is charged and has enough space to hold the pictures. I want no excuses, because you WILL loose !

Mike, maybe some help from you?

Forgive me, I could not help myself!!!

GAME ON you two!

My 8k race has been postponed ... =(

The state is going through more cases of the flu and the governor decided to close all schools and mass-people places.

Ni modo....

I don't even know if my 10k race will canceled or not.

BUMMER!!!! But better safer than sorry!

Probably right ... then I shall continue training.

I need a race, to much time has passed since last one.

Oh NO! Now we will have to wait in suspense for the outcome of the duel..

Hopefully things will settle down by the time your 10k roles around, and you can get a race under your belt.

Very convenient... I think you went and spread that flu on purpose just so they postpone the race :)

Hopefully you'll get to race soon... this is not fair though, you have more time to train and get faster. We need to re-negotiate the bet... you have to be at least 1 minute faster than me to win... deal? That, or we wait and compete in our next 10k instead (I have one coming up May 17 and another June 13)... In the meantime, get used to wearing white and blue clothes ;)

Maybe we should switch to the 10k race. I have one on May 24th (if they don't postpone that one too).

I have the crayons to paint your face with the Mexican colors if you need it...

Keep training!

It is amazing what we'll go through for something we love. My wife got me running and now wonders why I push myself so hard. I simply tell her I don't know how to be any other way.

Already accepting defeat and buying a headband? :)

The pain of running is better than hacking a lung up every morning. If I quit running I would probably start smoking again. I have too much nervous energy, always have, and it needs to go somewhere.

Yeah Jr, today felt very tired when I got up, I had to battle with my head that kept telling me to get back in bed. First km was hard, but once the engine got warm, everything felt good. Even right now, I feel so much better.

April, defeat? That is not a word in my dictionary. Funny story: the other day I dreamt that (and this is the funny part) I was dreaming that I was smoking. I woke up from my dream's dream, and was happy that is was not happening. Then I woke up for real and felt like if I had smoked!! Funny....

Good idea to canalize the energy into running.

Okay you dreamed that you dreamed that you smoked? Wow! That is rather elaborate! I haven't quite done that but I have had dreams about smoking and been very upset with myself and then woke up and felt quite relieved that I hadn't really smoked.

Realizing it was only a dream makes it so nice, no? People don't understand it takes a lot to quit smoking, and that it is a habit that one can re-take very easily.

Hope we don't.

Lets keep running!

I hope your 10k is not cancelled! I think you and Lucia should duke it out on your 10k races! I see a lot of zeros on your pain chart--very good!

Hope so too. I really need a race.

Yesterday I stopped using the heel pads. See how things work now in "normal" shoes. So far so good.

Well see if Lucia is up to it.

Dude... sorry to hear that. Did you get your headband?

Mike, won't need it. I'll throw up in the race before I let Argentina beat me. =)

Odd how kilometers that felt slow were actually faster! It is all in perception I guess...

I guess it was just the extra effort that was making me "tired" without realizing the pace I was doing.

I make it part of my run NOT to look at my watch so I can learn to feel my pace...(maybe its not working) =)

I do the same thing--no looking at the watch until after the run. I don't have a garmin so no clue what my actual splits are--I just settle for knowing the average pace!

No frills just an easy run. Nothing wrong with that!

That is the BEST kind of run.

I thing you are healing! Any word about your 5k on the 24th--is it still a go?

Whoops I meant 10k. Anyways, hope it's not cancelled.

I've been taking the last few days some pills from GNC: Triflex. Seems to be working, I feel much better (or is it just that I'm in the final stretch?).

Anyways, 10k is still go (at least till today), by next monday-tuesday we should know.

Could be the calm before the storm.

Great tendon news!

I'm glad you feel better today!

Why did you bump your tendon? Don't do that! :)

Good run speedy! Not good enough though :)

Fighting words! No more tendon bumping.

Darn step got in the way. For a moment I thought I had hurt the tendon badly (it felt that way). Had to wait a couple of minutes before moving the foot (building courage). Anyways, just a scare, phew!

