Tag Archives: Running

Running Streak has returned

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After having to stop my run streak earlier this summer due to some Achilles tendinitis, I rested and gave my heel time to…well, heal.

Within a couple weeks, I learned that I had significant soreness in the back of my heel when I first woke up in the morning and those first few steps out of bed where quite painful. However, within a few minutes, the pain lessened as I walked around. The more my tendon stretched, the more the pain went away. Most days found me without any pain at all by the end of the day. I’d wake the next morning with the same soreness again.

I decided June 19 to do a cautious 1-mile run. It went much better than expected. The first hundred yards were a bit sore, but as expected, the pain was dissipating by the end of the run. A little more stretching of the tendon afterwards made most of the pain go away. I chose to see what happened the next day…and then the next day and so on.

The biggest accomplishment was a week later, running a virtual half marathon because I’d already paid and signed up for the Hospital Hill Half Marathon. This race was to be on June 6, but made virtual due to COVID-19; the virtual race was to be done by the end of the month and my time was running out. I cautiously ran 1-2 miles each day until waking on Friday morning, June 26 and decided that I would attempt to run the half marathon. Because I was worried about my heel, I ran a 1-mile loop in my neighborhood … 13 times around. It was hot and I was not in my best half marathon shape, but I did it. My heel actually did okay, but my legs were out of practice for running that far. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to have met my goal.

I continued to run a little bit each day, mostly 1 and 2 mile runs with occasional longer runs mixed in. I wanted to make sure that I gave my heel the best opportunity to not get injured.

So, here it is in August and my streak continues to grow each day. Will I get back to a year again? I don’t know, but I do know that the run streak is a daily motivator and allows me to do something that I enjoy and look forward to each day. Let’s see how this goes…

Run Streak Comes to an End

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Unfortunately, the Run Streak has come to an end after 366 days.

I had intended to continue the run streak until I didn’t feel like doing it any more. However, a minor injury to my Achilles has forced me to stop and allow proper healing before running more. During my long run this past weekend, I developed some soreness in my left heel. It was sore running the next few days, just barely getting a mile in to finish one year of the run streak. In fact, I didn’t even feel all that celebratory about the accomplishment because the heel was not feeling well.

I iced and elevated my heel all day yesterday before going out to run a mile to keep the streak going. The heel actually felt good on the run and I thought I might have been able to get past a minor injury. However, it hurts even more today. A smart runner knows when to say when – especially if that runner is an emergency physcian.

So, it is with heavy heart to announce the streak is ending, but I will allow the Achilles to heal and I’ll be back running again soon.

My final run streak day (was the start of week 53):

Slow run with the yard art flamingos

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Day 366 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.02 miles (24:12 || 11:58/mi) 70° with 86% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing #SeenOnMyRunToday

#DizRunsPhotoHunt @dizruns

IMG 1583

Running in 2019

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Strava running and cycling front jpg 1576684641045

 

Total miles run in 2019…

1340.7 

The year 2019 is the year that I really found my stride (pun intended) in regards to running. I ran my third Garmin Marathon and was a bit better than the previous year. The half marathons were fun – especially the Hospital Hill Half Marathon. I got to do the Bill Snyder Half Marathon with a really great friend – and hope to see him back again next year. 

Most importantly, I started the run streak that has been the spark I needed to make my running more of a habit than as something I needed to do. It’s still exercise, but I look forward to it each day. I ended the year with a streak of 219 days of running at least 1 mile and plan to keep going. 

The total mileage is nothing compared to what others have done, but it’s a whole lot more than I’ve ever accomplished. Here’s to an even greater 2020. 

By the way, come join me at Strava. 

Starting the Run Streak

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After finishing my marathon and half marathons in the late spring, I had made the decision to keep running because last few years found me taking the summer off from running – and being generally unprepared to start marathon training again later in the year. I had made the decision to keep the mileage up such that I’d be ready to jump into a half marathon at any given moment. I was running about 4 days a week, but was getting bored with the runs.

At the time of Memorial Day, I joined a run streak put on by Runner’s World magazine, committing to run at least one mile daily between Memorial Day and July 4th, a 39-day experiment. I was actually worried that I may not be able to do it because I felt strongly about giving my body the opportunity to have rest days.

However, I was able to complete the run streak (denoted the hashtag ##RWRunStreak online) and easily made the decision to keep going when the 4th of July came. Following is a listing of my runs from the beginning of the streak up through November 24. I intend to post my runs weekly after this.

