My first 60 mile week (Week 47)

I'll admit, it seems kind of silly to write this blog entry now. Really, I should probably go downstairs and finish my 1500 miles, but I figured before I do that, I should at least talk briefly about last week, as it was my biggest week of the year. It wasn't intentional; a planned trip to Subic on Thursday (Thanksgiving, coincidentally) made me want to run in the morning before my travel in case I didn't run when I got to Subic. As it turns out, I managed to run every day that I was there. It was great! Although it was hot, it was bearable, the air was fresh (at least compared to my normal running environment), and running on the road is always nicer than a treadmill (though it did slow me down a bit). By the time Sunday rolled around, it was a monstrous week of running, and despite all the running, I still felt really good!

My totals for Week 47 (21-27 November) are:

Total Runs Logged: 8 (2 runs on Thursday)

Total Miles: 63.7 (that's 9.1 miles/day on average, though my longest run was 8.7 miles)

Total Time Spent Running: 8 hours, 6 minutes, 12 seconds

Average Pace: 7:36 (min/mile)

Not counting Monday's run, my "as of" totals are:

Total Runs Logged: 250

Total Miles: 1487.1

Total Time Spent Running: 189 hours, 47 minutes, 07 seconds

Average Pace: 7:39 (min/mile)

REFLECTION TIME: With my 7.8 mile run yesterday, I am now a mere 5.1 miles from my 1500 mile mark. It's safe to say that by the end of the night, I will have surpassed my goal (for the second time this year). What will I do with the remaining 32 days of the year? I'll imagine I'll keep on running. It seems kind of silly to say that my NEW NEW goal will be 1600 or 1650 miles. Realistically, 1500 miles was more than I thought I would do at the start of the year. Now, I see just how far I can go. My legs feel great: no foot or knee pain, and my shoes have held up (though I ordered two new pairs yesterday). Like with most runs, the remaining in the year will be without much fanfare or celebration. I'm not doing it for the attention; rather, I'm doing it because it's good for me, and I enjoy doing it. Now if you would excuse me; I've got some running to do...

The Return of the Run Log!! (Week 46)

As I get closer and closer to the 1500 mile mark, part of me wants to push myself to run harder and longer. There is this desire in me to make it to 1500 miles in as little time as possible. At this point, I know I'll have no trouble reaching my goal; the question is when I will get there. By the looks of it, it will be much sooner than originally expected. This week marked the 4th time in 5 weeks that I surpassed 50 miles for the week (double my original weekly goal). For Week 46 (14-20 November) my totals are:

Total Runs Logged: 7

Total Miles: 56.9

Total Time Spent Running: 7 hours, 00 minutes, 41 seconds

Average Pace: 7:23 (min/mile)

As the title suggests, this week was the return of the run log. In early July my home computer stopped working the same time that my GPS watch stopped working. Of course my running log for the year was saved on that computer, and I hadn't made a backup copy. I knew the mileage I had run thus far (actually I was off by 2 miles), but everything else was a mystery. So I started fresh at Week 26 with new spreadsheet which I have used for the past 20 weeks. Well, thanks to my very computer savvy father-in-law, my computer is working again, and Stephanie was able to pull my first running log off it, and I combined the two. It's really cool to see the new total now after nearly 11 months of running.

My new "as of" totals are:

Total Runs Logged: 242

Total Miles: 1423.4

Total Time Spent Running: 181 hours, 40 minutes, 55 seconds

Average Pace: 7:39 (min/mile)

REFLECTION TIME: 76.6 miles remain until it's officially "mission accomplished". At my current rate, I'll reach that by the 1st or 2nd of December, a full month ahead of schedule. As for what I'll do for December, I don't have a specific goal in mind; I guess I'll keep running and see just how far I can go. Again, there is something inside me that wants to get to 1500 as fast as possible, but I also know the harder I push myself, the greater my chance of injury. I would say I've been lucky, but really I think that it's smart running that has kept me injury free this year. Now, I need to keep running smart so that I'm not doing my last miles on crutches. (Seriously, if I broke my leg tomorrow, I would crutch my way to 1500, but let's hope that doesn't happen.)