Lucia, this was an easy run...I feel like tramping white & blue in 10 days.... =)

April, thanks! But still feel that the tendon pain is going down..(still taking the GNC pills).

It's never fun to shell out money--sometimes just downright scary. When will your home be finished?

Hopefully by Aug, probably by Sep-Oct.

But I think it will be when the money runs out ;)

Alright 7 miles! A nice long run. Things are progressing nicely. I start out slow on all my runs too--it takes me a few miles to really get warmed up and start steaming along. I feel like I am shuffling in the beginning.

Yeah, I'm like you guys too, if I don't start slow my legs cramp up... I don't know how those fast guys do it... part of it I think is that they warm up before their races, so they run 10-20 minutes slowly, just not during the race? In any case, why do you want to run faster, you know you won't be able to beat me anyway :)

Hooray for 7 milers!! Things alright so far!

Shuffle, that would be the correct word when I start my runs!

Lucia, you made me laugh out loud. A few people are looking at me wondering if I'm working or playing.

I'm not going to beat you, I'm going to crush you. Grrrrrrrr.....

How long will the loser have to wear the headband? I think it would be appropriate to wear it until they can beat the other's time.

Stinkin' tendons. Good job on taking it easy. Keep it easy the rest of the week and rest up for the 10k--your honor is at stake. Lucia has set the bar! :)

Thanks April, I think I will do that, take it easy the whole week.

Don't tell Lucia, but I hope to crush her 10k time ...

Excellent! Sounds great! Can't wait for your 10k Sunday. A PR is in the bag for you!

Thanks April. That would really be good news, a PR. I look forward to it & hope to make it a good one. We shall see what destiny has prepared for us.

=)

Good luck in your race. I'm rooting for ya.

YEAH---no pain! Keep it that way so you can run fast Sunday----you would not want to have to wear a skirt in the next one!

Thanks Burt, but I thought you were rooting for Lucia!!??

Thanks Kelli, I sure hope so, I'm allergic to skirts. ;)

Runs in the rain are great.

In my experience, the 500 mile mark is only a general guideline as to when to replace shoes; as long as they feel good and are providing enough cushion/support where you need it, keep wearing them. I like to run shoes out to 700 or 800 miles, because as the cushioning wears out, your feet get stronger and stronger (and I'm too cheap to by shoes every 500 miles...)

Also glad to see your tendon pain is almost gone.

Solid running...

Happy 500 Mile-versary!!! And i can't think of a better way to celebrate than to run a race wearing a headband that says "I love Argentina"!!! :)

Nevels, thanks. I'll remember the feet getting stronger part, need that one.

Lucia, there you are. I thought you were so busy painting your headband with the mexican flag that you didn't have any more time to blog.

=)

500 miles! Wow :-D

Good work on passing 500 miles :)

I find by not wearing the same pair of shoes every day (alternating them) they generally last longer as it gives them more time for the cushinoning to recover.

Arrhh the Vomeros I love mine, need to order some more, I still wear them once a week, as they are well worn but got me round my marathon and half marathon. happy days

Chris, thanks. I've been alternating my shoes: 2 days Cumulus, 2 days 2140, 1 day supernova, 1 day vomero.

Sam, yeah, love mine too. Maybe I should buy myself another pair? Will they be as comfortable? ...

Slow is good. It is always good to listen to your body. You will be fine for your race this weekend. Keep it slow and easy and save all your steam for the race! I can't wait to see your new pr!

I'm rooting for ya!

Sorry the tendons are a little tight! Good luck on the race tomorrow--make sure you jog around a bit to warm up the tendons and knock the cobwebs off before you race. Can't wait to read the report!

Thanks April.

Race is on Sunday. Plan to jog around a mile to get those 'cobwebs' off. =)

Today not feeling too great. But hopefully with tomorrow's rest, sunday will be a perfect day for a PR!

I can't wait to see how you do.

Neither can I !!!! =)

I'm rootin' for ya!!

Congrats! You have scientifically proven that burritos are faster than rockets.

congrats on a great race!