Week 1 – (May 27 – June 2, 2019)
Day 1 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.20 miles (12:30 || 10:19/mi) 69° with 82% humidity
Day 2 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.01 miles (25:41 || 12:47/mi) #treadmill
Day 3 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles(30:29 || 10:05/mi) 71° with 65% humidity
Day 4 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:17 || 10:36/mi) 79° with 37% humidity
Day 5 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.2 miles #RWRunStreak Day 5 (13:09 || 10:52/mi) 59° with 93% humidity
Day 6 of #RWRunStreak; ran 13.1 miles in the Hospital Hill Run Half Marathon #RWRunStreak Day 6 (2:15:27 || 10:20/mi) 65° with 81% humidity
Day 7 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.20 miles (12:27 || 10:19/mi) 82° with 30% humidity

Week 2 – (June 3 – June 9, 2019)
Day 8 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:03 || 10:29/mi) 84° with 52% humidity
Day 9 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (32:16 || 10:43/mi) 69° with 90% humidity
Day 10 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles (52:36 || 10:30/mi) 75° with 77% humidity
Day 11 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.23 miles (35:17 || 10:55/mi) 67° with 92% humidity – Rainy run
Day 12 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.01 miles (11:29 || 11:22/mi) 69° with 87% humidity
Day 13 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles #(32:28 || 10:48/mi) 66° with 85% humidity
Day 14 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.03 miles (31:18 || 10:20/mi) 66° with 85% humidity – Happy Pentecost Sunday 

Week 3 – (June 10 – June 16, 2019)
Day 15 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles (1:48:38 || 10:51/mi) 66° with 46% humidity
Day 16 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile  (11:07 || 11:07/mi) 58° with 63% humidity
Day 17 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles  (53:14 || 10:38/mi) 63° with 87% humidity  
Day 18 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (31:12 || 10:22/mi) 64° with 49% humidity  
Day 19 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile (11:15 || 11:15/mi) 66° with 59% humidity
Day 20 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (22:21 || 11:09/mi) 70° with 89% humidity
Day 21 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile  (9:44 || 9:44/mi) 69° with 90% humidity

Week 4 – (June 17 – June 23, 2019)
Day 22 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles #RWRunStreak Day 22 (1:47:01 || 10:41/mi) 72° with 79% humidity 
Day 23 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles #RWRunStreak Day 23 (31:25 || 10:26/mi) 69° with 86% humidity  
Day 24 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5.03 miles (53:01 || 10:32/mi) 65° with 95% humidity  
Day 25 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (34:28 || 11:28/mi) 75° with 65% humidity
Day 26 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile  (11:19 || 11:19/mi) 73° with 80% humidity
Day 27 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles  (1:47:48 || 10:46/mi) 73° with 87% humidity  
Day 28 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles  (21:43 || 10:48/mi) 73° with 74% humidity

Week 5 – (June 24 – June 30, 2019)
Day 29 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles ; (22:44 || 11:21/mi) 62° with 87% humidity
Day 30 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (32:14 || 10:42/mi) 66° with 79% humidity  
Day 31 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles (52:18 || 10:27/mi) 72° with 70% humidity  
Day 32 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (32:12 || 10:43/mi) 87° with 63% humidity  
Day 33 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:32 || 10:39/mi) 88° with 60% humidity
Day 34 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.01 miles 10:39 || 10:30/mi) 93° with 51% humidity
Day 35 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles on the treadmill (25:30 || 12:43/mi) #TooHotOutside

Week 6 – (July 1 – July 7, 2019)
Day 36 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles (1:48:06 || 10:48/mi) 87° with 57% humidity
Day 37 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.01 miles (20:30 || 10:11/mi) 90° with 51% humidity  
Day 38 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles (52:11 || 10:25/mi) 88° with 52% humidity  
Day 39 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4 miles (43:26 || 10:51/mi) 76° with 82% humidity – ran my own “Four on the Fourth”
Day 40 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (28:35 || 9:29/mi) 77° with 88% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 41 of #RWRunStreak; ran 11 miles (1:55:32 || 10:29/mi) 80° with 93% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 42 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.01 miles (11:37 || 11:29/mi) 86° with 57% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing – recovery run with a summer cold

