New Playlist, New Pace

Changed up the playlist on my iPod. Did a good 2.5 mile run and found that if I just sprint along every once in awhile, and then use my "lame-o shuffle" to recover, I net a pretty decent pace.
That's all.

Lately

Wednesday and Thursday i did stuff but i can't remember. It's logged in mapmyrun.com though. I do remember trying to run Wednesday but finding that I lacked anything. I mean, my legs were just dead logs to me. My mind wasn't that willing either. So, I walked it, and this is fine.
Friday, at the last minute, I was able to go to Salem with Jeff and his daughter Lacey and watch Matthew run in a track meet. He ran the 1500 (second place: 3:58), and he was the pace-setter for the 5000 (running a 4:23 mile for the first mile, which is pretty much a jog for him). We spent yesterday (Saturday) just hanging out with Jeff's family and then going to visit my mom. I told her that she needed to start training for the T.C. marathon, and in true Mikey fashion she just blinked, shrugged, and said, "okay, I could probably do that." Of course, she realistically assessed that a marathon is 26 miles and that is, as I like to say, "a long way". But she also has that classic Oliver "what the hell??" attitude.
So, yes, we potentially have a 5th Olly on the Ollython team.
Not much else to report. Today I'm doing the entire Rage in the Sage course and hoping, praying, to get it done in <2 hours. :( I had a dream last night that I was running it and that they kicked me off the course for being too slow. My goal is really just to finish it, and I have it in my head that if I'm not finished after 2 hours, they won't let me finish.
Anyway, I'm off to run it now, later.

Mini-Du

Did my mini-Du workout today, running 1.6 miles, then biking 3 + then running another 1.6 miles. The transitions are super mellow -- i walk in the house, have a glass of water, blow my nose, change shoes, then head back out. It's a little baby Duathlon, and gives me a sense of what to expect in a couple of weeks.
So, the training went well. I've determined that I'm quite lazy at this. I'm sporadic about my training, and then I'm a slacker when i actually do run. So, I'll be working on working harder.
At the same time, I do have these little goals for myself to challenge myself. This one was to actually ride my bike all the way to the top of Coopers' Hill on the route. I haven't made it before, but today I did. WHEW! What a freakin' challenge that was! But, i'm so stoked to've done it. Yay!
Anyway, so I got my mileage in and some practice doing the run/bike/run routine. yay!

Another Workout Today: Running

Tried running at what I hoped my race pace would be for the R/S. There is some good news, and there is some bad news.
Good news: I shaved a minute a mile off the pace I've been running at. I guess that's a lot more than just "shaving" time.... that's more of a full hair-removal. Perhaps a brazilian.
Bad News: I'm still effing slow. My nike+ widget needs to be calibrated. It was off by 4 tenths of a mile. So, while it said I'd gone 3.01 miles in 26 minutes, Google claims I only went 2.59 miles.
I just can't get too discouraged about it though. I mean, crap. I'm running. It feels good. And, I'm making some pretty big gains in my training.
So, yes, I'm slow. But wow, I've improved without a lot of training. By the end of the summer I should be quite the running machine.
I'll hit the bike again today -- an easy ride just to get my ass (literally, my ass) in shape.
I've joined Brea's goal of getting 100 miles in for April. I'm close to my goal of 34 miles for March.

Must Ride More

I rode my bike this morning and attempted a long climb. I didn't quite make it -- that's my new goal.
Hitting it hard this week and next, then going to mellow out the final week before the event. This event will not be stellar for me, I can tell. But, I'm hoping that by Fiasco in Pasco (May), I'll be in much better condition.
Jeff worked on my neck last night -- it's been great, my headache went away and everything.

Back on Track

Okay, last night i did my big Red Mountain loop -- the one I used to run. 5.6 miles. I ran <3 miles of it, then hiked the rest (where I stopped running is where it gets super steep).
A most excellent run and hike, though I was still coming down from what I'm calling the "afternoon acid trip". A project manager I'm working for is a 5', petite South Vietnamese dynamo. She took me to lunch yesterday and wanted to expose me to the indulgence of a Baskin Robbins "Blast". Think ice cream, coffee syrup, and a shitload of chocolate.... with about a cup of whipped cream on top. She has these every day. I don't know how. I had half of mine and my vision began to blur. I thought I was going to implode, or maybe run a marathon, or preferably throw up. Possibly all three, at the same time. The affects of the thing were horrible.
Well, anyway, with that gut-bomb and my garlic chicken swirling and stewing in my belly, the run was a pretty impressive belch-fest. Never again.
I've misplaced my iPod cable and can't download my run from last night.
Oh, and FYI, the Nike + thing needs to be calibrated so that it reads accurately.
I got my speedlaces and put them on my shoes, the way they fit makes the Nike+ sensor a bit loose and ready to slip out (though it never did), so I also need to get it velcroed in there.
Not much else to say.

Bricks

I did bricks tonight on my bike -- switching from biking to running. Not too tough, just clumsy to change shoes.
Yay, training done.

Training, Bloomsday, etc.

Well, I ran yesterday, per my schedule. Took the iPod. Man that little dude rocks. Love it. According to Mr. Nano, I'm running a 9:48 mile. I'd love to improve that, and I expect to. So, a new goal (besides to actually KEEP TRAINING) is to run an 8 minute mile during my training sessions.
Tonight I'm adding "bricks" to my training -- riding my bike hard and practicing the transition to my running shoes and running. There isn't a ton of time to really get into awesome shape for the duathlon, so my focus is just to get the soft-tissue strengthened -- speed will come later -- and to get comfortable with the more clumsy aspects of the duathlon like changing shoes and trying to run after biking.
Bloomsday is the first weekend of May. Adam is running it, and I might be. The Fiasco in Pasco (another duathlon) is the second weekend of May. We'll see how the Rage goes and I may do the Fiasco as well. I think it'll keep my training "interesting" for me to throw in some multi-sport events and stuff throughout the year.
Not much else to report except I'm still totally digging the iPod Nano with the workout kit. It's just such a fun little gadget.
Ran 20 minutes yesterday, per my training plan. Today is a day off from running, but I'll do something else like bike.

How Did I Get Here?

My brother sent me an instant message the other day, "Hey, wanna do the Rage in the Sage?" How did he know I was looking for just such an event? We decided to do it -- not as a team or anything, just both of us sign up and do our personal best, maybe whoever finishes first can wait for the other at the finish line. 2.5 mile run, 10 mile mountain bike, 2.5 mile run. It's literally in my back yard. As in, I don't need to arrange for a ride to get there. And this all got me thinking that this year will be the multi-sport year for me. There's a multisport series held by the 3 Rivers Road Runners (same organization holding the R in the S) and I'm going to try to do all those.
As I contemplated this, I thought, "Hey, self, you should do more running." Because ultimately I'd like to get into some trail-running.
At the same time, in Milan, my niece is training for a marathon. The marathon will be HERE in October!! Serendipitous! And why's she doing it? Because her brother (and my nephew) talked her into it. He (Matthew) is wanting to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I'm signing up too, and I'm just hoping to finish it. Hopefully we can get Adam to sign up also, then we'll have a real Ollython going -- everyone's worst night-mare -- a pack of Olivers running toward them!!! WOOHOO!
There you have it -- that's how I got here. 33 weeks to train for the big event. I'll keep you posted.