AWESOME ERIC! That is a HUGE pr! Way to finish strong--your last kilometer was very fast! Sub 45 is around the corner! The area of the race around kilometers 8 and 9 is always hard for me mentally too--that's when I notice the fatigue. Anyways FANTASTIC JOB and you will haveto rub it in with your brother--and Lucia. :)

Way to go Eric!! great last K! Personnally, I like both you and Lucia's headbands ... maybe I will just get socks and wear one on each foot in your honor!!

Sweet running!!

Eric, my man! I knew you could do it. But I always root for who is cutest. Now that you've posted a clear picture of yourself, I think we know who that is.

Mike, thanks. Don't ever judge a book by its cover. Now you can see that burritos are faster than rockets.

Allie, thanks. How are you doing? Getting better I hope.

April, thanks. I've been rubbing in to my brother all day long; and hopefully to Lucia. Maybe thats why she has disappeared...i wonder...anyways, thanks!

Bonnie, that would be a great idea. The socks with the FRB shirt. (weird combination, but good intentions)... =)

Ericka, tocaya, thanks (I'll let you figure out what "tocaya" is in english (the word is in spanish).

Burt, I am a handsome guy, eh?

Ehhh...you're okay. By the way, with the 7/11 and WalMart in your pictures, I'm having a hard time believing you live in Mexico. Shouldn't it be siete/once and WalMarto?

Yeah, we do not have to see Eric run in a skirt!!! GREAT race, you just beat my 10k, so I ran in a skirt today just for you. You are awesome, that was a great race AND I did not hear any mention of PAIN so that doubly good. Top 10%---you ROCK!!!

Man, no skirts, please...Thanks Kelli. If there was any pain, never paid any attention to it. Breathing was hard last couple of kms, but I finished!

Burt, we ARE an extension of the US, just need to change the currency here. Everything works in USD anyways...

Ehhhhh no habla ingles... Que es una "headband"? Que es una "bet"? Yo no se...

Nice try Lucia....nice try.....

What in the world was I thinking? How did you cut 4 minutes off your 10k PR in 4 months? Nice work crushing me, Eric... I guess I'll have to run wearing a skirt now... so embarrassing... :)

All jokes aside, congratulations! That's some speed you've got in those chipotle legs! Very nice pics! I think Burt has a crush on you...

I like Bonnie's socks idea!

Off to find that headband...

Hey, Rocket. That picture of you running when you were pacing your friend looks like it should be in an active wear sports magazine or something. That was a cute picture! As for my crush on Eric, it's still in the developmental stages. I don't think it will go anywhere.

Lucia, all I can say is: =)

Now you can see that you can crush your own PR's, so tell that boyfriend of yours that you will BQ !!

Burt is, well, you know him, Burt is BURT!

=)

Thanks Burt - I know I'm no Eric, but at least I don't have metal teeth anymore...

Yes Eric, I will BQ and show him!

Which marathon are you going to do in Oct, and what's your goal? (I don't remember if you told me that already)

Burt, you are right, you will get nowhere!

Lucia, I have the local Marathon under consideration, not sure if can/will do it this year. Another one is in November, but still don't know...

Ouch! and, Ha ha ha ha!!!

2,600 people for 10k! Wow what a big race. Good job on the PR :-D

But this is small compared to some of the ones you guys have up north...

PR's are like honey. One feels like if you had grown a couple of inches overnight. Great!

Eric, as far as I can tell is two friends with the same name? I suppose that would work. Is that right?

Yes, that's it! =)

Oh my goodness, I go to the movies and this blog has fun with out me! You guys crack me up.

You see Kelli, never leave in the middle of a beer!

=)

Some solid splits there and a great last 1km! Well done on the PR, knocking 5 minutes off is impressive! :)

Good work on beating your brother too

Thanks Chris, its was a very tiring race, but with good results.

Sounds great. The whole point of recovery run is slowness--glad you were "good sore"--that is a nice feeling.

NICE SORE???? Never heard of it. Have a good day.

Kelli, after running for months with only pains, this muscle soreness feels like glory to me. I know its something that will disappear in a day or two...

=)

Pray that they don't.

Way to keep the miles up.

Sounds like a good plan. The good aerobic base will make speed seem easier. It is still fun to race once a month or so to keep you motivated and not too bored!