Week 7 – (July 8 – July 14, 2019)
Day 43 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles on the #treadmill (36:37 || 12:10/mi) 
Day 44 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile on the #treadmill (11:22 || 11:22/mi) 
Day 45 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles on the #treadmill (38:06 || 12:17/mi)
Day 46 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4 miles (43:28 || 10:50/mi) 75° with 63% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 47 of #RWRunStreak; ran 6 miles (1:03:07 || 10:30/mi) 78° with 64% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 48 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.01 miles (22:04 || 10:59/mi) 70° with 90% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 49 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.11 miles (33:04 || 10:38/mi) 73° with 81% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 8 – (July 15 – July 21, 2019)
Day 50 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile (11:40 || 11:40/mi) 69° with 85% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 51 of #RWRunStreak; ran 6.2 miles (1:08:26 || 11:01/mi) 72° with 90% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 52 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4 miles (42:49 || 10:42/mi) 76° with 83% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 53 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (34:02 || 10:57/mi) 79° with 78% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 54 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (34:38 || 11:06/mi) 78° with 77% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 55 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile (11:08 || 11:08/mi) 80° with 76% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 56 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.41 miles (26:31 || 10:59/mi) 77° with 79% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 9 – (July 22 – July 28, 2019)
Day 57 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.06 miles (11:31 || 10:52/mi) 80° with 67% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 58 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4 miles (43:32 || 10:51/mi) 81° with 70% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 59 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4.5 miles (47:12 || 10:29/mi) 76° with 79% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 60 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile on the #treadmill (11:19 || 11:19/mi)
Day 61 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:53 || 10:55/mi) 79° with 77% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 62 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.1 miles (12:04 || 10:56/mi) 78° with 76% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 63 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.1 miles (23:15 || 11:00/mi) 89° with 46% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing

Week 10 – (July 29 – August 4, 2019)
Day 64 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles on the #treadmill (37:07 || 12:20/mi)
Day 65 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (34:09 || 11:00/mi) 87° with 39% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 66 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:36 || 10:44/mi) 72° with 76% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 67 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4 miles (40:10 || 10:01/mi) 74° with 83% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 68 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles on the #treadmill (1:00:56 || 12:10/mi) 
Day 69 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile (10:53 || 10:47/mi) 70° with 90% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 70 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:43 || 10:50/mi) 68° with 94% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 11 – (August 5 – August 11, 2019)
Day 71 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles on the #treadmill; #RWRunStreak Day 71 (37:14 || 11:58/mi) 
Day 72 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles on the #treadmill; #RWRunStreak Day 72 (1:02:11 || 12:25/mi) 
Day 73 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:07 || 10:25/mi) 72° with 87% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 74 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:00 || 10:30/mi) 76° with 74% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 75 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (20:55 || 10:25/mi) 86° with 59% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 76 of #RWRunStreak; ran 13.1 miles (2:22:49 || 10:53/mi) 84° with 70% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing   #HalfMarathon
Day 77 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles on the #treadmill (31:59 || 10:17/mi) Day 1 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay 

The Diz Days of Summer run was a 14 day fundraising run for one of my favorite podcasts (Diz Runs). This was a virtual “race” where you got to select your own running goal. Since I was already doing a run streak, I decided to run a 5K every day of the 14 days. 

Week 12 – (August 12 – August 18, 2019)
Day 78 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 mile (31:52 || 10:15/mi) 75° with 88% humidity; Day 2 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay
Day 79 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.12 miles (33:06 || 10:36/mi) 75° with 92% humidity; Day 3 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay
Day 80 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (33:30 || 10:47/mi) 69° with 91% humidity; Day 4 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay 
Day 81 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.11 miles  (34:02 || 10:56/mi) 72° with 69% humidity; Day 5 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay 
Day 82 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles on the #treadmill (32:58 || 10:37/mi) Day 6 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay
Day 83 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.11 miles (31:53 || 10:15/mi) 89° with 58% humidity; Day 7 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay
Day 84 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (33:26 || 10:45/mi) 90° with 48% humidity; Day 8 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay

Week 13 – (August 19 – August 25, 2019)
Day 85 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.12 miles (34:33 || 11:03/mi) 73° with 95% humidity; Day 9 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay
Day 86 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (34:25 || 11:04/mi) 80° with 77% humidity; Day 10 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay 
Day 87 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (31:44 || 10:13/mi) 73° with 89% humidity; Day 11 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay
Day 88 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.11 miles (32:28 || 10:26/mi) 72° with 92% humidity; Day 12 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay 
Day 89 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.11 miles (29:38 || 9:31/mi) 73° with 79% humidity; Day 13 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay
Day 90 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.11 miles (29:09 || 9:22/mi) 67° with 87% humidity; FINAL Day 14 of #DizDaysOfSummer #5KEveryDay
Day 91 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:25 || 10:40/mi) 67° with 85% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 14 – (August 26 – September 1, 2019)
Day 92 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4 miles on the #treadmill (50:51 || 12:41/mi) 
Day 93 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (32:13 || 10:43/mi) 65° with 93% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 94 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles  (51:27 || 10:16/mi) 63° with 85% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 95 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (30:52 || 10:14/mi) 67° with 81% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 96 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (22:01 || 10:58/mi) XX° with XX% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 97 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles (1:46:55 || 10:41/mi) 61° with 91% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 98 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (32:33 || 10:49/mi) 67° with 94% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 15 – (September 2 – September 8, 2019)
Day 99 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.02 miles (22:17 || 11:01/mi) 70° with 89% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Dat 100 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.13 miles (12:14 || 10:45/mi) 88° with 55% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 101 of #RWRunStreak; ran 6.01 miles (1:06:41 || 11:06/mi) 69° with 67% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 102 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (33:19 || 11:04/mi) 66° with 82% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 103 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.51 miles (36:34 || 10:25/mi) 71° with 87% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 104 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (31:16 || 10:23/mi) 65° with 89% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 105 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles on the #treadmill; (1:54:36 || 11:27/mi) pictured: my local @PlanetFitness

Week 16 – (September 9 – September 15, 2019)
Day 106 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.02 miles (22:04 || 10:56/mi) 73° with 87% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 107 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4.01 miles (41:22 || 10:18/mi) 81° with 66% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 108 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5.01 miles (56:55 || 11:21/mi) 73° with 85% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 109 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (32:12 || 10:42/mi) 81° with 66% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 110 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4 miles (43:18 || 10:48/mi) 77° with 41% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 111 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.35 miles (32:15 || 9:37/mi) 64° with 77% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing   … this felt really good today; fastest time in a long time
Day 112 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.03 miles (20:59 || 10:19/mi) 93° with 44% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 17 – (September 16 – September 22, 2019)
Day 113 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10.2 miles (1:54:10 || 11:11/mi) 86° with 77% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 114 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (31:36 || 10:31/mi) 72° with 85% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 115 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles (53:32 || 10:42/mi) 72° with 81% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 116 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:01 || 10:29/mi) 86° with 59% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 117 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.02 miles (10:49 || 10:35/mi) 74 with 81% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 118 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.02 miles (32:21 || 10:41/mi) 74° with 87% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 119 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.10 miles (22:57 || 10:53/mi) 66° with 97% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 18 – (September 23 – September 29, 2019)
Day 120 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles (1:44:50 || 10:28/mi) 68° with 81% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 121 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (31:46 || 10:33/mi) 61° with 86% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 122 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5.02 miles (53:35 || 10:40/mi) 78° with 53% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 123 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (32:01 || 10:37/mi) 66° with 43% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 124 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10.01 miles (1:45:52 || 10:35/mi) 79° with 68% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 125 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (32:43 || 10:32/mi) 66° with 93% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 126 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.01 miles (23:38 || 11:44/mi) 70° with 97% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 19 – (September 30 – October 6, 2019)
Day 127 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.1 miles (33:15 || 10:43/mi) 75° with 81% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 128 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (31:52 || 10:35/mi) 78° with 73% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 129 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles (55:42 || 11:07/mi) 77° with 81% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 130 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (29:53 || 9:56/mi) 51° with 85% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 131 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.02 miles (31:30 || 10:25/mi) 62° with 60% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 132 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10.01 miles (1:46:44 || 10:40/mi) 60° with 75% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 133 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.08 miles (31:26 || 10:11/mi) 58° with 69% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 20 – (October 7 – October 13, 2019)
Day 134 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (34:29 || 11:29/mi) 73° with 24% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 135 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4.01 miles (42:25 || 10:34/mi) 53° with 74% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 136 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5.07 miles (56:05 || 11:03/mi) 55° with 65% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 137 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.11 miles (36:21 || 11:40/mi) 68° with 88% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 138 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.20 miles (13:27 || 11:09/mi) 45° with 46% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 139 of #RWRunStreak; ran 6.21 miles (1:07:34 || 10:53/mi) 51° with 42% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 140 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.13 miles (24:15 || 11:21/mi) 50° with 51% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 21 – (October 14 – October 20, 2019)
Day 141 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles (30:20 || 10:05/mi) 60° with 60% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 142 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4.01 miles (40:02 || 9:59/mi) 62° with 74% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 143 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles (53:06 || 10:37/mi) 46° with 66% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 144 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.24 miles (24:00 || 10:43/mi) 50° with 74% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 145 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10.01 miles (1:42:47 || 10:14/mi) 50° with 87% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 146 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (22:27 || 11:10/mi) 54° with 90% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 147 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.3 miles (24:40 || 10:43/mi) 64° with 63% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 22 – (October 21 – October 27, 2019)
Day 148 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.31 miles (32:55 || 9:56/mi) 48° with 81% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 149 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4.9 miles on 49th birthday (on Day 149) (51:59 || 10:35/mi) 46° with 56% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 150 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5 miles (48:06 || 9:37/mi) 58° with 46% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 151 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.16 miles (32:11 || 10:11/mi) 40° with 77% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 152 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles (1:37:48 || 9:46/mi) 45° with 65% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 153 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.02 miles (19:35 || 9:40/mi) 60° with 50% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 154 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:31 || 10:43/mi) 44° with 90% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 23 – (October 28 – November 3, 2019)
Day 155 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.08 miles (11:05 || 10:12/mi) 39° with 89% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 156 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3:21 miles (33:39 || 10:29/mi) 37° with 76% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 157 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile on the #treadmill; (10:06 || 10:04/mi)
Day 158 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3 miles on the #treadmill; (32:25 || 10:47/mi)
Day 159 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.07 miles (32:45 || 10:40/mi) 31° with 63% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 160 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10.01 miles (1:41:03 || 10:06/mi) 37° with 70% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 161 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:05 || 10:31/mi) 62° with 33% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  