Some Fresh Hawaiian Air (Week 45)

ALOHA! What a treat that while "deployed" to the Philippines, I was granted the opportunity to go to Hawaii for a few days to discuss deployment issues with my headquarters and an incoming unit. I would say most people would not consider going to Hawaii part of any deployment, but this deployment has truly been unlike any others. While my time in Hawaii was VERY short, and while most of that time was spent in meetings, I still was able to do something I had not yet done...run in Hawaii with a GPS. During my three and a half days, I managed to squeeze in 3 runs. They were wonderful. The weather was cooler than in Zamboanga, and the air was so much cleaner. Here's the map Garmin provided me of my post 9-miler that I did on Friday.

Here is the same run, but zoomed in a bit. I was staying on Pearl Harbor, but was able to run on Hickam because the two are right next to each other, separated only by a fence (which has a gate to pass between both bases).
Funny thing, about the gate that separates Pearl Harbor and Hickam, is that at night if you are unfamiliar with the area it can be hard to find. On my first run in Hawaii (on Wednesday evening) I had intended to only run about 6 miles. I crossed onto Hickam with ease, but then it got dark and I got confused with the streets and multiple traffic circles. I eventually was able to find my way back (by following the fence until I found the gate), but my 6-miler turned into a 10 mile run. Oh well, I'm actually glad I got the long runs in, since I missed a day of running with all my travel.

Overall my totals for Week 45 (7-13 November) were:

Total Runs Logged: 5

Total Miles: 40.1

Total Time Spent Running: 5 hours, 09 minutes, 13 seconds

Average Pace: 7:42 (min/mile)

Running the 10 miles, and then another run on a very full stomach slowed me down a bit, but had little effect on my overall average pace. My "as of" totals from 4 July through 13 November are:

Total Runs Logged: 100

Total Miles: 616.7

Total Time Spent Running: 78 hours, 02 minutes, 36 seconds

Average Pace: 7:35 (min/mile)

My total mileage for 2011 thus fare is: 1365

Reflection Time: While I typically enjoy the Philippines, any time "away from it all" is a good thing, and what better place to be than Hawaii. Back in Zamboanga, I now have just about a month left of this deployment. That's right, my deployment has been curtailed by about 2 months, and I'm going back to Guam early. I'll be home before Christmas (it's not a surprise, Stephanie already knows). That is a very good thing, and while I'm not sure if I'll hit the 1500 mile mark before I leave, I will have no trouble reaching it before December 31st!

1300 Miles and Beyond (Week 44)

9 straight days of 8-mile runs. Part of me knows I can't keep up this pace. Prior to this week I never had more than a few consecutive days with 8-mile runs. To have logged more than 50 miles 2 weeks in a row, entering this week, I'm not sure what I was thinking to try to keep the 8-mile runs going, especially as I continue with my two-a-day workouts. Still, every day I stepped onto the treadmill to run, I was determined to go as far as I could comfortably go. Often when I first started I would think to myself that I wouldn't do 8 today, but I never let myself quit early; worried that if I let myself "slack" one day, I would be more likely to do it the next. Again, I know I can't keep it up, but I want to keep going for as long as I can. Keeping with that attitude, I had an overall outstanding week of running in regards to both miles (most to date) and pace.

My totals for Week 44 (31 October - 6 November):

Total Runs Logged: 7

Total Miles: 58.8

Total Time Spent Running: 7 hours, 18 minutes, 7 seconds

Average Pace: 7:27 (min/mile)

My "as of" totals from 4 July through 6 November are:

Total Runs Logged: 95

Total Miles: 576.6

Total Time Spent Running: 72 hours, 53 minutes, 23 seconds

Average Pace: 7:35 (min/mile)

With 3 consecutive 50+ mile weeks my total mileage for 2011 is now: 1324.9

REFLECTION TIME: Running at night has definitely helped boost my weekly mileage because I have more time to run. I can usually dedicate an hour to running each night versus in the morning when I only had about 45 minutes before I needed to get ready for work. In that extra 15 minutes, I can usually add an 2 more miles which over the course of the week is pretty substantial. Of course, I don't plan to run for an hour every night, though as I mentioned above, I'm worried now if I do less one day, I won't want to run a long distance the following day. More than 1300 miles into the 1500 mile "journey" it's about digging deep and finding the motivation to keep going. I'm so close, and part of me wants to get there as fast as possible which is why I keep pushing myself. We'll see what happens next week. With some travel planned there will be at least a couple of days I won't be able to run. Still hoping for some good mileage though.