Thanks April. I will keep doing races, but instead of going after PR's, I'll try to pace my friends or do a 'tempo run' or invent something...

That's almost exactly what I did last summer. I spent a month or so doing nothing but base building, then I continued to build mileage while also running a 5k or 10k almost every weekend as a tempo run to build up a little speed. It's amazing how effective the strategy was; running with the same amount of effort, I dropped over a minute and a half off of my 5k tempo runs over the course of the summer.

If you want to try something a little different, I came up with something fun just a couple of days ago in a 5k. I got about 100 meters past the start line and waited for the entire field to pass (something around 1650 or 1700 runners), and then spent the rest of the 5k trying to see how far up in the pack I could get. It was a lot of fun, and it was something a little different.

In any case, good luck!

Thanks Nevels, its always nice having an ultraman give out pointers to us rookies!

I'm building an additional "k" every two weeks. This week & next one will be daily 10k, after that two weeks of 11k, then 12k, and so on. Not sure where to stop, probably around 9-10 miles per day??

So far, strategy has worked, my tendons feel better, fitness it good, mileage is great (and increasing)...

Don't have races as often as you guys up north, but will try to participate in as many as I can.

How does this sound?

Your experiment in the 5k is very cool! Maybe I should try it out someday : "The Nevel Experiment"

Your build-up strategy sounds very similar to the one I used last summer. I ran x miles per day for six days the first week, (x+1) miles per day for six days the next week, and so on.

I started in June at 6 miles per day, six days a week; the next week was 7 miles per day, six days a week, and I kept going until I ran out of time (i.e. classes started back). If I felt like I needed another week at a certain distance, the I repeated the week. For example, I remember not feeling very good about 10 miles per day, so I did that for an extra week to fully adjust.

That being said, I think you have a great plan; if you stick to it, your race times will improve dramatically.

Good luck!

Oh, and as far as where to stop, you can keep building until some natural restraint stops you, such as constant fatigue, burnout, or time constraints. I kept building until classes started back, and I got up to a little over 100 miles per week, but that was getting ready for some pretty long races.

The best way to decide how high to get in your mileage is to decide on a race (or races) that you want to run well, then decide how many weeks you want to prepare for it with speedwork, and simply count backward from your race on a calendar to decide when to stop building up the mileage.

Once you've gotten to that point in your training, don't drop the mileage too much, just replace some of the long, slow miles with speedwork, and maintain the rest of the miles until a taper. At that point, you'll be in great shape to hammer some races!

WOW, great advice. I like what he said about letting fatigue be your deciding factor. i do pretty well with 60-70 miles a week, but once i go above that I start to get really tired. It is different for everyone (100 miles a week would never happen here!)

Good luck with your strategy!!! I may try that "Nevel Experiment" one day---sounds like fun!

Many thanks Nevels, will follow plan. Actually I started on April 1st with 6 kms per day and have been slowly building up.

Someday I want to move to ultra territory, but first I want to get some good times in 5,10,21 & 42k races.

I like the comment about not being comfortable on a distance & repeating the week. Will do that if a distance is not comfortable.

So Kelli, what should we bet for the "Nevel Experiment" ??

You wear a running skirt if I win and I will wear.....a running skirt if you win!

How would we pick a winner---whoever picks off the most people?

ha ha ha, nice try.... and darn, I forgot about you & skirts! There is no way you will make me run in a skirt! Not in this life! =)

Depends on the size of the race... how about waiting 2 minutes after gun time, and seeing who makes the best official time?

But you would look so cute! People like chasing skirts, or so I have been told!

You know I have never RUN a 5k, it scares me. I may have freaky endurance that passes as being a little fast, but I do not have speed.

Kelli, I finished my skirt chasing for this life. Also, I have not run a 5k either, so we are even in this. You have endurance, and I have a little more speed in a 10k race. I think its quite even...

No skirt chasing??? OKay, that is good, I suppose!

I am not sure a 5k requires any endurance at all whatsoever! And your 10k is two minutes faster than mine!! Hmmm.....if I will will you bake me cookies?

Glad that you have a plan and things are going well. Are you still planning on the half in September?