Week 24 – (November 4 – November 10, 2019)
Day 162 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (32:20 || 10:43/mi) 47° with 66% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 163 of #RWRunStreak; ran 4.01 miles (39:55 || 9:57/mi) 42° with 70% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 164 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5.01 miles (53:32 || 10:40/mi) 49° with 83% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 165 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.03 miles (11:43 || 11:21/mi) 35° with 36% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing  
Day 166 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles (1:42:03 || 10:12/mi) 43° with 36% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 167 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.15 miles (21:45 || 10:05/mi) 36° with 70% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 168 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.02 miles (21:01 || 10:24/mi) 61° with 41% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing

Week 25 – (November 11 – November 17, 2019)
Day 169 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.48 miles (35:19 || 10:09/mi) 21° with 71% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 170 of #RWRunStreak; ran 5.06 miles on the #treadmill; (58:37 || 11:34/mi) 25° outside with risk of ice
Day 171 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.01 miles (20:44 || 10:19/mi) 39° with 43% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 172 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.15 miles (21:47 || 10:06/mi) 44° with 33% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 173 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1.18 miles (12:11 || 10:16/mi) 26° with 80% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 174 of #RWRunStreak; ran 10 miles (1:44:24 || 10:26/mi) 33° with 56% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 175 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (24:46 || 12:20/mi) 48° with 71% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing

Week 26 – (November 18 – November 24, 2019)
Day 176 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.01 miles (29:48 || 9:53/mi) 50° with 53% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 177 of #RWRunStreak; ran 6.01 miles (59:36 || 9:55/mi) 63° with 31% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 178 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2 miles (21:20 || 10:38/mi) 50° with 52% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 179 of #RWRunStreak; ran 3.37 miles (36:04 || 10:41/mi) 46° with 89% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 180 of #RWRunStreak; ran 2.01 miles (20:46 || 10:20/mi) 31° with 80% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 181 of #RWRunStreak; ran 13.11 miles (2:12:41 || 10:07/mi) 33° with 80% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing
Day 182 of #RWRunStreak; ran 1 mile (11:07 || 11:02/mi) 33° with 86% humidity #KeepTheStreakGoing

Hospital Hill Run Half Marathon 2019

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Over the past few posts, I’ve discussed the races that I’ve done over the recent months. My overall goal race was the Garmin Marathon in April, but I had looked forward to tackling the Hospital Hill Run Half Marathon which occurred on June 1, 2019. I was a bit worried doing back-to-back half marathons, but this was a race that I’ve always wanted to run because of the numerous hills. So, I put down my money and accepted the challenge.

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The race begins and ends at Crown Center in the downtown area of Kansas City. The route goes north up to Truman Road (just south of I-670) and cuts over to turn south down to the Country Club Plaza and then back north to Crown Center. For anyone not familiar with this area of Kansas City, this includes a lot of hills, for which this race has a reputation.

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The weather was beautiful and only a little humid. There were thousands lined up with me, making for a fantastic running experience. 5K and 10K runners also ran along with us, peeling off at different parts of the race. It was fun to be able to cheer them on as they turned to finish, but even more encouraging were their cheers for us as we continued farther on down the road.

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This is the largest race I’ve been in, but it was well organized. There were frequent water & Gatorade stops with tables and volunteers on both sides of the road. I’m used to having one or two table-lengths of cups and volunteers from my experience at previous races; however, there were like six to eight lengths of tables on both sides of the road with people passing out water and Gatorade. I was never left lacking for water along this route. As noted in my pictures, I did wear my water belt, but was never in need of using my own water except when I chose to have a Gu Gel earlier than the first Gu stop. 

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I ran with the 2:20 pacer the whole race, but he encouraged me to pick up my speed when we reached mile 12. We had steadily gained time with each mile, which was amazing considering the number of hills encountered on this route. With the gained time and the much faster last mile (which is almost all downhill), I was able to finish the race at 2:15:27.

In addition to the massive medal that was placed around my neck upon crossing the finish line, a cold, wet towel was placed over the back of my neck and was absolutely fantastic. This will come in handy on future runs and bike rides. 

Boulevard Brewing Co was at the finish line festivities, handing out full pours of Easy Sport, their tasty “sports drink”; it was quite refreshing and made for a great end to a great morning.

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Bill Snyder Highway Half Marathon 2019

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I ran a couple half marathons over the past 2 weeks – one of them being my favorite race and the other being one I’ve feared, but have always wanted to do. This is a recap of my favorite race, the 2019 Bill Snyder Highway Half Marathon. 

BILL SYNDER HIGHWAY HALF MARATHON

The first running of this race was my very first race, the 2015 Bill Snyder Highway Half Marathon. Therefore, I’m a little sentimental when it comes to this race. Excitingly, it was announced that we end on the 50-yard-line of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium (normally ends in the parking lot outside the stadium). This was going to be very exciting. When I talked to one of my best friends from the KC Symphony Chorus, Craig, he decided that he wanted to do the race this year – his first every half marathon. 

Craig quickly noted that he would not be able to run the same pace as I’d been running, but I wasn’t worried about my time at all – I wanted him to have a fun experience and have someone to run along the whole way. I’d already run this race twice, so this was going to be HIS race, not mine. 

We arrived outside the Bill Snyder Family Stadium at 5:20 am to get our bus ride out to the start line which is nearly at I-70 on KS Highway 177 (the Bill Snyder Highway). IMG_3705.jpeg

We waited in the tent, staying out of the cool wind and waited for everyone else to be shuttled out for the start at 7:00 am. IMG_3706.jpeg

Another Chorus friend, Mark, joined us at the beginning.This was also Mark’s 3rd year running this race. 

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We did a combination of running and walking, first along the 8 miles on the highway into town. Then we went down Poyntz, around City Park, through Aggieville, through the KSU campus, and eventually ending at the football stadium.

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We finished in 3:10:45. It was very fun seeing ourselves on the large Jumbotron as we were running in and hearing our names and hometowns announced overhead. 

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Four of us from the KC Symphony Chorus ran this race. In fact, it was also the first half marathon for Dave, seen here in red. 

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The most cool part, however, was having Bill Snyder there to take pictures and sign autographs. He signed the back of our medals. So very, very cool. 

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Garmin Marathon 2019

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Over the past few months, I’ve run a marathon and a couple half marathons. I had every intent of discussing them after each race, but life happens and time moves on – and then I get to write a post well after everything happened. So, here’s the recap of the 2019 Garmin Marathon.  

GARMIN MARATHON

The 2019 Garmin Marathon occurred on April 13 in Olathe. It started out at 35 degrees at race time. I had recently been running in 50 degree weather and was prepared to finally run in shorts and short sleeve t-shirt, but wasn’t going to happen on this day. 

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Linda was there to cheer me on in the beginning and every few miles along the race route. It is awesome to have someone out there ringing a cowbell to cheer you on as you’re chugging away mile after mile. It brought a smile to my face and everyone around me always commented on having my own cheering section. It was also great having Linda there to hand off my gloves when I no longer needed them as it warmed up into the upper 40s; if only I could’ve switched into shorts by that time. 

I was looking for an improved time over my results over the last two years. I’d made some rookie mistakes in the first race and wasn’t quite trained as well as I’d hoped last year. My plan this was was to run with the pacer the whole way and not get dropped. 

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I lined up with the 4:45 pacer and stayed with him all the way to the end. Running with Todd, my pacer, was the best choice I made all day. We had great conversations and learned of our shared interest in craft beer. Whenever we talked about beer, our pace would pick up and we’d have to back off the next mile. In fact, we gained so much time as we went along that I was able to finish in 4:43:19, almost 5 minutes faster than my best time achieved last year (was 4:48:41 last year and 4:52:54 two years ago). 

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The best part of the day was having my sister-in-law, Elaine, join me on the public trail portion of the race at about mile 17. Thank you, Elaine, for keeping me engaged and encouraged all the way to the end.