Yes, I'm in on the sep HM. Its the best one around here so I better not let it pass. Will try to PR on that one, still have 3 months of training, so things look good.

What's your PR for the half?

Burt, its 1:46:46. Will try for sub 1:40 hopefully by then.

Tendons are a pain! Even after not biking for a month mine started hurting again after biking a day. It seems they take a long time to heal! But I'm glad your pain is better.

Try from March 2008 to date for tendon pain... the only thing that has really helped me is: running ! believe it or not.

strange. sounds painful. Hopefully it stops. Nice run!

Hmm...my back is a little sore, too. I think it's from all the miles lately. But it's not too bad.

Sounds like a wise decision. Day off tomorrow, I am guessing--have a good weekend!

So glad you did not break anything. You have had an awesome week!

Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law, I hope she recovers very soon!

I used to think running in the evening one day and the next morning wouldn't be good, but I've done it a few times and usually it's not a problem; I'd do one of the days super slow though...

Is your wife's family from Mexico?

Thanks Lucia, nice of you, I'll pass your comment to my wife. =)

Yes, they are from Mexico (I don't look very mexican, do I?). They are from the north (tamaulipas) y mexico city. My 'suegra' is not very healthy, so we know that she might leave us any moment.

I'll see how things are tonight, and maybe will do my run. I was starting to get excited that I was getting back into better mileage...

Stay strong for your wife. Espero que todo salga por el mejor. (Did that sentence make sense?)

Thanks Burt =)

I have, and I will. I think what you tried to say was: "Espero que todo salga bien" you did mean: "wish everything turns out for the best"? or not?

Anyways, gracias amigo!

Yep.

Hope your mother-in-law gets better and all of you get some rest. I see no problem with the runs tonight and tomorrow morning as long as you take them super easy.

Keep taking it easy--sounds like you need the rest--hope your mother-in-law is doing better.

Thanks April, will do. Its was 20 kms in 12 hours, maybe that is why I was tired....

No news today about my mother-in-law, should know soon enough though.

Good job putting those solid miles (or kilometers) in. I thought you said in yesterday's blog that your mother in law was doing better.

I hope your mother-in-law is doing even better today!

Great job on getting that night run in, whenever I SAY I will do it, I don't!

5 good and 5 tired is much better than 10 tired! Glad you were able to get out there. All my best to your family!

Thanks all.

My mother-in-law is back home. My wife took her home and made sure she got in bed to rest more. Looks like we will have her around for another while, which is good news, don't take me wrong.

Night run was, how should we say, weird. A little hot, too many people on the street, to many kids, to many cars, felt tired.

So this is what it feels to do doubles, mmm. I guess I should leave this to big runners like nevels or holt...

Nice job on the 2-fer Eric. :)

Glad you mother-in-law is home.

Good run--nice and consistent. I bet if you keep taking it nice and easy on the runs your body will get used to the distance and the tightness and soreness will stop.

Glad someone else has heavy legs with me! Good job this week!

That's awesome that you daughter is hanging out with you on your runs! I always like it when my kids join me!

How old is she? Fun, she will be a runner like her dad.

I said this on my blog, but thought you might see it here first. HOW do I delete runs on my Garmin from the computer????

My eldest girl is 9. She is soooo skinny that I think she could break into pieces if she runs....but I love her.

Don't know if this works in all versions of Garmin. I have a 405. Once you download the info from the Garmin to the computer, your watch should be clean of info. Now you need to delete de files on the computer. If I remember right, the path for the files is something like ~/library/Application Support/Garmin/Devices/ #### /Garmin Connect/Pending Uploads/ . Any file there is a run pending to upload to Garmin Connect, if you delete it, its gone!

Hope it works for you...

I like having my daughters ride with me when I run, too, but it doesn't happen all that often.

This is a new fad with my girls, I wonder how long will it last...the company is just great, makes time & distance pass so much faster.

Granted, I don't have any children, but I always thoroughly enjoy when either of my siblings wants to run with me for any distance. Having my brother as a pacer at Pinhoti for around 29 miles was a blast, and running portions of my long runs with my sister whenever I'm at home is always incredibly enjoyable.