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2019 Chocolate Rush Half Marathon (2.2.19)

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This was my 3rd year for running the half marathon that is an out-and-back from MidAmerica Nazarene University. What’s perfect is that I was already scheduled to run 13 miles that day as part of my marathon training plan.

I was up early and ready to be there for the 8 am start time. After having temperatures below zero just a few days before, it was nice that the temperatures were going to be in the upper 40s.

My goal was to finish before 2:15, so I ran with the 2:10 pacer. I was able to stay with that pacer until about mile 11, but I was able to stay just ahead of the 2:15 pacer.

The best surprise was that Linda texted me that she was at a certain location and had come out to see me run (we had previously agreed that she didn’t need to come out). So, at mile 8 she was there with her cowbell and cheering. What a great lift to my spirits.

I listened to music that kept me at a 180 steps-per-minute pace, which was good, but I started to get a little sore about mile 11 and 12. Last year I remember getting tired and needed to walk at around mile 8, so I was doing much better this year. I brought my own Gu gels and water, so I wasn’t dependent on waiting for the water stops during the race.

At about mile 12.5, the 2:15 pace caught up to me, but I was able to push it out a little bit more and crossed the finish line at 2:14:43. What a relief to beat my goal.

EATING A CHOCOLATE COVERED DONUT – WELL DESERVED
DRINKING DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE MILK

Garmin Marathon 2018

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After running my first marathon last year (and making many of the rookie mistakes), I wanted to run a better race and improve on my time.

My training runs went very well this year, but I was definitely running a slower pace. I didn’t do all of the cross-training that I kept telling myself I’d do, but the running was going well and I wasn’t getting injured. That was extremely important.

The day of the race came and I felt good – but nervous. The traffic before the marathon was crazy and caused a delay in the start of the race. Although starting from a new location (with less traffic issues), Linda and I made sure I was there well early and I had plenty of time to get my mind fixed on what was about to occur.

Linda hung out with me, although it was a cool 48º with a dampness in the air. Frankly, this was perfect running weather. I made the mistake of dressing too warmly last year – wearing long running compression leggings and a long sleeve shirt (and it was even warmer). I made the decision to wear shorts, short sleeve shirt, and arm warmers. I had practiced with this outfit earlier in the week, realizing the arm warmers would make the difference. They did.

Just before the National Anthem was sung, I kissed Linda and walked over into the crowd, finding my pace group. The goal was 4:45 (7 minutes faster than last year).

Pleasantries were exchanged among the 6 or 8 of us; we were all planning to stick with the guy that promised to get us there at our “hoped for” time. Most of us were marathon “veterans”; however, two were running their very first marathon. This was going to be a great group with which to spend my morning running.

Linda was there at the start of the race and leap-frogged me all the way through mile 21. She took pictures and video throughout the time that she was cheering me on – often with her cowbell. Unfortunately, she had to judge a piano event and had to leave for that prior to my completing the race. My parents, however, were at the end of the race to meet me.

I’ll drop a quick 2 minute video of the pictures and video here – and then I’ll discuss the race in more detail.

My goal this year was to run steady and efficient. Last year, not only was I overdressed, but I was also wearing a Camelbak filled with water along with two hip flasks filled with water. This was a lot of unnecessary weight that I carried for a lot of miles. I was accustomed to be self-sufficient for my water and nutrition needs, but I was not familiar with how much I could depend on the race organizers to supply me with enough water and Gu packets along the course. Last year allowed me to gain the experience and knowledge of what I could expect this year. I also, like many newbies, did not pay attention to my pace last year and ran too fast for the first half. This year was going to be different.

Because my main goal was to beat last years time of 4:52:54, I chose to anchor myself to the 4:45 pacer. There is a lead pacer that will make sure that the goal time is reached; there is also a trail pacer that will keep the group within 2-3 minutes of the goal time.

I ran the first 18 miles with the lead pacer and most of the pictures and video show me with that group. However, the steep rolling hills on a running/biking trail between miles 18 and 19 finally got the best of me. My heart rate just wouldn’t recover without me slowing down. Over the next 2 miles, the pace group moved slowly away from me. However, I stuck with a couple other runners and we encouraged each other to keep going.

After being rained on for a bit at mile 20, Linda was waiting for me one last time at mile 21. I ran to her and gave her a big kiss and a thank you for all the support she’d given me over the past few months of training, but especially for the amazing support she’d given me that morning. In that few seconds, the other runners kept going and I was left back alone. The final 5 miles of a marathon are some of the toughest, requiring a lot of mental fortitude to make your body keep going. Last year, I found myself walking more than running and feeling a little down on myself that I wasn’t in the shape that I thought I was. This year, it was tough – but I felt much better about myself and had more mental toughness than I expected. I’d like to say that I shifted gears and took off in a blazing glory and caught everybody and beat my goal. That didn’t happen – but I did stay tough.

I carried a couple Gu packets with me, but, in hindsight, wished I’d had at least one small water bottle with me. I could’ve used maybe two more water stops along the last 10 miles of the race. This is not a criticism of the water stops – just the fact that I needed more water than I had and wished I’d brought some with me.

The trail pacer for the 4:45 group caught up to me at mile 25. The last 1.2 miles was slightly uphill and open with exposure to the wind. We talked as we ran. I mentioned that my goal was to beat the 4:52 mark and he figured out that it was in the bag – just needed to keep going. The uphill slog was draining and my legs begged for some reprieve. As if he knew I needed it, we slowed to a walk for about 30 seconds just before the mile 26 marker. This was the rest my legs needed so that I could bring it in for the last 0.2 miles – up the uphill drive of Garmin Headquarters.

It was great to hear my name called over the loudspeaker as I approached the finish line. It was even greater knowing that I’d beat last year’s time with a time of 4:48:41, an improvement by four minutes. It’s a long way from a Boston Qualifying time, but it was a Personal Record and I was very pleased.

The finishers medal was placed in one hand and a bottle of water was placed in my other hand. As I was looking left and right for my parents, the 4:45 lead pacer and one of the other pace group runners came over and gave me a hug. That was a great feeling to have them congratulate me and cheer me because I felt like I had let them down by trailing off and getting lost from the group. However, that’s what’s awesome about runners – they’re always cheering each other on.

I quickly found my parents and they went to warm up their truck to have a nice warm cab to climb in. However, prior to leaving, I needed to get my “prize”, a nice cold beer from the post-race festivities. Like last year, it was hard to finish a simple can of beer.

I was offered either a hamburger or hot dog. I really had to stop and think about it. My mind wanted one of each, but my body overruled and suggested it wouldn’t be a good idea. I truly wasn’t hungry. Plus, I knew that a big lunch with good beer would be waiting after my shower.

After going home and having a most wonderful hot shower, my parents and I went to the same post-marathon restaurant as last year, Barley’s Kitchen + Tap. With amazing food and over 100 beers available, the celebration would be awesome. Upon arriving to restaurant, a very good friend was there and brought over my first beer; Cheers!

I wish I had a picture of Linda standing on the side of the road – the many times she was there, ringing the cowbell and yelling “Go, Bill”. The pace group smiled and chuckled each time. After the first time we passed, I waved and smiled at Linda and the lead pacer yelled back “He loves you”. So, when you watch the video, you’ll hear me tell her that I love her. It was kind of corny the first couple times that we saw her, but I meant it – and meant it even more as the race went on. Having her there waiting for me every few miles was encouraging and told me how much she loved me. Thank you, Linda. I really do love you!

Finally, it was wonderful to have my parents in town for the weekend. When the opportunity came about for them to come to town on this particular weekend, I assumed they’d choose another since I was running my race. However, when they realized they could be there at the finish line and celebrate with me, they quickly offered to do so. It’s so good to be loved by family. I love you, Mom and Dad.

I Need a New Race

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As I typed the title for this blog post, “I Need a New Race”, I have the tune of Huey Lewis and The News “I Need a New Drug” in my head. Now I can’t get it out…

Since my first marathon run in late April, I’ve gone on less than 20 runs. Most have been in the 3-4 mile range and my average pace has slowly drifted slower. Most importantly, my weight has slowly drifted to my pre-training weight. My clothes still fit, but I’m not happy with where I am currently.

I’m one of those people that dive head-first into any project that I choose to engage. True to form, I went crazy with running, including spending most of my free time with running books, magazines, and podcasts. I enjoyed almost every run, even if I wasn’t the fastest guy on the block. Having a goal of completing the marathon was a fantastic motivator; it was a lot easier getting up early to run or running in the rain.

Unfortunately, the warmer weather and humidity sapped every bit of desire to get out and run. Additionally, I really like food and craft beer. The combination of lack of exercise and increased consumption of empty calories has brought be back to where I was over a year ago. 

So, I need a new race. Something that will fit in my schedule and allow me to be motivated. The Fall season just doesn’t work for me because of KSU home football games and involvement with the Symphony Chorus. So, I need to find something that will work. I’m looking into a virtual race in November. Maybe that will be it.

Whatever I find – putting it out here on the blog will give me a bit of accountability.